Political behavior is outside one’s specified job requirements. This definition encompasses key elements from what most people mean when they talk about organizational politics. The risk is that unscrupulous employees involved in organizational politics might put their self-interest above that of their employer in their attempts to gain political power for short-term or long-term benefits. Other employees, however, choose either to avoid politics at all cost or to use politics in a self-serving, manipulative, and deceitful fashion. Organizational politics refers to intentional behaviors that are designed to enhance or protect a person’s influence and self-interest used professionally, these behaviors may help attain a well-earned promotion, sell higher management on the merits of a proposal that will expand one’s responsibilities and resources, or gain personal visibility. Some persons think that there has been no shortage of definitions for organizational politics.Įssentially, however, they have focused on the use of power to affect decision making in the organization or on behaviors by members that are self-serving and organizationally nonsanctioned.įor our purposes, we shall define political behavior in organizations as activities that are not required as part of one’s formal role in the organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization (Farrell &Peterson,1988). “Rational” decision making alone may not work when interests are fundamentally incongruent, so political behaviors and influence tactics arise. Aristotle wrote that politics stems from a diversity of interests, and those competing interests must be resolved in some way. Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives. Informal Politics is understood as forming alliances, exercising power and protecting and advancing particular ideas or goals. Political parties, public policy or discussions about war and foreign affairs would fall under the category of Formal Politics. Formal Politics refers to the operation of a constitutional system of government and publicly defined institutions and procedures. History of political thought can be traced back to early antiquity, with seminal works such as Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics and the works of Confucius. It is very often said that politics is about power.Ī political system is a framework which defines acceptable political methods within a given society. Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modem local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level. A variety of methods are employed in politics, which include promoting or forcing one’s own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force, including warfare against adversaries.
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