Introduction to Organizational Politics Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Organizational Politics EssayThis piece consists heavily of quotations from and adaptations of material from several sources (see references at the end). There still may be some unreferenced quotations because I have lost track of their genesis over many years of moving content through various notes. I dont seize originality, other than the choice and organizing of material Rex Mitchell. Pfeffer (1992, p. 30) defined administration as the processes, the actions, the behaviors through which potential power is utilized and realized.Another author (Dubrin, 2001 , p. 92) defined organizational government as informal approaches to gaining power through means other than merit or luck. It could be argued that politics are used primarily to achieve power, both directly or indirectly, e. g. , by being promoted, receiving a larger budget or other resources, or gaining desirable assignments. Many people regard organizational politics as something negative (e. g. , pur suing selflnterests at the expense of others) and something to be minimized.Consequently, although most people know that organizational politics are common, they avoid axiom so when it concerns one=s own ehavior. It is more common to talk about politics when complaining about a loss to a genius than it is in the context of ones own political maneuvering. When we win on an issue, we call it leadership when we lose, we call it politics. In many organizations, politics is a taboo subject, which makes it ticklish for individuals to deal with this crucially important aspect of organizational reality.I believe a leader must skillfully use organizational politics to gain ground and retain power and to accomplish major goals. Therefore, it would be a mistake to pretend that politics does not exist or to antasize that a leader buns be effective without appropriate (and ethical, I would add) use of politics. As Pericles wrote over 2500 years ago, Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesnt mean politics wont take an interest in you. I regard organizational politics as neither good nor bad, per se, although it is important for us to distinguish between ethical and unethical political behavior.