OPENREACH

MSc by Research in Leading Learning & Change 2007-2009

Working with Organisational Politics

29th April 2009

Dr. Veronica Burke

Session Aims

• To enable you to

– Understand the centrality of political activity in business today,

– Reflect on your own approach to organisational politics and influencing

KILLER PHRASES

• A good idea, but ...• Against company policy.• All right in theory.• Be practical.• Costs too much.• Don’t start anything yet.• It needs more study.• It’s not budgeted.• It’s not good enough.• It’s not part of our job.• Let’s do a survey first.• Let’s sit on it for a while.

• That’s not our problem.• The boss won’t go for it.• You will never get others to use it.• Too hard to administer.• We have been doing it this way for a

long time and it works.• Why hasn’t someone suggested it

before if it’s such a good idea?• Ahead of the times.• Let’s discuss it some more.• Let’s form a committee.• We’ve never done it that way.• Who else has tried it?

Trends in Business Organizations

Changing Organisational Forms and Structures

Smaller, front line operating units/business unit structures

Matrix and other network forms

Focus on Processes

Outsourcing non-core activities

Cross-functional teams

External collaborative structures

Focus on Management/leadership

Individual accountability and influence

Decentralised responsibility?

Encouraging entrepreneurship?

THESE SHIFTS IN ORGANISATIONAL FORM HAVE ACCELERATED THE NEED FOR POLITICS AS AN

ORGANISING PRINCPLE

• Multiple corporate goals • Decentralised structures

• Increasing stakeholder demands• Interdependent business

• Unofficial pockets of practiceall

CREATE VALID POLITICAL AGENDAS

Organisational Politics, a definition

• The competitive positioning of causes: deliberate efforts made by individuals and groups in organizations to use power in the pursuit of their own particular interests.

– We have choices about the way we do this…….

The Reality of Organisations

• Organisational rationality is a value rather than a reality

• Organisations are usually coalitions of groups and individuals with both competing and mutual interests

• Hierarchical control and co-ordination is an inherent organising principle

Imagine a corporate briefing….

“We the board recognise that this company is a loose federation of competing interest groups through which we negotiate to move toward a common strategy. So if you see some good alternatives, feel free to challenge the prevailing viewpoint. Bear in mind that you may well get some opposition, so it will be important to lobby the right people and build some alliances to make your agenda count…”

Rational Management Suppresses The Inevitable Influence And Value Of Competing Interests

• In practice:

• Power is multi dimensional

• Intentions are hi-jacked by destructive politics

• Obtaining organisation-wide commitment turns into ‘mission impossible’

Types Of Power

SITUATIONAL:• Formal authority• Control over information flow• Role significance• Control over hard rewards

PERSONAL:• Referent• Expertise• Social competence• Success

Power And Politics

• The use of power is a political process.• The appropriate use of power requires the

principled use of the political process.• Politics - the competitive positioning of

worthwhile causes.

Political Profiles

High awarenessof what is happening

around you

Low awarenessof what is happening

around you

Self

Centred

Motives

Other

Centred

Motives

• Characteristics – sticks to ethical, organisational and professional rules– holds exaggerated respect for rationality– takes things literally– openly shares information– sense of loyalty

• Says things like:• “Could we get on with the main task of this meeting?”• “If they would simply tell us what they really want, we could get on

with it”• “In my professional opinion…”• “I don’t get involved with politics”

Unaware – Other centered motives

• Believes– in expert and position power– you are powerful if you are right– flavours of the month were here to stay– authority and power are congruent

• Limitations– doesn’t appreciate political purpose– doesn’t network, doesn’t know how to get support– understands content but not process of procedures– wouldn’t recognise a double message

Unaware – Other entered motives

• Characteristics– not always ethical– see things as “either - or”– play psychological/political games but doesn’t read those of others– gets involved in gossip and rumours

• Says things like:• “You know me” “With all due respect”• “Let’s decide what we want and then make it look like what they

want?”• “Well, we all know how he got his job, don’t we?”• “If the chairman wants to come to our meeting, we’ll just get

together beforehand, won’t we?”• “Shall we take a vote?” (in the wrong setting)

Unaware – Self centered motives

• Believes– can’t personally make a difference– managing change/issues is someone else’s responsibility– nothing really ever changes

• Limitations– emotionally illiterate– concerned with own feelings– interpersonally inept at making alliances/coalitions– doesn’t listen to others– not tuned into grapevine, blocked antennae.

Unaware – Self centered motives

• Characteristics– interested in power and in associating with the locus of power– inner-goal oriented– wants to be seen as powerful– thinks before speaking, often aggressive but well masked,

charming veneer– avoids spontaneous displays of feelings– check gossip/rumour, is aware of other’s viewpoints– uses coalition, knows how the formal processes work– manipulates situations so as to appear never to make mistakes– can make procedures work for them – gets support, good at ingratiating, bargains, manipulates

Aware – Self centered motives

• Says things like:• “Leave it to me, I’ll have a word with him - he’s terribly out

of touch”.• “I think it would be unwise for me to take this on, it’s very

delicate, how about you ... you know good you are?”• “I have discussed this very thoroughly already and we’re

united in this”.• “I share some of her/his feeling on this matter even it not

quite so passionately”.

Aware – Self centered motives

• Believes– in personal power to achieve– in personal vision– organisations are principally political playgrounds– organisation goals are secondary to personal goals

• Limitations– gets diverted from organisationally valuable activity– finds compliance easier to achieve than commitment– invests effort in CYA and managing personal politics– tends to get surrounded with ‘yes’ men

Aware – Self centered motives

• Characteristics– aware of purpose and interested in direction– good interpersonal skills, high levels of self knowledge– thinks before speaking, assertive– checks gossip/rumour– excellent listener, is aware of others’ viewpoints– uses coalition, knows how the informal processes work– non-defensive, learns from mistakes, reflects on events– can make procedures work for them– capacity for friendship– knows the formal and informal organisation success criteria

Aware – Other centered motives

• Says things like:• “How are we going to sort this out?”• “I wonder what’s lying behind these ideas?”• “Let’s look at the ways we can speed this up, and get over

the difficulties”• “Let me make sure I understand what you’re asking for”• “I don’t think I’ve been understanding you - can I have

another go?”

Aware – Other centered motives

• Believes– different interests can be satisfied– in personal power to achieve change– in collaboration to gain buy-in– in the validity of political influence

• Limitations– failure to recognise not all game player’s will collaborate– failure to recognise when others’ personal goals become

more important

Aware – Other centered motives

Exercise

• What is my shape?• Where do relevant Stakeholders in my organisation

sit in the matrix?• What skills do I need to influence in the ‘top box’?• How can I get others to work with me in this ‘top

box’?

Politics with integrity….

• Balanced motives• Linking projects to (accepted) key organisational

issues• Linking projects to key stakeholder agendas• Piggybacking existing initiatives• Being open about your motives

An emerging model of political leadership

• Research (31 management case studies in 5 different UK organisations) into how managers work with the complexity of competing interests suggests a range of responses from;– Competing interests to be managed/controlled in the pursuit

of corporate unity to– Competing interests central to organisation success and

need to be encouraged

Leadership Behaviours

From Rational Leadership• Preference for formal meetings and

processes• Focus on senior management

approval/buy-in• Relationship building focussed at senior

levels• Debating and challenging amongst small

coterie• Carefully prescribed delegation and

empowerment

• Tendency to influence through operational control

• Working on formally agreed priorities/issues

• Challenging through established processes• Exclusive and Involving of few• Representing legitimate organization

interests e.g. own department, customers

To ‘Political’ leadership• Extensive use of informal processes, e.g.

covert activity, corridor meetings• Focus on working with personal agendas• Relationship building and networking at all

levels• Encouraging debate and challenge at all

levels• Providing others with space and autonomy

to experiment, stimulating bottom up change

• Influencing by focussing on broad direction• Working outside as well as inside of agreed

responsibilities, often on unofficial initiatives

• Challenging the status quo, irreverent and subversive

• Inclusive and involving of many• Also representing the interests of quasi

legitimate constituencies, often external to own responsibilities, e.g. other functions, unofficial issues

Exercise

From To 1. Using formal meetings and processes 2. Working with senior management approval/buy-in 3. Relationship building focussed at senior levels 4. Debating and challenging amongst small coterie 5. Carefully prescribed delegation and empowerment 6. Tendency to influence through operational control 7. Working on formally agreed priorities/ issues 8. Challenging through established processes 9. Exclusive and Involving of few 10. Representing legitimate organization interests e.g. own department, customers

Extensive use of informal processes, e.g. covert activity, corridor meetings Working with personal agendas Relationship building and networking at all levels Encouraging debate and challenge at all levels Providing others with space and autonomy to experiment, stimulating bottom up change Influencing by focussing on broad direction Working outside of agreed responsibilities, often on unofficial initiatives Challenging the status quo, irreverent and subversive Inclusive and involving of many Representing the interests of quasi legitimate constituencies, often external to own responsibilities, e.g. other functions, unofficial issues

Total:

Exercise

• Score yourself out of 100 for each list.• Which list do you tend to favour? Why?• Are there some items you scored high on both lists?

Why?• Are there some items you scored low on both lists?

Why?• What does this suggest about your approach to

managing competing interests and politics?

An Emerging Model Of Political Leadership

• The research indicates that political leadership behaviour is underpinned by four core ‘values’;– perceptions about the value of competing

organizational interests– drive positive perceptions of the value of individual

interest – and therefore the need to take authority to make

things happen– these values in turn encourage a positive approach to

a political model of behaviour

Organisational Benefits?

• It is interesting to note that those managers who displayed these political behaviours were described by their colleagues as…..

“Influential”, “a great leader”, “a good role model”, “very good at getting people to work for them outside of their own area”, the most stimulating person I could think of working for” , “a brilliant leader”, massively democratic”, receptive to new ideas”, incredibly open to dialogue”, “extremely inclusive and consultative”….