What is Organisational Politics?
Organisational politics is the work related to the act of gaining influence and authority to achieve a desired end in organisations during disagreements or unclear situations. It can bring change, dispense funds, help in a career progression, solve a dispute, and exercise power. At the same time, it can distort organisational priorities, decrease motivation, lead to more opposition, diminish problem-solving abilities, and contain ethical issues. Managing organisational politics involves making the flow of information transparent, embracing the right moral standards on the use of power, strengthening organisational communication, and dealing with issues of the power structure to ensure that the positive impacts of organisational politics are enjoyed to the maximum while at the same time reducing its negative impacts as much as possible.
Key Takeaways
- It defines how resources are distributed especially in conditions of economic risk, to guarantee important projects are funded appropriately.
- A political employee can have much better advancement within the company than an unpolitical one.
- In cases where politics is well applied, problems turn into solutions, thereby helping in conflict management.
- Politics can shape the change or innovation to happen by eliminating the organisational barriers or sluggishness.
- Organisational politics refers to the attainment of authority and control within an organisation.
Table of Content
Functions of Organisational Politics
1. Facilitating Change and Innovation
Organisational politics can also be used positively for change and innovation to happen since individuals or groups can lobby for change. Thus, cooperation and employees will allow one to build the necessary base to ensure innovative changes that may be met with significant opposition. For example, a manager might use political cunning to overcome obstacles and organisational lethargy to focus new projects on their success.
2. Resource Allocation
Political activities in organisations help in determining how resources required in organisations will be distributed. In conditions of uncertainty, politics guarantees that important initiatives will be provided with money and other forms of practical assistance. It may also result in more rational decisions as the individuals with political savvy can present their case to get funding for the high impact or promising initiatives thus increasing the effectiveness of the organisation.
3. Career Advancement
From the above scenario, it is quite apparent that for individuals, organisational politics can serve as a route to promotion. Thus, by having contacts, creating coalitions, and with political skills, subordinates can prepare for career advancements and be promoted to leaders. This not only has an advantageous aspect for the persons, but it can prove helpful for the organisation in that politically astute people are placed in authority where they can competently manage the intricate processes of an organisation.
4. Conflict Resolution
The management of organisational politics can also be used to address conflicts systematically. There are also skills in negotiating, mediation as well and coalition formation skills which are all critical ingredients to solving conflicts. Such conflicts should not be confused or considered as being similar to personal conflicts as they should be addressed by politically intelligent leaders of an organisation as a way of emphasizing and maintaining the welfare of the organisation since all are competing for organisational interests, by coming up with win-win solutions, thus avoiding strife in an organisation.
5. Influence and Control
Politics provides opportunities for people and subgroups to dominate various organisational processes and choices. This influence can help match the organisational activities to the planned and desired agendas. For instance, proper relations with politicians can ensure the organisation focuses on long-term goals due to the influence over decision-makers and other stakeholders.
6. Enhancing Organisational Learning
Politics can enhance organisation learning since people get to share more ideas in an organisation through politics. Political skills in leaders enable them to encourage other people to consider different views. This may result in enhanced problem-solving as well as innovation since the organisation receives a diversity of experiences as well as knowledge.
7. Building Alliances and Networks
Organisational politics assist in the development of working relationships and coalitions at organisational as well as external levels. These relationships can be quite valuable in terms of lobbying for support for programs and projects as well as for promotion. These categories of networks can also give opportunity access to important information and materials, a factor that raises the thinking of the organisation in strategic management.
Dysfunctions of Organisational Politics
1. Resource Misallocation
Politics can be of immense help in issues to do with resource allocation since it helps in the designation of priority projects within an organisation while, on the other hand, it can cause misallocation if power players allocate resources based on their strategies and not the needs of the organisation. It means that resources may be allocated to projects that may give returns to certain influential people or groups in the organisation rather than to what may be helpful to the organisation. Such determinations may lead to inefficiencies or alignment with, quite possibly, less-than-ideal strategic goals.
2. Reduced Morale and Job Satisfaction
In general, it can be noted that organisational politics have the potential to reduce morale as well as job satisfaction of the employee. It becomes depressing for the employees and results in resentment and disillusionment when they feel that politicians get to decide their fate and not their performance. This leads to reduced motivation and performance among the employees, increased vulnerability to staff turnover, and fatigue among other ill-effects.
3. Increased Conflict and Tension
Politics can be an effective tool for the organisation to achieve conflict solutions, but at the same time, it can cause conflicts. Basic conflicts within people and groups arise from the attempt to gain control over other individuals and groups in the organisation and, in this manner, escalate to a hostile work environment. Subordinates may gossip or malign their colleagues and engage in acts of sabotage to usurp their superiors, which poses a collaboration problem.
4. Impaired Decision-Making
The beacons of political factors are very dangerous in decision-making processes since personnel become involved. It means that the decisions made owing to politics may not be logical and rational but depend on the strengths and affiliations of the contenders. This can result in making wrong decisions that are not in the best interest of the organisation. In the long run, it negatively impacts the quality of strategic and operational decisions thus the organisation’s performance.
5. Ethical Concerns and Corruption
In the course of the functioning and operation of the organisation, politics can also bring ethical issues and corruption. When people employ power to fulfill self-serving interests at the detriment of others, undesirable conduct like favoritism, nepotism, and embezzlement may occur. They not only compromise the image of the organisation but also can result in legal repercussions, and stakeholder mistrust.
6. Stifling Innovation
A high level of politics is destructive to innovation because it turns organisations into arenas where employees are discouraged from being innovative for fear of suffering the consequences of their actions. As observed, when the political factors are being taken into account, decisions may not be taken on innovative concepts. This can make it very difficult for the functioning of an organisation hence reducing the capacity of the organisation to evolve and its capability to compete effectively.
7. Communication Breakdowns
Political activities in organisations result in communication issues since people withhold and manipulate information to promote personal interests. This might create misunderstandings and limit effective collaboration. Lack of communication leads to terrible consequences such as delays, mistakes, and loss of connection and reduces overall efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, organisational politics can therefore be described as an organisational reality that manifests in the workplace positively and negatively. This article establishes that politics can indeed play a constructive role in an organisation of work when the functions of politics are well coordinated and the dysfunctions of politics are prevented or reduced. Some of the useful tactics for achieving this balance are; enhancing information disclosure, supporting buoyant ethical standards, enhancing communication, enhancing political astuteness, and managing power deficiency. Thus, organisations can design political activity as a working instrument rather than having politics as a source of conflict and negativity.