
Said factors include organizational goals, size of the organization, number of resources available and the type of leaders within the organization. Organizational hierarchies, each members with its own unique political challenges, depend on many factors of the given organization. Drafting of this landscape begins with the leaders of the organization influencing the formal hierarchy which defines the reporting structure and indicates the political setup of the organization as it was initially intended. In other words, political landscape is what defines relationships between colleagues at a given time. Political landscape is a set of hierarchies that link the political players together. Psychologist Oliver James identifies the dark triadic personality traits ( psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism) as of central significance in understanding office politics. "Politics is the lubricant that oils your organization's internal gears." John Eldred has characterized politics as "simply how power gets worked out on a practical, day-to-day basis." Įxamples of negative politics are spreading rumors, talking behind someone’s back, and not telling someone important information. Negative politics are designed to achieve personal gain at the expense of others and the organization. "Self-serving political actions can negatively influence our social groupings, cooperation, information sharing, and many other organizational functions." Thus it is vital to pay attention to organizational politics and create the right political landscape. īoth individuals and groups may engage in office politics which can be highly destructive, as people focus on personal gains at the expense of the organization. On the other hand, organizational politics can increase efficiency, form interpersonal relationships, expedite change, and profit the organization and its members simultaneously.
#Organizational politics definition professional
Įxamples of positive politics include portraying a professional image, publicizing one's accomplishments, volunteering, and complimenting others. Positive politics are behaviors that are designed to influence others with the goal of helping both the organization and the person playing the politics. pseudo-authority that influences the behavior of others.Some of the personal advantages may include: Influence by individuals may serve personal interests without regard to their effect on the organization itself. "Organizational politics are self-serving behaviors" that "employees use to increase the probability of obtaining positive outcomes in organizations". It involves the use of power and social networking within a workplace to achieve changes that benefit the organization or individuals within it. It is also known as office politics and organizational politics. It is also a tool to assess the operational capacity and to balance diverse views of interested parties. Workplace politics is the process and behavior that in human interactions involves power and authority.
