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Political Skills for Business Leaders
Organisational politics is a factor that, probably more than any other we can identify, undermines organisational effectiveness and profitability. Given these negative effects, it would be good to think that we can and should rise above such pettiness or simply walk away. In reality, however, to ignore, or be insufficiently proficient in and sensitive to organisational politics also means turning our back on the career progression and the influence that our capabilities merit. It may be ethical, but it is also naïve.
At Inspire, we view effective leadership as being a mix of authenticity, creativity, interpersonal competence and influential impact. Of all these qualities, perhaps the most critical is authenticity. The role of business leaders is to influence others and give direction. To do this, their actions must be grounded in self awareness, confidence and creativity, and their engagement with others must empower and motivate. Such leaders enable growth and value creation.
It is important to recognise, however, that not everyone acts with integrity or is motivated by the greater interests of the members and stakeholders of the organisation. There are always those who believe that if they are to win, others must lose and who, consciously or unconsciously, seek to dominate and / or manipulate others. Equally, there are many in organisations who, thorough lack of interpersonal awareness, astuteness or assertiveness, serve as easy prey to their more politically cunning and manipulative colleagues.
It is our view that, for the most part, both the manipulators and the manipulated fail to realise their full potential in the end. The manipulated, because that never success in climbing the greasy pole, the manipulators because, although they typically climb higher in the organisation, their careers typically derail, sometimes in spectacular fashion.
To avoid being damaged by organisational politics, business leaders must be politically aware and engaged, but in an ethical manner. To expect to succeed and prosper without being politically astute and engaged is unrealistic. The point then is how to be politically engaged whilst avoiding game playing and manipulation, and whilst still acting with integrity.
An important element here is being aware of the rules of the game and the roles that others play. Although published over 20 years ago now, one of the most practical and insightful studies in this area was published by Simon Baddeley and Kim James in the MEAD management journal (vol 18/1, 1987). Baddeley and James identified four categories of response to and engagement with organisational politics that people display. These are:
o Politically aware / psychological game playing – Fox (Clever)
o Politically unaware / psychological game playing – Donkey (Inept)
o Politically unaware / acting with integrity – Sheep (Innocent)
o Politically aware / acting with integrity – Owl (Wise)
The real value of their work was that they then went on to describe each type in a clear, insightful and psychologically rigorous way. Their work owes a great deal to both political and psychological theory, including the theories of game playing and interpersonal manipulation described by Eric Berne (“Games People Play”, Penguin, 1967).
Read each of sections below carefully and reflect on it. If you are being honest, where do you operate for the most part at the moment? Where do you operate when you are under pressure? Where do other people you know fit? What does this tell you about them and about how you should respond to them? Assuming that you wish to operate from the politically aware and acting with integrity box, what actions do you need to take, what changes do you need to make?
The four categories are:
The Clever Fox
o Interested in power and associating with the locus of power
o Unprincipled, inner-goal orientated, not ethical
o Wants to be seen as powerful
o Thinks before speaking, aggressive but well masked, charming veneer
o Can simulate feelings, plans actions
o Doesn’t display feelings spontaneously
o Asks “What information do I have? What information do I need”
o Checks gossip / rumour, is aware of others’ viewpoints
o Uses coalition, knows how the formal processes work
o Basically insecure, but well defended
o Always leaves jobs before mistakes are discovered
o Manipulates situations so as to appear never to make mistakes
o Can make procedures work for them, hustler, wide boy, card sharp
o Knows how the formal and informal organisation works
o Knows “Who cares, who can, who knows!
o Gets support, good at ingratiation, bargains, manipulates
o Likes games involving winners and losers
o Can recognise and exploit key weaknesses in allies and opponents
Says things like:
“Leave it to me, I’ll have a word with him, he’s terribly out of touch”
I think it would be unwise for me to take this one, it’s very delicate, how about you – you know how good you are”
“I have discussed this very thoroughly already and we’re united in this” (actually rubbish)
“I share some of his / her feelings on this matter even if not quite so passionately”
The Inept Donkey
o Not skilled interpersonally
o Unprincipled
o Hates to be ignored, likes to associate with authority
o Inner-goal orientated
o Doesn’t recognise “direction”, doesn’t appreciate political purpose
o Plays psychological games but doesn’t read those of others
o Emotionally illiterate
o Concerned with own feelings rather than others’
o Predisposed to projection, attribution and paranoia
o Makes judgements / decisions based on feelings rather than knowledge of the bureaucracy or organisational procedures
o Not ethical
o Interpersonally inept at making alliances / coalitions
o Tends to say “Shall we take a vote?” in the wrong setting
o Doesn’t listen to others
o Tries hard to be nice but doesn’t know how
o Sees things as either-or
o Not tuned into the grapevine, blocked antennae
o Given to clichés: “You know me”, “with all due respect”
Says things like:
“let’s decide what we want and then make it look like what they want”
“”Well, we all know how he got his job, don’t we?”
”If the chairman wants to come to our meeting we’ll just get together beforehand, won’t we?”
The Innocent Sheep
o Principled, ethical
o Tends to rely on authority
o Doesn’t appreciate political purpose
o Doesn’t network, doesn’t know how to get support
o Listens but does not hear
o Sticks to ethical, organisational and professional rules
o Understands content but not process of procedures
o Exaggerated respect for rationality
o Literal
o Believes in external and position power
o Sees authority and power as congruent
o Believes you are powerful if you are right
o Believes flavours of the month were here to stay
o Wouldn’t know a double message id hit between the eyes with it
o Sense of loyalty
o Capacity for friendship
o Open, shares information
o Sees things as either-or
Says things like:
“Could we get on with the main task of this meeting?”
”Well, in strictly hierarchical terms I think it is X’s decision”
“If only they would tell us what they really want, then we could get on with it”
“In my professional opinion”
The Wise Owl
o Aware of purpose
o Interested in direction, in association with power and purpose
o Can cope with being disliked, good interpersonal skills
o Personal values / ethics, thinks before speaking, assertive
o Tactful, emotionally literate, plans actions, checks gossip / rumour
o Excellent listener, is aware of others’ viewpoint
o Takes account of people personally
o Uses coalition, knows how the formal processes work
o Non-defensive, learns from mistakes, reflects on events
o Can make procedures work for them
o Sense of loyalty
o Capacity for friendship
o Knows the formal and informal organisation
o Open, shares information
o In tune with the grapevine
o Recognises who knows, who cares, who can
o Gets support
o Negotiates / co-operates
o Likes win-win situations
Says things like:
“How are we going to sort this out?”
“I wonder what’s lying behind these ideas?”
”Let’s look at the ways we can speed this up and get over the difficulties”
“let me make sure I understand what you’re asking for”
“I don’t think I’ve been understanding you, can I have another go?”
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