ORGANISATIONS, companies or firms are primarily made up of                                                                                            
people like you and me.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Human interactions in the form of face-to-face discussions                                                                                            
between managers and subordinates, interdepartmental                                                                                                  
squabbles, informal chit-chats in the canteen and so on,                                                                                              
create social systems that are unique for each firm. Most                                                                                             
people bothered little to know that organisations are not                                                                                             
only social systems, but political, as well.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
In the workplace, we are busy either fire-fighting, dealing                                                                                           
with customer complaints, or grappling with issues such as                                                                                            
cost-cutting, raising productivity, finding creative ways                                                                                             
to tackle increased competition, and the like.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
We have little time for social or political systems. What                                                                                             
are they, you ask.                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
While companies work hard at maintaining and increasing                                                                                               
their competitive strengths, it may be wise for some                                                                                                  
managers to pay a little attention to their firms'                                                                                                    
political structures and systems.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Most of us know our company's organisation chart. If we are                                                                                           
managers, it makes us feel rather smug knowing where we                                                                                               
stand in the hierarchy. But few would have bothered with                                                                                              
their company's political structure.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
It is rather interesting, in fact, to draw up such a chart.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Many are amused and amazed when they see how the power                                                                                                
lines connect different people directly with the big boss                                                                                             
is the chief executive officer (CEO).                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
People are especially amazed when the chart shows, for                                                                                                
instance, that it is not the general manager (GM) who calls                                                                                           
the shots, but lady financial controller who has a special                                                                                            
power relationship with the companys CEO.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
SOME DEFINITIONS                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Before we go on, let us look at some definitions. Culling                                                                                             
from the writings of professors such as Henry Mintzberg                                                                                               
(McGill), Jeffrey Pffefer (Stanford), Rosabeth Moss Kanter                                                                                            
(Harvard), Charles Handy (London Business School), and                                                                                                
others, we get the following picture on power and a few                                                                                               
related words:                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
* POWER: a) It is the capacity to influence; to overcome                                                                                              
resistance or opposition; to make others do what they would                                                                                           
otherwise not do; to mobilise people and resources and so                                                                                             
on; in order to get things done. b) power per se is a                                                                                                 
neutral word. But in competitive situations, power tends to                                                                                           
get ugly, which is the negative face of power. This is when                                                                                           
managers of integrity, achieve results by exercising power                                                                                            
in a humane and appropriate manner.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
* POLITICS: The force behind politics is power. So, when                                                                                              
power, an invisible force, is exercised, we see it in the                                                                                             
manifested form of political activities.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
* POWER POLITICS: It is the subtle use of force to achieve                                                                                            
one's objective, whatever that may be.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
* OFFICE POLITICS: In the context of organisations, it                                                                                                
generally refers to the self-serving (as opposed to the                                                                                               
others serving) activities people engage in. As mentioned                                                                                             
earlier, when people compete for scarce resources or                                                                                                  
promotions, it is unavoidable that certain amount of power                                                                                            
play occurs. And there is a tendency for these forces to be                                                                                           
divisive and destructive. Unfortunately, too many                                                                                                     
organisations allow negative forces of this sort, to                                                                                                  
thrive.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
TO BE OR NOT TO BE                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Should managers be involved in organisational politics? The                                                                                           
answer is yes.                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Traditional organisational charts have a pyramidal shape.                                                                                             
As we move up, positions of power become fewer.  Like most                                                                                            
good things in short supply, people compete against each                                                                                              
other for them.                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Its only natural. Managers who Are not competitive, or                                                                                                
refuse to compete because they want no part of dirty                                                                                                  
politicking, have merely given others a walk-over. It may                                                                                             
be helpful to note what classical management writer Max                                                                                               
Weber wrote many decades ago.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
According to him, when persons compete against each other                                                                                             
in organisational settings, power or power politics                                                                                                   
inevitably rear its ugly head.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Secondly, bosses and top management people are human. They                                                                                            
have likes, dislikes, wants and all. Everything being                                                                                                 
equal, the managers who gets the plum is the one boss likes                                                                                           
most, or the one who has cultivated the rapport and support                                                                                           
of powerful superiors.                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
In business organisations, when employees compete for                                                                                                 
positions and resources, certain amount of activities                                                                                                 
(frowned upon by some) such as favour-currying,                                                                                                       
obligation-buying, getting into the, boss's good books and                                                                                            
so on, are bound to happen.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Managers who frown upon such self-serving activities must                                                                                             
realise that, being human, bosses and superiors have soft                                                                                             
spots, and also, blind spots.  If they want no part of                                                                                                
politicking, that is fine. But they cannot assume the best                                                                                            
jobs go always to the most deserving.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Meritocracy in political systems is a little more complex.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Last, but not least, effective and successful CEOs know                                                                                               
instinctively that political skill is an important                                                                                                    
managerial skill, since managers need power and influence                                                                                             
to get things done through and with people.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Dedicated managers who shun from power politics, or who are                                                                                           
disinterested in the sources and, uses power may be viewed                                                                                            
by some CEOs as unsuitable candidates for promotion.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
IS POWER A DIRTY WORD?                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Is power really such a nasty word?  Harvard don, Roasabeth                                                                                            
Moss Kanter, depicted power as such when she wrote: Power                                                                                             
is America's last dirty word. It is easier to talk about                                                                                              
money and sex than it is to talk about power.  Then we all                                                                                            
have heard of Lord Actons (infamous?) quote that, Power                                                                                               
tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt                                                                                                 
absolutely. It is true that power struggles or office                                                                                                 
politics tend to involve below-the-belt tactics. But to                                                                                               
assume that power is nasty is like agreeing with the                                                                                                  
proverbial saying that money is the root of all evils.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Managers who cherish such as integrity, and respect leaders                                                                                           
with good moral behaviour could do better than that; for                                                                                              
power per se is neutral, if these managers still avoid                                                                                                
organisational politics is time to learn to like and                                                                                                  
respect it. Let us recondition our minds toward the                                                                                                   
positive face of power.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
CONCLUSION                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Stanford don Jeff Pffefer that wrote nothing much happens                                                                                             
between or among people in work organisations unless social                                                                                           
influence occurs. In other word without appropriate                                                                                                   
exercise of (positive) power, nothing much gets done;                                                                                                 
unless they resort to shouts, threats, unreasonable demands                                                                                           
and the like, which happens to be common in some                                                                                                      
organisations.  Dedicated managers need to learn to acquire                                                                                           
and exercise power and influence.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Armed with this skill (provided that the other managerial                                                                                             
skills -- conceptual, interpersonal, information-handling,                                                                                            
communication and technical, are in place) these managers                                                                                             
will be able to perform their tasks superbly!                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Finally, organisations of this century have to be flexible,                                                                                           
agile, speedy, on top of being cost-affective and highly                                                                                              
competitive. Effective CEOs need less of managers who are                                                                                             
politicking out of selfish motives.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
They require more capable managers of integrity and skilled                                                                                           
in the art of sourcing and using power for the success and                                                                                            
common good of the organisation.