Question

Politics and power are present in organizations. Sometimes these themes are hard to navigate. Read the following incidents and answer these two questions for each: To what extent are power and politics already at play in this situation? How might one of the actors in the incident use power and politics to achieve advantage in the situation described?

Incident 1: A young woman has been with the financial services firm for two years. She is happy with the work, pleased with her responsibilities, and looking forward to career advancement within the firm. During a casual conversation over coffee she has just learned that a male colleague with less time at the firm has just gone to higher management and negotiated a special off-cycle pay raise. The colleague is now earning more, in fact quite a bit more, than she is. The firm's CEO has made many public statements supporting career advancement for women. The culture is one in which no one is supposed to talk about their pay with others inside or outside the firm. The young woman wants more pay and is now unhappy in a situation that she had previously found very satisfying.

Incident 2: Saul, aged twenty-five, has just started a new job where everyone works in an open-plan office. He's been there about three weeks and is content. A music lover, he has been wearing headphones during the day while working on the computer. Yesterday a colleague who Saul guesses to be about forty to forty-five years old, offered him some "advice." "You should take off the headphones in the office," she said, "that's not the way we do things here. People are starting to say that you aren't friendly and tend to be a loner." this caught Saul by surprise since he has the headphones on most of his free time as well, and he thinks the music helps him stay relaxed and focused while doing detailed computer work. Nobody said anything about such things when he interviewed, and he can't find any company policy or rule that forbids wearing headphones at work. he likes the job, even likes the people, but he doesn't like being told to take the headphones off.

Answer 1

Incident 1 - Yes, there is power and politics involved as her male colleague who came late in the company is earning more than him and has gone to higher management. Also, the culture promotes not talking about their pay in the office.

Here, it can be seen that with the help of politics male colleagues may have reached a higher position in the management and used this power to negotiate a special off-cycle pay raise.

One of the actors needs to understand other aspects of the job, then just work. This also includes politics, which can be being in the good books of the management. Being aware of the opportunities and forging a familiarity or relationship with those above her. It may be beneficial when they would be needing someone to fill up a position in top management.

In this way, she can acquire power through politics and use it to reach greater heights and better pay.

Incident 2- Here, the power and politics are not into play much but it is an indication of it going through in the background. As one of his colleagues suggested him to take headphones off, as it may put him as a loner or unfriendly person.

But the words had the power to make him concerned as he never thought about it and neither found it int the policy of the company.

Also, the politics can be seen as people are talking about him being a loner and unfriendly and this can have consequences later, where he may be ignored to put in a team or promote to higher responsibilities.

Thus, there are hints of politics and power but they are not explicitly present in the case.

b) The actor should also engage himself with the workplace and not just his work. As it may keep him updated about the happenings of the place and would also help in knowing the opportunity.

Engaging with people would make him a friendly person that can be used for advantage by being in certain teams or getting certain works.

Thus, he can acquire this power by involving himself with the happenings of the place, interacting with people and use it for career advantage