Power, Politics, and Organizational Change: Winning the Turf Game

Citation

Gbomita, V.K.A. (2001), "Power, Politics, and Organizational Change: Winning the Turf Game", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 22 No. 1/2, pp. 173-182. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm.2001.22.1_2.173.1

The book provides a comprehensive examination of change and political behavior in the organization. The authors’ primary purpose is to offer an innovative framework for the theoretical and practical understanding of the politics of organizational change from the perspective of the internal change agent and practitioner. Over time, change agents, practicing managers and other professionals interested in organizational development have recognized the need to understand fully the nature and scope of political behavior during periods of organizational change. Political behavior intensifies during organizational change and, as the significance of political behavior heightens, a thorough knowledge of the corporate terrain, the triggers of political behavior and the role of the change agent provide useful insights to practitioners. In response to the continuing need for effective change implementation strategies, the authors combine analytical and theoretical frameworks with empirical evidence and practical guidance to provide fresh perspectives. The specific objectives of the book are to:

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  provide an overview of the nature and role of political behavior in the organization;

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  examine the role of the change agent in organizational change; and

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  provide guidelines for facilitating an organizational change agenda successfully.

The authors divided the book into eight chapters. Each chapter focuses on a theme that is central to the overall purpose of the book. The chapters are sequenced to maximize continuity in the subject matter and, at the same time, reflect the nonlinear and complex character of change. However, the writing style demands of the readership some previous organizational experience.

Chapter 1, “How far are you prepared to go?”, examines the nature of power and politics in the organization, the role of political behavior in organizational change, and the role of the change agent in organizational change. The authors discuss typical political activities during periods of organizational change and conclude the chapter with a summary of the overall political behavior in organizational change that they wish to advance.

Chapter 2, “The terminology game”, explores the definitions of major concepts that are central to the subject matter of the book. The authors examine various definitions of the terms power, politics, and political behavior and conclude that political behavior in organizational change is both inevitable and necessary. The authors suggest that, given the various definitions ascribed to the concepts of power, politics, and political behavior in the organization, the change agent is best served by adopting a constructivist approach that allows for political behavior to be defined in contextual terms.

Chapters 3 and 4, “Sit in judgement” and “Men behaving badly”, examine empirical political behaviors of contemporary practicing managers, characteristics of Machiavellian politics, and the contemporary relevance of the latter in organizational change. The authors use vignettes of empirical political behaviors to demonstrate the consistency between contemporary organizational political behaviors and elements in Machiavellian political philosophy, skillfully leading readers to make their own judgements about the appropriateness of the various political tactics that practicing managers employ. In the end, the authors suggest that “the behavior of the Machiavellian gamesman is embedded in contemporary organizational structures, and it is perhaps misguided to view such behavior as solely rooted in distorted individual personalities” (p. 125).

Chapter 5, “The entrepreneurial hero”, explores the ethics of political behavior in the organization. The authors examine different management styles and their implications for organizational change and suggest that different behaviors have different ethical and moral consequences. The consequences of these political behaviors are significant and should be evaluated in cost‐benefit terms to ascertain their merits and propriety. The authors suggest that change agents seeking practical guidance should resort to situational ethics, picking behaviors that are appropriate and acceptable within context.

Chapter 6, “The politics of failure and the failure of politics”, explores several organizational change models and their effectiveness in organizational change. Examining different traditional change strategies and the outcomes of the strategies, the authors suggest that there is a high failure rate in using these traditional models to achieve organizational change. The authors identify three sets of reasons for these failures that, in general, are attributable to individual and organizational conditions, as well as the political difficulties inherent in major change initiatives. Inexperience, organizational resistance, and the complexities and uncertainties of change cause traditional models to fail. The traditional models do not provide guidelines suitable for specific change situations. However, in order to succeed, change agents need to be able to translate and apply relevant information within specific contexts. Therefore, the authors suggest that change agents must act as “political entrepreneurs in the innovation process”, creatively and proactively working the political system of the organization to maximize their success.

Chapter 7, “Power‐assisted steering: maxims for princes and princesses”, examines several methodologies for the use of political strategies and tactics to achieve organizational change. Generally, these approaches adopt a spread of unsatisfactory perspectives on the issues of power and politics and, thus, fail to directly address the interests of organizational change drivers. The authors suggest that the political nature of organizational change is pervasive; hence, the change agent needs to take a position in organizational politics. Therefore, given the pervasive political nature of change and the lack of perspective of other methodologies of organizational change, the authors offer seven maxims to guide the political behavior of change agents in the process of implementing organizational change. The maxims or guiding principles are based on the premise that, in order to succeed, change agents must of necessity establish their own personal sense of morality and integrity, effectively establish and develop their own reputation, and define their own understanding of what it means to “win the turf game”.

Chapter 8, “The triggering factors”, examines in detail the factors, which trigger political behavior and the future role of the organizational change agent. Politics in the organization is pervasive and the behavior intensifies when certain conditions are present. Despite the pervasiveness of the phenomenon, political behavior in the organization can be managed. Certain factors give rise to the phenomenon of political behavior in an organizational setting and the authors suggest that the three main sets of factors at work are personal, decisional, and structural characteristics. Over time, the nature and scope of the organizational context may have changed and several factors in the organization heighten the awareness of the change. As a consequence of the change in organizational context, the authors suggest that change agents may now require political skills to a degree not previously required. The authors conclude the chapter with a suggestion of three sets of skills a new change agent must have to succeed in the new organizational environment. The new change driver must have:

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  the skills and knowledge required to implement change effectively;

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  a behavior repertoire that includes the tactics of “power‐assisted steering”; and

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  a reflexive practitioner’s perspective of the change agent’s role.

This book will benefit several readers. It is intended, primarily, for the practicing manager, especially, the one with a post‐experience Master’s degree in management. It will be useful for the professional change agent and add value to the knowledge of students in management. Power, politics, and political behavior in the organization are the subject matter of several publications on change and organizational dynamics. However, never has the subject been approached with the candor that this book has treated the subject. The book provides insights into organizational politics that have been ignored in past discussions of organizational change and dynamics. It treats politics in the organization in a way that is both candid and refreshing. It provides the practitioner with the tools to succeed and directly address the interest of the practitioner and professional. It is a new way to look at politics in the organization.