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