Question

Is politicking dysfunctional to an organization’s operations? Explain.

Answer 1

Politicking is the act of acquiring power and influence so that the person engaged in politicking achieves his/her personal goals. In other words, it is the plans or tactics that an individual uses to gain influence or power over something for satisfying his/her self-interest. An organization has a structured format which comprises of functions, authorities and business relationships. Communication is inherent in the departments and the people. The hierarchy and the different reporting structures pave way for politicking. Politicking arises out of the conflicts and the rigorous competition between these departments and the desires of each individual to achieve the next higher level in the hierarchy.

Personally speaking, politicking is a good thing and enables better functionality of the organization. In today’s fast paced environment, the companies grow larger and there is a need for division of departments, work groups, assignments, tasks and activities. These are inherent in large organizations which lead to conflicting goals. The conflict in the goals and tasks are called ‘turf battles’ which is often seen in almost many companies. For example, I worked in a publishing company wherein I had to deal with Editors and Publishers. The Editors prefer to exploit new marketing channels however Publishers prefer utilizing the established marketing channels. Though both the Editor and Publisher are performing their tasks there is a conflict in who decide which marketing channel. This is called political process. If this political process is suppressed or avoided, then it leads to poorer organizational performance. Homogenized groups created to suppress political process leads to organizational inefficiency. Political processes and politicking helps the organization to make better and productive decisions. There is power struggle over innovative concepts which leads to strategic decisions. High-performing organizations effectively managed executives’ politicking. Others failed which did not support politicking. These failed organizations were unable to meet the ever-changing dynamic environment due to the homogenized structure. The high-performing organizations which supported politicking gained and some of the processes that these firms used are:

• The executives deliberately created multiple alternatives so that their combinations can be discussed further and help the executive to take the most viable solution.
• The management kept a keen eye on the organizational goals in the executive committee meetings to avoid any personal interest or gain.
• The management focuses on facts and figures rather than one’s own personal interest.
• Ensure the Chief Executive Officer is powerful however to a limit. If the CEO is provided with full-fledged power, then there is a possibility that he/she may use politics for his/her own personal goals.

Conclusion- The more the organizations respond to the dynamic environment, the more the work needs to be divided and re-divided into divisions. This leads to ‘turf battles’ which in turn results in politicking. The different departments and teams with different perspectives and roles often makes the managers give importance to their goals leading to strategic decisions.