Organizational Politics and Power: How

Organizational Politics and Power: How to Survive and Even Prosper in the Political Environment of One's Organization

Hardly any employee, when asked about what he or she likes about his or her organization is likely to say, "oh the politics of the organization" unless Machiavelli is that individual's personal hero! However, effectively managing organizational politics and deploying one's personal power in an effective fashion is key to a worker's career success. In fact, "to help us understand organizations, we might consider them as political systems, rather than viewing the organization's politics as a negative thing. (Ratzberg, 2000) Some organizations function in their political networks as totalitarian systems, where one actor dominates the organizational hierarchy from on high, others are more democratic or at least interactive in their model. A worker rarely has a choice as to how his or her organization functions as a political model, but can use this knowledge of the overall organization to negotiate his or her relations with the executive and managerial staff, as well as to embark upon his or her own decision-making and problem- solving. (Ratzberg, 2000)

As in politics as well, organizational actors seek to satisfy not only the organizational interests of the collective but also strive to satisfy their own personal political wants and needs for power, driven by self-interest. Sometimes, in terms of salary, influence, skills building, and personal friendships, individual organizational actors have harmonious goals with other actors, and with the organizational collective. But "regardless of the degree to which employees may be committed to the organization's objectives, there can be little doubt that, at least occasionally, personal interests will be incongruent with those of the organization." (Ratzberg, 2000) the potentially negative side of organizational politics arises when people think differently and people want to act differently from one another and/or the organization's overall objective.