Organizational Politics Are Not Rampant

Organizational politics are not rampant in the Kroger store. The organization has strong, clearly delineated lines of command that dictate the degree of power and influence. While some members of the organization are able to cultivate forms of influence beyond formal authority, the stakes of such activities are normally relatively low. This allows the organization to operate with a minimal degree of politics.

The relative lack of organizational politics appears to serve Kroger well. The company is coming under fire from strong competitors such as Wal-Mart, Whole Foods and Costco, but has to this point been successful in retaining its customer base. The in-store experience is smooth and cohesive and shows evidence of strong central command. If there are issues with respect to organizational politics, it is not evident from the experience in the store.

In order to maintain the current culture, strong leadership must be maintained. Key to this leadership is the emphasis on formal authority and strong chains of command. This limits organizational politics to a minor role within the organization -- an employee can win influence but can do little with this influence to cause widespread discord. The culture of teamwork should also be emphasized in order the Kroger remains focused on delivering the best grocery experience, reducing the impact of intense competition on the company's success.

2) I typically use exchange authority the most of the six different types of authority. Typically I find it ideal to cultivate specific power and resources and then when needed to trade those resources for other power or resources that I need. Not only does this allow me to achieve my goals, but it also fosters a spirit of collaboration, since others in the organization do the same. In this way, we each support each other's goals. We also take this approach with our customers and suppliers. In many situations, the supplier/customer relationship is one where negotiation is required. This allows each side to achieve its goals, rather than one side exerting such strong influence that the other side feels slighted. I use this style of influence both professional and personally.

I also value the other approaches. Assertiveness and coalition formation, for example, can be closely related to exchange influence. I wish to incorporate these forms of influence more in my interactions, since there are times when I may have little to offer somebody, but need something from them. In such situations, the exchange influence style will be less valuable, or perhaps without value. It is worthwhile to cultivate multiple means of exerting influence.

3) A company that has undergone major strategic change in the past five years is Starbucks. The company's rapid pace of growth stopped; it was forced to close stores and focus its growth efforts on overseas markets. In addition, the economic downturn and increased competition has caused the company to change its strategies. There were a number of major challenges that this presented. One was economic -- the company simply could not be as profitable as it had been before. Another, however, was cultural. Starbucks had a culture of winning, such that winning came easily. Now in a more competitive, difficult environment, the culture has been forced to change to one where market share is something to be battled for. The company overcame these challenges by scaling back operations and using communication to shift the attitudes of managers. The company began to scale back shareholder expectations. In addition, Starbucks has redoubled its efforts to focus on the strengths that allowed it to grow in the first place, rather than the distractions that were taking away from operational excellence. The leadership of the organization has remained relatively stable in focus -- perhaps shifting to a more transactional leadership style but retaining some of the dynamic transformational leadership style that guided the company through its boom times.

4) I believe that I have a number of different leadership qualities. I have a high degree of emotional intelligence, as I believe that I can understand and tap into the motivations of others. My integrity level is high, however. I feel that it is important for me to behave in a truthful, honest manner or I will lose trust of my charges, negating the value of my formal authority.