Work Place Politics

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Work Place Politics

Your fellow workerswill play a variety of

political games.

You must understandthese games in order to

achieve things, and tomake your work life an

enjoyable experience.

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................2

2.0 Joining a Work Place...............................................................................4

2.1 The Right Way..............................................................................................4

2.2 What Can Go Wrong....................................................................................5

3.0 How to Get Promoted...............................................................................7

4.0 Other Mechanisms and Effects..............................................................105.0 Cultural Issues........................................................................................15

Pj Radcliffe 2011


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Work Place Politics

1.0 Introduction

Failure to understand the politics of the work place is arecipe for disaster. You may end up being ridiculed, sidelined,or becoming an unwitting pawn in some political game.

Work place politics can deliver quite positive benefits to theindividual and company. Only those who can understand, andcan play the political game, will get to see their visions andcreations turned into reality.

TRIBAL MODEL : for hundreds of thousands of years peoplehave lived in tribes. The ways of the tribe are ingrained in ourmental processes. Most work places can be easily mapped onto a traditional tribe. The

tribe has four main groups-

Elders : these are the respected elders who arbitrate disputes, decide where thetribe will go, what should be hunted, and confer rewards and punishments.Usually the religious elders dictate customs and social norms. Elders are held ingreat esteem and command great authority. Elders need authority, and there areoften significant internal conflicts over the elder's pecking order. Elders reinforcetheir position by using the symbols and rituals of authority.

In the modern work place managers are our elders. We all like a manager we canlook up to, who is competent, who can tell us what to do, and will recognise andacknowledge the value of our effort.

Hunters : these are usually the young, strong men who take the risks and bringhome the dangerous to get food. The hunters are also the front line in protectingthe tribe from danger. Hunters need prestige and there is often competition

between hunters as to who is "best".

In the modern work place the hunters are those who make the sale, who have theskills the customer buys, or who design things that the customer wants.

Gatherers : these people obtain food where there is little danger. Gathering often

requires long and hard hours of work with little recognition. Pecking order isimportant in this group also. Gatherers often resent the hunters who appear to havean easier and more glamorous life. Hunters often feel that the gatherer's work is oflittle value.

In the modern work place gatherers tend to be those who work in the factory,producing what ever the elders have decided should be produced.

Camp workers : these people organise the camp site. Typical work will be settingtents, cooking, tending the sick, digging latrines, and general organising.

In the modern work place there is a whole range of clerking, administrativeassistants, low level managers, and others who fulfil this role.

Copyright Pj Radcliffe 2011 Page 2


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WHERE DO YOU FIT IN : in general engineers start off as junior hunters (designers),become senior hunters, and then may become an elder (manager).

POLITICS HAS VALUE When upper management is competent and places limits oninternal politics then company politics can be seen as "survival of the fittest". The better

ideas, methods, staff, and technologies will be acquired by the more skilled politicaloperators in order to further their own careers. These astute political operators will thenpush hard to ensure success. The natural selfishness of the individual is harnessed forthe good of the enterprise.

Under these conditions politics is like natural evolution. Individually there are winnersand losers but the species (company or nation) is the better for it.

Example : the book "The soul of a new machine" by Tracey Kidder, details theincredible politics inside DEC when they were developing a new computer back inthe 1980s. Two teams were put on the job, clearly only one would be there at the

end! The competition drove a frenetic pace of development that was good forDEC. There was a cost in financial and personal terms.

UNCONSTRAINED POLITICS : enterprises can become racked by politics, forgettheir mission and purpose, and become horrible places to work. This happens with weakmanagement who fail to set standards for work place.

Example : in the mid 1990s many local councils in Victoria were sacked andreplaced by government appointed administrators. A major reason given for thischange was that the councils were racked with politics and not serving the rate

payers.

Example : one new Telstra manager had excessive politics in his team and found itseverely effected productivity. He instituted a rule that criticism had to be levelledface to face BEFORE anyone else heard the tale. People who broke this rule were

publicly chastised at team meetings. The politics subsided to a more useful levelquite quickly.

SURVIVING AND PROSPERING : in most enterprises you will never get to achieveanything much unless you can play the political game. Unskilled political operatorsnever get the time, resources, or staff that they need.

Example : how do you survive when marketing says "we are really a marketingbusiness with a high ROI. Engineering is a tremendous drain and we should outsource the whole thing.". If you can't play politics you are lost.

TIME! Playing the game of politics takes time as well as determination. Consider notjoining the game if you lack either of these.



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Work Place Politics

NEGOTIATING SKILLS : these notes are a companion to those on negotiating skills.The strategies and tactics outlined in those notes can be used to solve many of thedilemmas and problems examined in these notes.



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Work Place Politics

2.0 Joining a Work Place

One of the most difficult political situations in your career is faced whenyou as a young professional join an existing work place. The situation can getquite bizarre, particularly where management is weak.

2.1 The Right Way

There is no mystery about how new employees should be introduced to the workplace. This section examines the sensible things to do.

COMPETENT INDUCTION : the induction of a new staff member is theresponsibility of management. This must be done carefully to benefit both employer andemployee-

Position : the role, rights, responsibilities, and reporting arrangements for thenew person should be publicly spelt out by the manager. This helps avoid inter-staff problems and confusion.

Nurture : most new employees are keen to learn, work, fit in, and achieve.Managers need to nurture the new employee so this initial enthusiasm (and

productivity) is not lost.

Activity program : competent managers will have thought out a program by whichnew staff get the knowledge, experience, and contacts they need to perform their

job.

IF LEFT ALONE : unfortunately few new employees get the induction outlined aboveand so they must try to cope themselves.

*** You, as a new professional employee, should be able to propose and negotiate theabove list on your own initiative.

FIND A MENTOR: most organisations have competent people who have someposition of power or influence. A new employee should seek out such a person both tohelp them learn and to protect them from the work place politics. Many organisationshave formal mentoring programs, sometimes as simple as always pairing a junior staffmember with a senior staff member.

Some so called mentors are really just exploiters. They will take your work and claim itto be mostly their inspiration. They will use you as a pawn in political games. Don't be

a sucker.



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DO YOUR RESEARCH : people often get rejected if they lack the tribal knowledgeand customs. Speedy acquisition of this knowledge will speed your acceptance. Typicalthings to find out quickly include-

Physical layout : draw a map, walk around till you can find things.

Resources : find where they are and the rules for using them.

People : find out peoples' names, roles, and interests. Express interest in anypersonal information volunteered but do not appear gossipy.If you haven't been introduced to people then go and introduce yourself.

Meetings : find out where and when people meet for activities from coffee times tomanagement meetings.

Work place rules : what are they, which ones are rigid and which are flexible.

2.2 What Can Go Wrong

While there is no mystery about how to induce people intothe work force the proper thing seldom happens. Managers orother responsible staff are often too busy, or don't think. Sucha laxity can cause great problems.

NEW THREAT : the new person joining the team often feels they have a lot to learnand are in a weak position. The existing staff may perceive the new person as a threat,that must be dealt with. Reasons for the perceived threat may include-

Up to date : a more recent graduate may be more up to date, for example in ObjectOriented technology.

Criticism : you may ( unwittingly) criticise existing work or suggest a bettersolution or method. This could erode the respect for the existing staff.

Work output : the new person may work harder and longer than existing staff and

this may reflect poorly on existing staff. It may throw the work place norms intochaos and everyone will get upset.

Pecking order : the new person may push the existing staff one position down thepecking order.

NASTY TRICKS : many new staff are subjected to mean tricks, and in extreme casesbastardisation. Existing staff use this as a method to deal with the perceived threat andensure the new person is put down to the bottom of the pecking order.

Apprentices frequently have dangerous "jokes" played on them when they join, forexample having their pants set on fire, or a burn from a soldering iron.



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Idiot tricks : new people are often given a task which in retrospect is clearlyimpossible. If they attempt to do the task then they get publicly told off for being afool. The new person is thus safely put down the bottom of the pecking order.

Sexual harassment : is usually about power not sexuality.

TECHNICIAN PROBLEMS : technicians often fulfil the gatherer role previousidentified, and may well dislike the hunters (engineers). In engineering areas they areusually much better at constructing equipment and testing than the professionals whodesign things. They often know a lot about practical problems that a professional coursedoes not cover.

Respect for differing skills can be acknowledged without loss of professional pride ordignity. Other people can be "different", rather than "better or worse", to you.

Technician ( gatherers) can have a love-hate relationship with Engineers (hunters).

Technicians can be very loyal to top engineers but can be very derogatory and mean toinexperienced or incompetent engineers.

EASY TARGET : it is human nature to pick on a weak target, but to be more carefulwith a hard target. The type of things that make you an easy target include-

Lack of assertion skills : you are quiet, don't argue with slights and insults, andgive in at every opportunity.

It is usually a mistake to be too argumentative or domineering. It can help to

occasionally "show your teeth" and react firmly to a clearly inappropriate insult. Failure to listen and join in : you don't listen to what people are saying, and avoid

socialising where you can hear what people say. A lot of nasty and untrue thingscan get said behind you back.

Socialising and listening are an important part of being in a work place.

JUMPING THE QUEUE : one of greatest problems you can face is being promotedinto a position when other workers feel someone else should be there, or that you have

"jumped the queue".In most cases it becomes a hard slog of showing achievement, building allies, and ofopening peoples' minds to the future so they can forget the past.

PREVIOUS INCUMBENT PAY BACK: occasionally the last person who filled yourposition will have played nasty politics or built up ill will with other workers.

In tribal terms you have just walked into a tribal warfare zone, have got categorised intoone tribe without realising it, and promptly get attacked for no apparent reason.

The solution usually involves lots of talking to individuals and the group, and gettingmanagement to negotiate a truce. Shifting the group's focus to the future and leaving the

past behind will also help.



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Work Place Politics

3.0 How to Get Promoted

Promotion is important to most people for avariety of reasons-

Status and respect : both in their own opinionand in other people's opinion.

Salary increases normally come withpromotion.

Work tends to be more interesting,challenging, and responsible. The new workoften includes responsibilities for staffsupervision and forward planning.

THE DANGERS of being promoted must be considered-

Locked in : in the new job you may lose those skills that makes it easy for you tomove between employers. A "locked in" employee tends not to get pay rises,

promotion, and is in a disastrous situation at retrenchment time.

Huge work load : many management jobs are a huge work load and very stressful,much more than the relatively minor salary increase could justify.

All responsibility but no power : junior management positions tend to have a lot of

responsibility but not the power to carry them out. Typically the power to controlbudgets and staff stay with upper management.

STRATEGIC PLANNING : assuming that there is a promotion possibility, strategicplanning is a good way to start-

Who? Who are the decision makers and key influencers that decide who will getpromoted.

What do they value in terms of work skills, work style, and any other attribute in

people (eg. football team and political affiliations)? The competition : who is your competition, and how do they compare to you, and

what the decision makers value?

How far to go? Determine exactly how far you are willing to go to get thatpromotion. This ranges from nil to criminal behaviour.

Optimize your position : what can you do to optimise your own position?

Sink opponents : keep track of what your opponents are doing and think carefullyabout how to disadvantage these opponents.

Pressure decision makers? In some circumstances it may be good to put pressureon the decision makers to decide quickly, in your favour.


Promotions seldom have 2nd

or 3rd prizes.

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BOOT LICKING : in many enterprises the main way to get promotion is to do anythingthe bosses want. This may involve being very nice and compliant to the bosses, beingmean to employees, ignoring the real goals/purpose of an organization, and spending allyour time satisfying the boss.

To some people this behaviour is untenable. It may be better to opt out of the promotionrace rather than degrade your personal values or morals.For most people there is a balance somewhere in the middle.

ALWAYS BE TRANSPORTABLE : just to emphasise the point - workers who cannotwalk into another job-

tend not to get pay rises or promotion,

cannot leave their position when things are bad,

cannot change to more interesting or satisfying jobs,

and are in serious trouble if retrenched.

Always ensure you are transportable !!! It is worth making some sacrifices, andspending some time, to ensure you stay transportable.

VALUE? Decision makers can value a wide variety of things. Examples include-

Work skills such as technical skills, staff management skills, team work skills,

communication skills, organizational skills, and strategic vision. Work culture : acceptance and compliance to the work culture and the hierarchy.

Such a candidate will fit in and not "rock the boat".

Other culture : issues to do with race, politics, morality, religion, and sport.

Gifts including things which enhance their position or status, material or laboursupport for their activities from enterprise sources, and straight material gifts.

Patronage system : the boss will look after the worker, and the worker will givetheir undivided loyalty and effort to the boss.

INVALUABLE A PROBLEM : if you are invaluable in your existing position then youwill not get promoted. It is wise to ensure that (it appears) that someone else can takeover your existing job.

NEGOTIATION SKILLS : see the notes on negotiation skills for ways to sinkopponents and pressure decision makers.



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4.0 Other Mechanisms and Effects

There are many forms work place politics that can occurat any time, not just when you enter a work place. Politicsaimed at a win-win outcome can help the work place. Politicsaim at win-who cares or win-lose will sour the work place.

IDEA HIT MAN : some people prove how clever they are byproving how silly other people are. These people can be veryfriendly, until they bite.

For example if you say nine sensible things at a meeting, andone suspect thing, then the "idea hit man" will seize upon thesuspect point and try to make you look a fool. He will then

claim it as a litmus test on your other ideas.

If you suspect an "idea hit man" is lurking then ensure your arguments are all sound andleave out anything suspect. Consider keeping some information back so that whensomething is challenged you can show new information and proof that you are correct,and that they are wrong.

The idea hit man is often weak in their technological understanding. They may knowtechnical jargon but will often not understand what that jargon means. Theseweaknesses can become evident to all by challenging the idea hit man to answer suchquestions as explain to us all exactly how this technology works and how exactly willthis save the project.

THE NEW BROOM EFFECT : a new leader has a surprising level of power andauthority. People are uncertain, formal and informal positions are all up for grabs. Staffmay be trying to gain favour with the new "elder". The net result is that staff will oftenagree to things they would never accept at other times. This is both an opportunity and athreat depending on your situation.

UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD : the ideal work relationship is wherepeople have a basic respect for the skills and competence of their fellow workers. Whendisagreements arise the argument is restricted to technology or work place issues and isnever allowed to get near personal pride or other personal attributes.

The unsaid understanding should be that-

"My respect for you is constant as ever but on this issue I disagree with you. Let's try towork it out and find a compromise."

Given this attitude people are much happier and tend to be much more productive.


Idea hit men are oftennice, until they fire thedart.


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BIG (CONTINUOUS) LIE : a very nasty trick is to keep on insisting that somethingbad about an opponent is true even though it is not. The constant repetition, even ifchallenged, can eventually lodge the idea in other people's minds.

Politicians use this trick quite frequently. Eventually the audience begins to think "therecan't be smoke without fire" and end up half believing it.

One of the best defences is to openly accuse them of using the "big lie" technique.Ridicule can also work.

TAKING IT PERSONALLY : some people will consistently put their personal prideon the line with every argument. Arguments become personal and political and theimportant work place issues get lost. The effected staff are less happy, get distractedfrom productive issues, and waste a lot of time.

The "take it personally" type of people can be a disaster for a team and should be

weeded out at the job interview. They tend to be over sensitive and very willing to carryon a feud. These types are more frequently sacked, or gain slower promotion within anenterprise. They seldom work well in teams and are often paired with strong staff whocan cope with them or put in a position where they have little to do with others.

If possible, stay well away from this type of person. Even attempts at positive supportoften backfire as any misunderstandings are liable to be interpreted as malicious

betrayals.

THE BAD MAN GAME ( DEMONIZATION) . Back when you were a child can you

remember someone you disliked or with whom you had a dispute? Most children'simagination will bring up imaginary scenarios where that person is doing clearlyunacceptable things and is motivated by clearly unacceptable drives. This makes iteasier for the child to hate and retaliate and so gain the upper hand. In a primitiveevolutionary situation this may enhance survival and help the individual gain dominance.

In the modern adult world the "bad man game" will lock people into unwarrantedconflict and aggression that can only harm an enterprise. For the sake of the team it isvery important that managers resolve these type of conflicts.

TRIBAL WARFARE AND HATE SESSIONS : the "bad man game" can be takenbeyond the individual to have group hate sessions about a class or group of people. Thisfabricated "common threat" can be used to bind a tribe together and make them feel

powerful. Elders often use this trick to control their own people and enhance their ownpower. In tribal terms, the elders manufacture tribal conflict for their own ends.

In civilised society this effect becomes destructive. In the work place it is destructiveand managers must root it out. Many persistent "hate session drivers" have been sacked.

Most of the great horrors of modern times have been fuelled by "hate

merchants" who con the population to hate specific subgroups. Examplesinclude World War 2, the Rwanda massacres, and the Cambodian genocide.



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Hate merchants are very dangerous and should not be tolerated in a civilisedsociety.

UNIFYING FACTORS : workplace politics seems to much less of a problem whenthere is a generally accepted goal to the work place. Most private enterprise firms have

an underlying theme of "staying in business", poor performance leads to job loss.A competent and respected boss can also be a strong unifying force.

BEING MANAGEABLE : one of the key personal attributes that job selection panelsand managers look for is that an employee is manageable. What constitutesmanageable depends on the nature of the job and cultural norms but will involve-

accepting directions on what to do,

acting within enterprise guidelines both official and unofficial,

reporting to the manager things the manager would want to know such as perceivedproblems and customer complaints,

completing tasks and reporting the result,

taking an appropriate work load,

being civil to management.

An unmanageable employee will consume a managers time and effort, a finite andvaluable resource that managers resent being wasted. When it comes to down sizingtime the unmanageable employee is normally the first to go.

COMMANDS AND CONFLICT: the way in which commands are relayed to staff canhave a big effect on the level of conflict between staff and their immediate superior.Contrast these two approaches to giving a staff member an unpalatable task-

"I am telling you to do this"

"The company needs you to do this."

In general depersonalising the command will raise less conflict.

STRESS AND PRODUCTIVITY: the human brain does a great deal of processing atan subconscious level, and we don't have a lot of control over what the subconsciousdoes. If a staff member is under stress or having conflict with other staff members (oranywhere else) then the subconscious tends to be preoccupied with the conflict and willnot be available for creative thinking and problem solving. The distraction also tends toreduce work output and productivity.

The productivity of professionals is usually much higher in a harmonious and happywork environment and so management must strive to deliver this situation.



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SURPRISED BOSS = ANNOYED BOSS. Managers hate nasty surprises, and stronglydislike any surprises at all. It is prudent to keep a manager informed of interestingdevelopments as soon as the information becomes available.

SEXUAL POLITICS : hetero-sexual and homosexual politics can exist in a huge

variety of ways-

Negative : a person has negative feelings because of sexuality issues and they willcause problems for someone else.

Attraction only : two people are attracted to each other but keep the relationshipplatonic. They will often do favours for each other.

Serious : the relationship goes beyond platonic. Serious and possibly inappropriatefavours may be granted in the work place.

Power mostly : a person feels attracted to another, but for various reasons this

results in an attempt to gain power and dominance over the "victim". This can bevery distressing for the victim and lead to worse things.

Relationships apart from attraction only can cause serious problems in the work placeand a good manager will detect and try to resolve the problem.

PAY RISES : sadly very few enterprises will grant a pay rise just because a person hasdone a good job. Labor is very costly and a manager's labour budget is always under

pressure.

Often the manager gets a bonus for keeping labour costs low and reducing the size of thework force. If you get a pay rise your manager's pay suffers!!!

There are several key ways to obtain a pay rise-

Be valuable : ensure the enterprise needs you for your knowledge or skills.

Be transportable : always ensure you can walk out of your current job into anotherjob. In a non-threatening way ensure management realises this fact.

Be liked & easy to work with : those who make the decision about pay rises areoften swayed by who they like and who other powerful people like.



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BEWILDERING MANAGEMENT DECISIONS : some management behaviourappears to makes no sense. There are two common reasons for this-

Incompetence.

You have misunderstood, or do not know, the driving motivation behinddecisions.

It is usually very important to discover hidden motivations as it can effect you as anemployee and your career.

Typical secret motivations include-

Control freak : all decisions are centralized to this one manager. Nothing canhappen without their approval. This type of manager, looking after 100 people,will insist on checking all petty cash receipts.

Personal gain : resource allocation, especially money and staff, are not allocatedin sensible ways. The rules, opportunities, and records of resource use and kept

secret.

Paranoid : everything is kept secret, attempts to discover information are met withhostility.

Image builder : this type of person will appear for any publicity and claim directlyor by implication to be the driver of success. Any success that does not have themat the front is attacked. If you forget to invite them to a press opportunity they willattack you.

SHORT TERM THINKING: many enterprisesemphasise only the short term, typically quarterly profitand loss. Sometimes this is unintentional, many othergoals are praised but the only real rewards are forsatisfying those short term goals.

Very few enterprises last without satisfying two key typesof goals-

Long term goals such as staff retention. Intangible goals such as keeping the customer

satisfied.

The challenge is to ensure that these goals make it intothe real reward structure of the enterprise so that staffreally will attempt to attain these goals.


Case study: many yearsago an entrepreneurmade a company very

profitable by selling offthe hotel properties theyowned and renting them

back. This proved verysuccessful, for a few

years and earned himmassive bonuses. Threeyears later the companywas worthless.


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5.0 Cultural Issues

Different cultural groups have different traditions. Whatappears "right, normal, and respectable" in one culture may appear"wrong and disreputable" to other cultures. While it is acceptable tohave one's own preferences it can be foolish and parochial to labelother cultures as "wrong".

MISMATCH : a mismatch in cultural norms can lead to a varietyof negative workplace politics. This can only be solved when bothsides understand each other and are willing to reach a compromise.

TRIBES : cultural differences are a powerful dividing force and often mandate howpeople get split into tribes within the work force.

TRUTH VERSUS PRIDE : this is a classic trade-off. Some cultures place pride andface above truth and honesty. Cultures which differ in this aspect have significant

problems getting on with each other.

Example : in an unnamed country, a new telephone operator could not rememberhow to operate their console and was making mistakes. The operator was bychance observed wrecking a connector. A few minutes later the senior technician

was summoned by the operator to be told "the stupid machine doesn't work, fix it".In general, technology does not flower in a culture where truth and accuracy are notvalued.

REBELLION AND RESPECT : some cultures have strict rules about where people fitin the pecking order and what level of questioning or rebellion is allowed to those lowerin the pecking order. A lack of awareness as to the pecking order and the rules ofinteraction can lead to behaviour which angers all levels of the cultural group concerned.

Too much rebellion leads to anarchy, too much respect leads to a stagnant and stifledsociety.

Example : a first year student from a neo-Confucian background noted an errormade by the lecturer during a lecture. The student had to go to student counsellingto resolve the issue of what to do in the exam. Should he reproduce the correctversion in the text book or the error made by the lecturer? In a Western culture thelecturer would expect the correct answer and not be offended.This tale in no way reflects poorly upon the student, it just highlights how culturaldifferences can cause problems.


What's thedifference?


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PERFECTIONISM VERSUS COMPROMISE : somegroups see perfection as the only acceptable outcome,anything less is unworthy and disreputable. Such groups tendto be focused on only one or two main goals.

Other groups see success as a more graduated scale with necessary compromises

between competing goals. These groups often juggle several goals.

FACE SAVING : in many cultures it is a great dishonour to have to admit to beingwrong with no mitigating circumstances (excuses). In these cultures you must alwaysleave a face saving way for people to back down otherwise you have made a long termenemy.

Example : Machiavelli's famous book on political power ( The Prince) clearlystates that if you do someone harm it must be either tolerable, or so harsh they willnever recover. Anything in the middle just breeds enemies.

Common strategies : calming words can help to save face-"it was in this new book", "this information wasn't available to you", "with the

benefit of hindsight", "it was a great idea except ...".

PRIMARY DEDICATION : different cultures will have a different priority for where aworker's loyalty and allegiance should lie. There are also big differences in what isconsidered the proper strength and publicly demonstrated form of the allegiance. Thekey allegiances include-

Fellow workers. The enterprise.

The state. The family.

Yourself. Religion.

As before, a mismatch in expectations can lead to problems.

Example : in some companies workers stay at work long hours in order todemonstrate their dedication to the company. One company in Indonesia in theearly 1990s worked out that workers were not very productive in these extendedhours and coined the term "display overtime". In various parts of the worldworkers work from 2 hours a day to 12 hours a day.

PICKING OUT INDIVIDUALS : in Western culture it is acceptable to pick outindividuals for praise ( and criticism). In other cultures it is a great shame to be singledout for ANY reason, even praise.

GIFTS : in western culture gift giving is usually seen as a bribe, even by the legalsystem. In other cultures gift giving is normal and failure to give a gift that matches a

persons station is a grave offence. When then is a gift a bribe?


Success

Failure


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SPREAD : in any culture there is a significant spread of how peoplebehave. While cultures, on average, have a particular bias this tellsus nothing about a particular individual. Significant mistakes can

be made from blindly applying the rule "this person is from culture1 and will behave according to this stereotype".

RISKS AND MACHO : some cultural sub-groups must watch too many movies likeRambo. In this genre of movie success and self respect comes from fervent belief inoneself, and a brave dedicated fight against ridiculous odds. This macho attitude can becarried over into management and technology. Such a culture stops people performing

proper risk management and planning in general.

THE ROLE OF LEADERS : leaders can have a bigger or smaller effect depending onthe culture of the work place.

Weak leaders can be found in some classes of activity ( for example academia) andin some cultures. Such leaders may not be able to help new recruits settle in.

Strong leaders are common in some classes of activity (for example commercialoperations) and some cultures. Such leaders can be supportive and be helpful tothe new recruit, if they choose to be so.A strong leader will set the work culture for all workers under their control. Thecultural setting maybe positive (for example a dedication to serving the clients) or aself-serving culture such as obey me.

ENJOYING WORK: the degree of enjoyment you are allowed at work is limited bycultural issues, both extrinsic (eg your boss) and intrinsic (what your culture believesabout work). There is often a lot you can do to increase your level of enjoyment, butthis requires reflection and changes to the way you think-

Boring work: notice and take pleasure in the small things over which you havesome control. Learn to think about other things as you do your boring job.

Physical work: learn to enjoy the feeling of your body moving and getting fit.

The boss from hell: concentrate on doing a job you can respect. Perhaps be activein moving jobs, this may be a long term plan which involves retraining.

Customer satisfaction: working out what customers really need and then deliveringthat can be a very satisfying activity. The insights you gain will be an advantageall your life.

Pursue excellence: think about what excellence really is and work toward that.This can be satisfying and usually reaps good rewards.

Cultivate relationships: you don't have to like or respect all your colleagues but try

to build a good working relationship with everyone you can and respect in eachcolleague what you can.


culture1

culture2


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HOW DO YOU SHOW YOU ARE POWERFUL? This varies from culture to culturebut in all cultures powerful people want to show they are powerful. Common effectsinclude-

Block things. I will close the shop an hour early.

Make things happen, I'll keep the shop open 30 minutes longer just for you.

Abuse. For example unnecessarily harsh treatment of subordinates.

Meaningless change, Only managers may use a green pen.

If you want to change what has been done, remember the whole point was that the bosswanted to prove they are powerful. Anyone challenging what has been done willsuddenly find themselves in a lot of trouble with the boss.



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LECTURE INTRODUCTION

Hope you enjoyed last week on negotiation skills, I am now doing a bit ofnegotiation myself.Some very good friends at RMIT have died because of smoking. Cigarettecompanies have lied, as revealed in US court hearings. They are clearly happy tokill consumers to make profits.So ... here is my bit to help you avoid smoking and stir others who smoke.

Work Place politics is another lecture requested by graduates.Many had a tough time entering the workplace and felt it would have helped a greatdeal to understand what was happening.

QUESTION : you have just finished your degree and have started your firstengineering job. What do the other employees think of you? How will they react?ANSWER : most will see you as a threat and proceed to deal with you.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Breeding mental attitude : in animals it is clear that breeding greatly effects mentalattitude, for example caribou and reindeer.Those who didn't conform to the tribe got rejected and so didn't breed.

Symbols: glasses in ancient China. Emperor had huge unwieldy set, lower station= smaller glasses.

Hunters got better reproductive opportunities. Is that true now? Are spouses nowmore insightful? Answer that one yourself?

Near sightedness -> don't go to war -> stay and breed.

Camp workers rule : can often take over if elders weak or incompetent,bureaucracy reigns.

High ROI problem: KLB when marketing tried to kill engineering. Soln = look at

costs and details, showed Sales had - and billed to factory, lots of other silliness.Showed Engineering was effective and Sales was expensive.

Politics and time : managers must stay in a position long enough to cop theconsequences of their politics.

Work output : tale of my dad in GM fridge construction 1959. Did full days workbefore lunch, union rep went berserk and demanded pull out half and not finishuntil 5pm.

New threat jokes and bastardisation-Long wait (weight) joke.Stripped paint joke.



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Work Place Politics

Filter cap addition joke.Military use, kill self will, accept tribal rule absolutely.

Telecom technicians : ask engineers to leave the room so the engineer wont get toknow how to do things to the exchange.

Ericsson research closing : many specialized workers who will have trouble gettinga job.

New leader : Kennett trying to deny ALP members the pension, admitted asinappropriate later but ... the new leader effect, we should have said no.

Hold back info : ABC tale from "moonlight state" : held back key information sowhen corrupt police came up with an alibi they could be shot down and proved to

be a liar.

Big lie : politics. "unions want to destroy economy", "liberals don't care aboutpeople" ....

Hate session : most of the great horrors of this century have been caused by "hatesessions" eg Jews in WW2, WW2 itself, Rwanda massacres, ...

People who hate are dangerous and not to be trusted or rewarded.

Work Place Politics

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