Meaning of Politics
Politics is a means of recognizing and, ultimately, reconciling competing interests within the organization. Competing interests can be reconciled by any numbers of means. For example, resorting to "rule by the manager" might be seen as an example of totalitarian rule. If we accept that power relations exist in organizations, then politics and politicking are an essential part of organizational life.
- According to Miles – “Organizational Politics is the process whereby individual or groups use whatever power they can amass to influence organizational decisions in the direction of their own interests”.
- According to Tushman – “Politics refers to the structure and process of the use of authority and power to affect definition of goals, direction and other major parameters of organisation.
- So, in simple terminology, Politics is endemic to every organization, regardless of size, function or character.
On the other hand, politics may be a means of creating a noncoercive, or a democratic work environment. Systems of rule each represent a political orientation with respect to how power is distributed throughout the organization. To help us understand organizations, we might consider them as political systems. The political metaphor helps us understand power relationships in day-to-day organizational relationships.
Systems of rule within organizations range from autocratic to democratic at the extremes. Between these extremes we find bureaucratic and technocratic systems. Whatever the system, each represents a political orientation with respect to how power is applied and distributed throughout the organization. Each type of organizational "rule" simply draws on different principles of legitimacy. politics stems from a diversity of interests. To fully understand the politics of the organization, it is necessary to explore the processes by which people engage in politics. Within the organization, all employees bring their own interests, wants, desires, and needs to the workplace. Organizational decision-making and problem- solving, while seemingly a rational process, is also a political process. Organizational actors seek to satisfy not only organizational interests, but also their own wants and needs; driven by self-interest. the successful practice of organizational politics is perceived to lead to a higher level of power, and once a higher level of power is attained, there is more opportunity to engage in political behavior
For purposes of understanding organizational political behavior, proposed a three-dimensional typology. The dimensions are: where the political activity takes place inside or outside the organization, the direction of the attempted influence vertically or laterally in the organization, and the legitimacy of the political action.
- Functional Vs Dysfunctional Conflict,
- Sources And Types of Conflict: Individual, Group, And Organisational;
- The Process and Approaches to Conflict Resolution
Features of Politics
- Politics involves behaviour that is self-serving (resource are used for personal benefits or benefits to be given to one person are given to another).
- Political behaviour involves some kind of power either directly or indirectly.
- All self-serving behaviour which does not involve use of power or threat of use of power cannot be termed as politics. For examples -
- employee asking for rise in pay… not political behaviour,
- employee threatening … political behaviour
Political Behaviour – Consequences
- Functional – political behaviour can be functional, if in acting in his own self-interest, a member behaves in ways that are compatible with the best interest of the organization, such behaviour is functional.
- Dysfunctional - political behaviour is dysfunctional if self-interest hinders the organisation from achieving its goal.
Reasons of Organizational Politics
- Ambiguity in Organization - When roles, responsibilities, and rules are not clearly defined, employees try to protect their interests by using informal influence and political behavior.
- Competition of Power - Employees and managers compete to gain authority, control resources, and secure important positions. This struggle for power encourages political activities in the organization.
- Subjective Evaluation of Performance - When performance appraisal is based on personal opinions rather than objective criteria, employees may use politics to create a positive image and gain favorable ratings.
- Saturation in Promotion - Limited promotion opportunities create frustration among employees. As career growth becomes difficult, individuals may use political tactics to advance their position.
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