The power of Positive Politics.
Politics is the term that describes the consent of different people when making decisions. It means when people of divergent backgrounds and thought, make a decision, is called the politics. Although politics is usually seen on civil government issues and procedures, but it is not necessary. Politics exist anywhere, where human communications exists. Politics manage to continue with socialization and wit h the help of authority or power to do something.
Positive politics is referred to as the intelligence to understand politics (Schein, 2004). It means to understand who is playing what game with whom. Reardon (2005) describe positive politics as political astuteness. He believed politics as a sharpness tool to predict and analyse other person’s behaviour. It is the act of cleverness so that one gets prevented from the bad and sharp politics.
When we talk about organizational politics in particular, we may see an ideal manager to be positively enhancing his skills on politics. It is because, it is the manager’s job to lead the group and give way to the employees’ better personal traits and positively. Therefore, the leadership is needed for all levels by the manager.
Reardon (2002) believed that the higher officials may need to know the political savvy better, because the competition for high level of job is always strong and hard. All the people below the hierarchy of the organization strive for the better position. For them, it’s a need to know how political saga may end up on giving you own chair to some one else. The rivals may not let the other person know and the fight is not through physical ways, but it takes the rout through the concealed minefields and internal politics.
It is perceived generally that women lack in the skills of positive political issues. Reardon (2005) stated that as women lack in interpersonal skills, they may lack in their promotion this way. If the boss never knows you are doing something, he may perceive that you don’t even exist and may not need by the organization as well. So, keeping yourself in to the boss’s eye is one of the rules to succeed in the corporate world.
Although there is no such training in the workplace about political savvy, but to know it is an essential part of the existence in the corporate world. It is said to be a self development process, which means that the experiences come with time and there are no tuition centres or schools which educate about the political stances and what to do next. But, on the general basis, it has been understood that this habit and intellectuality of understanding politics may develop it self with time.
One way to positively politicise yourself is to practice self improvising. Improve your self up to the extent that you may feel confident for wherever you go and whatever you do. Improvising need an ideal and might not as well. A visionary ideal can be formed by the person and he may become his own ultimate model.
It is said that the styles of politics may differ from the situation to situation and workplace to workplace. The political styles develop with the surroundings and the environment. The self improvement tasks may not help in this case. No matter how much people study about self improvising, they may learn the local tactics of politics.
Schein, (2004) stated that before aiming for goal and objectives, the employee must be given a brief introduction of the culture of the organization. This way, the employee gets satisfied as to where he will be working and how does the culture affect the other colleagues as well. In my point of view, although a brief introduction may not be enough for an employee to get hang of the culture of the workplace. It takes time to get settled in the new organization and understanding politics at that point of time is very difficult. It is because; the employee is already reserve in the new environment, and may not able to understand the trend of the organization.
Moreover, better leadership skills can be pertained through establishing such laws that may avoid the bad or internal politics to exist in the organization. By this way, employee will be responsible at his own risk if he break any regulation from the rules. This can be done through setting meeting hours of employees; managers shall interact with low level supervisors to get intact with what’s happening in the organization, etc. Big people shall take care of their own position and are perceived to be experienced in political intellectuality.
Previously, there was not much awareness of the positive politics. With time, around in late 1970’s, the trend began and many text books were written on workplace issues and politics. Positive politics is easy for managers to sustain in the business. They have several ways of appreciating the employee, such as, bonus, increment in salary, retaining justice between employees, appreciating the talent, etc.
In the conclusion, one can interpret through the findings that the politics is an experience and cannot be taught to employees of the organization. It comes with time and expertise. The politics differ with the culture of the organization, and the tactics that may develop to handle politics will also be at variance. We may experience politics in business environment, but still we have to stay on our aims and objectives. To prevent one self from these issues, is a practice that will develop with time. Although there are many factors and perspective with which we can analyse the politics. These structures may include the religious basis, cultural basis, nationality, gender, and issues of creed and class. The perspectives of positive politics shall be different from the one defined above.
References:
Reardon, K. K. (2002). The secret handshake: Mastering the politics of the business inner
Circle. New York, NY: Currency Doubleday.
Schein, E.H. (2004).Organizational Culture and Leadership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership). Jossey-Bass.
