BA 210:Politics, Power and Careers

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BA 210Politics, Power and Careers
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Admin Events coming up

• Review next Monday May 5th
• Study guide and Practice questions on website
  Thursday
• Exam 3 next Wednesday May 7th
• Similar to Exam 2, but 55 questions
• This is the last thing we do there is no exam
  during finals week for this class
• Turn in Extra Credit starting next class

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Roadmap Objective

• Objective 1 To enhance your understanding of
  organizational politics
• Are organizational politics always bad?
• How can you be politically savvy?
• Understand power and influence
• Objective 2 To enhance your understanding of
  career management

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Organizational PoliticsBad Stuff, eh?

• Organizational Politics Activities
  organizational actors use to
• Use their power to achieve their goals
• Overcome resistance or opposition.
• Increase their power
• Political strategies
• Specific tactics used to increase power and use
  it effectively, to gain the support of other
  people while overcoming resistance
• Getting past the simplistic view that politics
  are always bad
• There are fundamental reasons why organizations
  are political
• Politics can be functional or dysfunctional for
  an organization
• Saying I wont stoop to politics is naïve and
  limiting
• Political savvy can help you and your organization

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The dangers of believing in meritOnly the
naïve believe

• There is nothing more demoralizing than feeling
  you have a creative idea or a unique insight into
  a significant problem and then coming
  face-to-face with your organizational impotence.
  
• This face of power is seen by many . They are
  energetic, optimistic, . They are supremely
  confident that their awesome ability,
  state-of-the art training, and indefatigable
  energe will rocket them up the corporate ladder.
  
• However, many soon become discouraged or
  embittered. They blame the old guard for
  protecting their turf and not being open to new
  ideas. Their feelings of frustration prompt many
  to look for greener pastures of opportunity in
  other companies only to be confronted anew with
  rejection and failure
• These individuals learn quickly that only the
  naive believe that the best recommendation gets
  selected, the most capable individual gets the
  promotion, and the deserving unit gets its fair
  share of the budget. These are political
  decisions heavily influenced by the interests of
  the powerful.

Slides on power and politics adapted from Power
Dynamics in Organizations, Linda Hill, Harvard
Business School note 9-494-083. Quote from D.A.
Whetten and K.S. Cameron, Developing Management
Skills Gaining Power and Influence, (New York
HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993), pp. 26-27
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First Understand why are organizations political

• Some basic realities of organizational life
• Scarce resources You cant fund it all
• Complexity, uncertainty, ambiguity Cant know
  whats best
• Interdependence Key players depend on others
• Power gap
• Differences in goals, perspectives, values,
  interests
• Implication
• No consensually accepted optimal decision is
  possible
• Reconciliation of (legitimate) disagreements must
  be through persuasion, compromise and tradeoffs
• This is the realm of politics, power, and
  influence

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So whats good about that?

• Answer Political conflict allows differing
  interests and perspectives to be mobilized and
  reconciled
• RD has a legitimate interest in long-term
  research, manufacturing in the producibility of a
  product, marketing in customer acceptance. A
  union member who confronts a foreman over an
  alleged contract violation, a regional vice
  president who wants to make sure her factories
  get more investment funds, and the director of a
  research lab who tries to protect his scientists
  from intrusions from marketing are all engaged in
  necessarily political relationships. These
  relationships can be extremely usful to senior
  managers, because they mobilize the different
  interests and perspectives that together add up
  to a comprehensive view of the entire situation.
  (emphasis added)
• Recall moderate levels of conflict are often
  functional for groups
• Political activity is functional when it allows a
  manager to gain support for changes that will
  advance the organization.

Quote from L. Hirschhorn and T. Gilmore, The New
Boundaries of the Boundaryless Company, Harvard
Business Review, May-June 1992, p. 108
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When are politics bad?

• When managers act in self-interested ways mostly
  for their own benefit, politics is likely
  dysfunctional for the organization
• Ambitious players act to advance their own
  career.
• Powerful players that stand to lose from change,
  may use their power to tenaciously preserve the
  status quo.
• The dividing line between self-interest and
  organizational interest is often in shades of
  gray.

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To understand politics, understand power and
influence

• Political conflict is
• Power The currency of politics.
• The potential of an individual (or group) to
  influence another individual or group
• What are types and sources of power?
• Influence Spending your currency.
• The exercise of power to change the behavior,
  attitudes, or values of that individual or group.
• How do you exercise influence?

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Types and Sources of Power

• Positional Power
• Formal Authority A persons position in the
  organizational hierarchy (Legitimate, coercive
  reward power, in textbook)
• Relevance Being closely aligned with corporate
  priorities / challenges, controlling critical
  contingencies (activities crucial to performance)
• Centrality Occupation of central positions in
  important networks
• Autonomy Discretion or freedom to exercise
  judgement.
• Visibility You have to get credit. (In the
  Life can be unfair column).
• Personal Power
• Expertise Task or organizationally relevant
  competencies
• Track Record Demonstrated accomplishments
• Referent Attributes others find appealing or
  that they identify with
• Effort Leads to perception of commitment and
  expertise.

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Example Relevance as a source of Power

• when an organization faces a number of
  lawsuits that threaten its existence, the legal
  department will gain power and influence over
  organizational decisions. Somehow other
  organizational groups will recognize its critical
  importance and confer upon it a status and power
  never before enjoyed. This influence may extend
  beyond handling legal matters and into decisions
  about product design, advertising, production,
  and so on. Such extensions undoubtedly would be
  accompanied by appropriate, or acceptable, verbal
  justifications. In time, the head of the legal
  department may become the head of the
  corporation, just as in times past when the vice
  president for marketing had become the president
  when market shares were a worrisome problem, and
  before him, the chief engineer, who had made the
  production line run as smooth as silk.

G.R. Salancik and J. Pfeffer, Who Gets Power and
How They Hold Onto It A Strategic Contingency
Model of Power, Organizational Dynamics, Winter,
1977, p.4
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Examples Autonomy and Track Record

• Autonomy Larry was in a laison position between
  a banks personal banking and the brokerage
  divisions. While he had little formal power, he
  had considerable autonomy his job description
  was simply to help the divisions cross-sell each
  others products. A good deal of his
  effectiveness came from being able to choose
  which offices he worked with and what types of
  programs he initiated, so that he could push
  changes where he thought the soil was most
  fertile.
• Track Record The number-one salesman in his
  district for five yeasr was passed over for
  promotion for manager because he was known to
  have difficulty working with his peers. Over
  time, staff in the corporate office had stopped
  consulting him even on those issues about which
  he had expertise. As his boss described, He had
  developed a reputation for leaving dead bodies
  behind.

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Example Power through Centrality
Brand Manager
Associate Brand Manager 2
National Sales Manager
Associate Brand Manager 1
Market Research Manager
Advertising Agency Representative
Assistant Brand Manager
Assistant Brand Manager
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Diagnosing political situations

• Analyze the power dynamics
• Interdependencies among relevant parties
• Sources of power of relevant parties
• Differences between relevant parties
• How will goals and perspectives differ?
• What issues will draw conflict?

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Taking political action

• Criteria to evaluate political action
• Does it help you?
• Does it help the organization?
• Is it ethical?
• Does it maintain relationships?
• Think of strategies
• How can you acquire power?
• How can you exercise influence?
• How can you build partnerships?
• So you can influence those you depend on and get
  things done.

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Strategies for using your power to influence
others

• Be unobtrusive
• Cloak use of power through use of rationality and
  legitimacy.
• Frame arguments in terms of organizational goals
• Thus influencing what issues are considered,
  which are not
• Help everyone win
• Make sure that everyone whose support is needed
  benefits (personally and/or organizationally)
• Control the information flow
• Deploy objective, authoritative information

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Career Management

• Why do some people get ahead?
• How should you think about career choices?

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Key Career Management Issues

• Boundaryless careers and implications
• Challenges becoming a manager
• Choosing the right positions
• Creating a success syndrome
• Stretch and networks
• Challenges facing those in the minority
• Assessing your career

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Career management in perspective

• Right now, your career focus is likely on your
  first job
• And appropriately so this is a huge choice
• A longer-term career strategy is important too
• Lets look at the only the naïve quote again
• You need to look ahead, look down the road
• Not just on general principles, but because
  management of your career is increasingly your
  responsibility
• If you are headed for the professions, say
  accounting, careers retain a semblance of the
  traditional linear structure
• But projects represent strategic career choices
  as well

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Only the naïve believe

• There is nothing more demoralizing than feeling
  you have a creative idea or a unique insight into
  a significant problem and then coming
  face-to-face with your organizational impotence.
  
• This face of power is seen by many . They are
  energetic, optimistic, . They are supremely
  confident that their awesome ability,
  state-of-the art training, and indefatigable
  energe will rocket them up the corporate ladder.
  
• However, many soon become discouraged or
  embittered. They blame the old guard for
  protecting their turf and not being open to new
  ideas. Their feelings of frustration prompt many
  to look for greener pastures of opportunity in
  other companies only to be confronted anew with
  rejection and failure
• These individuals learn quickly that only the
  naive believe that the best recommendation gets
  selected, the most capable individual gets the
  promotion, and the deserving unit gets its fair
  share of the budget. These are political
  decisions heavily influenced by the interests of
  the powerful.

Slides on power and politics adapted from Power
Dynamics in Organizations, Linda Hill, Harvard
Business School note 9-494-083. Quote from D.A.
Whetten and K.S. Cameron, Developing Management
Skills Gaining Power and Influence, (New York
HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993), pp. 26-27
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Careers then and now

• The Way It Was
• Employees spent their work lives within one
  organization.
• The psychological contract Commitment loyalty
  in return for security
• The 1980s blew all that away
• More horizontal organizations mean career paths
  arent vertical
• More rapid change means career paths are less
  predictable
• Careers now You are responsible, not the
  organization
• Boundaryless career define career by the
  moves you make rather than the boundaries of an
  organization
• Employee defines progression, organizational
  loyalty, and marketplace value

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Boundaryless careers means you are your own
product manager

• As in a marketplace, if a product stays the same
  the competition gets ahead.
• If a product stays ahead of the competition, all
  kinds of good things happen.
• How then, do you stay ahead in the career realm?
• Take responsibility for learning and development
• Take responsibility for career strategy

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Becoming a Manager (or a team leader)

• Initially learning and development is usually
  around becoming a technically expert, individual
  performer
• This changes as you become a team leader or
  manager
• Managing people represents a fundamental change
• Technical skills recede, interpersonal skills
  dominate
• This is often experienced as a wrenching learning
  and development challenge
• The stakes are high
• Those who continue to rely on their initial
  skills plateau or derail those who learn
  advance

Several slides on career management draw from L.
Hill, Managing Your Career, Harvard Business
School 1994, 9-494-082.
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You want to create a success syndrome

• Achieve success in your position
• Track record and credibility grows
• Network grows naturally and through attention
• You develop through stretch and learning
• The next position is more powerful
• More central, more currencies
• Virtuous cycle occurs

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Stretch Assignments

• Stretch Assignments Fit is not perfect, offer
  significant developmental opportunities
• Usually high in positional power relevance,
  visibility, autonomy
• Pursue or create such positions
• Move towards the power-axis towards critical
  contingencies and uncertainties
• Pay less attention to title, pay, percs

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Building a network of relationships

• Networks open up opportunities (e.g., stretch
  assignments) and mitigate risks.
• The linchpin of development and career success
• Think strategically about relationships
• Seek opportunities (assignments, presentations,
  responsibilities) to build relationships,
  especially outside the normal work flow
• Think broadly about mentoring relationships
• Instead of seeking the single, perfect mentor, be
  a good protege

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Information Network of Breakfast Cereal Team
Brand Manager
Associate Brand Manager 2
National Sales Manager
Associate Brand Manager 1
Market Research Manager
Advertising Agency Representative
Assistant Brand Manager
Assistant Brand Manager
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Managing the most important player in your
network your boss

• Sounds suspicious? Its not
• Boss-subordinate relations involve mutual
  dependence between two limited and fallible human
  beings
• Thus managing the relationship is crucial to
  success
• The principles
• Understand your boss and your strengths,
  weaknesses, style, goals, blind spots.
• Aim to be dependable, to be economical in use of
  bosses time and resources, to have clear mutual
  expectations

Slides on managing your boss adapted from J.
Gabarro and J. Kotter, Managing Your Boss,
Harvard Business Review, May-June 1993.
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Example Managing your boss
B

• A manager (who had a relatively good
  relationship with his superior) realized that
  during meetings his boss would often become
  inattentive and sometimes brusque. The
  subordinates own style tended to be discursive
  and exploratory. He would often digress from the
  topic at hand to deal with background factors,
  alternative approaches, and so forth. His boss
  preferred to discuss problems with a minimum of
  background detail and became impatient and
  distracted whenever his subordinate digressed
  from the immediate issue.
• Recognizing this difference in style, the manager
  became terser and more direct during meetings
  with his boss. To help himself do this, before
  meetings, he would develop brief agendas that he
  used as a guide. Whenever he felt that a
  digression was needed, he explained why. This
  small shift in his own style made these meetings
  more effective and far less frustrating for both
  of them.

From Gabarro op. cit., p. 155.
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Thinking about positions from a developmental
perspective

• The right positions are stepping stones to a
  successful career
• How do you choose?
• The key is trading off the performance you can
  deliver against the developmental opportunity the
  position presents
• Performance Fit between who you are and the job
  (and the organization)
• Learning Fit between who you want to be and the
  job (and the organization) will the job stretch
  you?
• Best if your strengths are really needed,
  weaknesses arent serious impediment
• Heuristic Can you be effective in six months?
• Beware hubris! If the risk is high, prepare your
  boss

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The Lessons of Experience

• Task learning vs. Personal learning
• The most powerful lessons are from adversity and
  inadequacy
• The lessons are hard to interpret
• Introspection is crucial
• Developmental feedback is crucial
• Its all the tougher early in your career

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An annual (at least) personal appraisal

• Have I contributed to organizational performance?
  
• If my track record / credibility havent
  improved, why not?
• What have I learned? What skills have I built?
• How have I built my network? Hurt it?
• Do I have the right sponsors/mentors?
• Is the fit with my job too good time to move
  on?
• Is the fit with my job too poor time to
  recognize a problem / poor choice and move on?

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Next Up Entrepreneurship

• Textbook has five part-ending sections on
  entrepreneurship
• Generally speaking, these are about relatively
  established organizations, whereas our focus is
  the formative stages.
• These are assigned
• Start-Up Planning Issues (247-253)
• Leading issues (489-493) particularly section
  on personality
• These are optional
• Managing Entrepreneurship Context (143-147)
• Organizing Issues (362-367)
• Controlling Issues (575-579)