Reframing Organizations, 4th ed.
Chapter 10
The Manager as a Politician
The Manager as a Politician
Skills of the Manager as a Politician Ethics and politics
Skills of the Manager as a Politician Agenda Setting (knowing what you want and
how you’ll try to get it) Vision or objective Strategy for achieving the vision
Mapping the Political Terrain Determine the channels of informal
communication Identify principal agents of political influence Analyze possibilities for mobilizing internal and
external players Anticipate counterstrategies that others are likely
to employ
Drawing the political map
Frame the central issue – the key choice that people disagree about
Identity the key players (those who are most likely to influence the outcome) Where does each player fall in terms of the
key issue? How much power is each player likely to exert
Example: Belgian bureaucracy Key issue: are automated records a good
thing?
Figure 10-1:
The Political Map as Seen by the “Techies” – Strong Support and Weak Opposition for Change
Interests
High
Low
Pro-Change Opposed to Change
Techies
Front-line Officials
TopManagement
Middle Managers
Power
Figure 10-2:
The Real Political Map: a Battle Ground With Strong Players on Both Sides
Interests
High
Low
Pro-Change Opposed to Change
Techies Front-line Officials
Top Management
Middle Managers
MiddleManagers
Power
Skills of the Manager as a Politician (II)
Networking and Building Coalitions Identify relevant relationships Assess who might resist Develop relationships with potential opponents Persuade first, use more forceful methods only
if necessary
Skills of the Manager as a Politician (III)
Bargaining and Negotiation Value Creating: look for joint gain, win-win
solutions Value Claiming: try to maximize your own
gains
Value Creating: Getting to Yes (Fisher and Ury) Separate people from problem: “ deal with
people as human beings, and the problem on its merits”
Focus on interests, not positions Invent options for mutual gain Insist on objective criteria: standards of
fairness for a good decision
Value Claiming: The Strategy of Conflict (Schelling) Bargaining is a mixed-motive game
(incentives to complete and collaborate)] Process of interdependent decisions Controlling other’s uncertainty gives power Emphasize threats, not sanctions Threats are only effective if credible Calculate the optimal level of threat: too much
or too little can undermine your position
Morality and Politics
Ethical criteria in bargaining and organizational politics
Mutuality – are all parties operating under the same understanding of the rules?
Generality – does a specific action follow a principle of moral conduct applicable to all comparable situations?
Openness – are we willing to make our decisions public?
Caring – does this action show care for the legitimate interests of others?
Conclusion
Politics can be sordid and destructive, but can also be the vehicle for achieving noble purposes
Managers need to develop the skills of constructive politicians: Fashion an agenda Map political terrain Networking and building coalitions Negotiating
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