All Organizations are subject to conflict and competition between the desires and interests of different departments, teams and individuals. Organizational politics refers to the processes through which these rival interests are played out and in the end joined together. While in an ideal Organization it may be hoped that decisions are made on a rational basis, politics is intrinsically non-rational and subject to power interactions between diverse interests. Members of an Organization are at the same time collaborating to achieve a common goal and competing for rewards, and at times their personal interests may be at conflict with the Organization’s objectives.
It is through the political system of an Organization that rival interests are solved. This system represents how power is applied and distributed in the Organization. Understanding the political system of an Organization is vital for a leader to operate effectively and reach their goals. A leader, exercising power, is able to have a strong influence on the political climate of an Organization through their decisions, their way of handling conflict and giving Organization politics recognition, support and inspiration to their teams.
Negative Organizational politics may be very harmful for an Organization. This has been identified as one of the major contributor of stress within modern businesses. Negative politics includes the use of dissident methods to endorse a personal agenda which may chip away at Organizational objectives, distract energy away from Organizational goals and compromise the interests, cooperation and fulfillment of other employees. Such tools may include filtering or distortion of information, non-cooperation, allocating blame, reprisals, dishonesty, obstructionism and threats.
Impression management is another element of Organizational politics that it is important to preserve an awareness of. The term refers to techniques of self-presentation where a person may decisively control the information they put forward about themselves or their ideas to create a positive impression. For the leader this entails that everything may not always be as it seems. Studies have point out that people using impression management may be more positively rated by their supervisors than others. On the other hand, being aware of the impression you are creating should be considered in building support for your own goals. The level to which impression management is applied is an ethical question that relates to a leaders credibility and reliability.
Usually, political Behavior and maneuvering within an Organization is caused by uncertainty, such as unclear objectives, poorly defined decisions, competition and change. A leader’s influence may be used to inhibit a bad climate that promotes such negative politics.
By endorsing a positive culture that values integrity, respect and fairness within their team, the leader is able to channel people’s interests and energy away from negative political interplay and towards an alliance with Organization objectives. Allowing team members to express their interests and demonstrating a dedication to support individual needs integrates their fulfillment into the work Organization and promotes the positive resolution of political conflicts.
