Organizational Politics – A Necessary Skill at the Executive Level
Posted on October 12, 2014 by Karen Somerville, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
The higher you go in an organization, the more political it is. Executives need to be skilled in recognizing and using political actions.
Organizational politics exist in every organization. Many view politics as a fact of life. But often organizational politics is a taboo subject – many people simply will not discuss politics, as they are considered the “dark” side of the organization. However, research shows that there is a greater need to engage in organizational politics as one advances in the organization. Typically, as one moves up the corporate ladder, objectives become more ambiguous and conflicting, as do performance requirements. Organizational politics can make the workplace treacherous, and it can be hard to determine where the political landmines reside — until it is too late.
To exacerbate the problem, there is relatively little focus on organizational politics in most business curricula, including the popular MBA degree. There is also little empirical research relating to political behavior.
We undertook empirical research, for example to explore group differences in individual political behaviour and attitudes amongst senior managers, who are typically expected to be savvy and active concerning organizational politics. Two of our research findings were that women in executive positions are not averse to political behavior — and women executives behave just as politically as men.
Many working their way up the corporate ladder are stymied about how to handle organizational politics. Many employees don’t know how to recognize politics, let alone use political actions effectively. Lack of knowledge and skills in this important area can be career-limiting.
Steps to Develop Your Political Skills:
1. Learn about organizational politics, for example, books and articles by Jeffrey Pfeffer.
2. Recognize political actions when they are happening in your organization. Who is politically skilled? What can you learn from them?
3. Determine which political actions you need to use more effectively.
4. When trying a new political action, first use it in low risk situations until you become confident using it.
5. Keep track in a journal which political actions worked for you and which ones did not. Analyze your results over time.
6. Consider working with an executive coach.
Research shows that executives need to be skilled in recognizing and using political actions. Are you ready to work on your political skills?
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If you would like to discuss executive coaching with me related to developing your political skills, I will welcome your contact. I have a questionnaire related to political actions, which provides a great starting point for coaching conversations.
© Dr. Karen Somerville, PhD, MBA, Certified Executive Coach, CPA, CGA — with more than 25 years of experience in Senior Management.
References:
- Pfeffer, J., (1992). Managing with power: Politics and influence in organizations, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
- Somerville, K. and Dyke, L., (2007). The relationship of politics perceptions to outcomes amongst executives. Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, Organizational Behaviour Division, Ottawa, ON, Canada, June 2-7.
- Somerville, K. and Dyke, L. (2006). Gender and age differences in organizational politics. Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division, Banff, AB, Canada, June 4-6.
