The Political Manager
Organizational excellence requires managers to develop this kind of skill rather than pretending organizational politics do not exist.
What is political skill?
The first of the four major political skills.
What is agenda setting?
This political skill identifies where influence, interests, allies, and opposition actually reside.
What is mapping the political terrain?
A group of people or groups who join together around shared interests.
What is a coalition?
The fourth major political skill discussed in Chapter 10.
What is bargaining and negotiation?
A manager meets individually with colleagues before a vote to explain a proposal and understand their concerns.
What is legitimate coalition building/networking?
Chapter 10 argues that managers who see all organizational politics as either completely evil or completely harmless are making this mistake.
What is viewing politics too simplistically?
An effective agenda combines a vision with this.
What is a strategy for achieving it?
This map may look very different from the formal organizational chart.
What is the political map?
Effective political managers invest in these before they desperately need them.
What are relationships/networks?
Negotiators who ask what each party really needs rather than arguing over stated demands are focusing on these.
What are interests rather than positions?
A manager deliberately hides information because revealing it would weaken support for the manager's proposal.
What is unethical/manipulative politics?
A manager has an excellent proposal but assumes its merits alone will persuade everyone. The proposal repeatedly fails. This is the major organizational reality the manager is ignoring.
What is politics/political dynamics?
A dean says, “I want another faculty position.” Why is this not yet a strong political agenda?
What is because it states what the dean wants without explaining the larger purpose/vision and strategy?
The organizational chart says the VP is in charge, but everyone knows the CEO's longtime executive assistant determines which issues reach the CEO. A good political map would identify the assistant as this.
What is an important agent of political influence?
You need Finance to support your project. Instead of explaining why the project matters to you, you explain how it reduces financial risk. You are identifying this.
What is a shared interest?
Two departments want the same budget. They develop a shared facility that meets both departments' needs. Instead of simply dividing the existing resources, they did this.
What is created value?
A manager agrees to support another department's legitimate initiative in exchange for support on her own proposal.
What is bargaining/coalition building?
A manager understands the technical side of the job extremely well but repeatedly fails to gain support from allies and opponents. The chapter suggests this deficiency may limit this.
What is career success or managerial effectiveness?
A leader quietly gathers information and builds relationships before publicly announcing a major initiative. Politically, the leader is doing this.
What is preparing/building support for the agenda?
Before proposing a major change, a manager identifies informal communication channels, key influencers, potential supporters, and likely opposition. The manager is practicing this Chapter 10 skill.
What is mapping the political terrain?
A manager approaches a potential opponent before a major meeting, listens to concerns, and modifies the proposal to address legitimate issues. This is an example of this political strategy.
What is building a relationship/coalition with a potential opponent?
After finding ways to expand the benefits available to both sides, negotiators still have to determine who receives what. This is called this.
What is claiming value?
Before using a political tactic, a manager asks, “Would I be comfortable if my employees, family, or the public knew I did this?” This is serving as this.
What is an ethical test/check?
Complete this idea: Organizational politics are inevitable, so the central leadership question isn't whether politics will occur but ______.
What kind of politics the organization will have/how politics will be practiced?
A new president has a compelling vision but no plan for navigating competing priorities, powerful stakeholders, or opposition. According to Chapter 10, the president has this without this.
What is a vision without a strategy?
A manager assumes the IT department opposes a new system. After investigating, she discovers IT supports it, while several frontline supervisors are quietly blocking implementation. Her original political map failed because she did not do this.
What is accurately identify the real sources of support and opposition?
Your proposal needs five votes. You currently have three supporters, one opponent, and four undecided stakeholders. According to Chapter 10, your smartest first move is probably not attacking the opponent but doing this.
What is building support among potential allies/undecided stakeholders?
Operations demands new equipment. HR demands raises. Instead of immediately fighting over the $300,000 budget, both sides first investigate why each needs the money. This negotiation principle are they using?
What is focusing on interests rather than positions?
Political skill becomes dangerous when leaders become very good at gaining support and exercising power but fail to consider this.
What are ethics/moral principles?