General Guidelines for Political Action

support or opposition each can be expected to exert; and the personal, positional, and coalitional power you and your supporters can bring to bear to counter the resistance of opponents.

General Guidelines for Political Action

Now we turn from analysis to action. This section offers some general guidelines for successful political behavior. The next section describes specific strategies. 1. Frame arguments in terms of organizational goals. Effective politicking requires covering up self-interest. No matter that your objective is self-serving; all the arguments you marshal in support of your objective must be framed in terms of the benefits that will accrue to the organization. People whose actions appear to blatantly further their own interests at the expense of the organization’s are almost universally denounced, are likely to lose influence, and often suffer the ultimate penalty of being expelled from the organization. 2. Practice Impression Management. Impression management—that is, attempting to behave in ways that will create and maintain desired impressions in the minds of others12—is an important part of political success. If you have assessed your organization’s culture, you are aware of appropriate dress codes, which associates to cultivate and which to avoid, whether to appear to be a risk taker or to be risk aversive, the preferred leadership style, the importance placed on getting along well with others, and so forth. Then you are equipped to project the appropriate image. Because effectiveness in an organization is not a fully objective outcome, style as well as substance must be attended to. Social networking can facilitate this process. 3. Utilize Social Networking. A social network is a communication structure made up of individuals, groups, or organizations that are connected by common interests or interdependencies such as friendship, financial goals, career paths, or political agenda. Examples of internet networks often used for impression management and career advancement are Linkedin, Twitter, and MySpace. Figure 12.2summarizes some networking skills you can use for impression management.

Impressions are being formed about you as soon as you enter into new relationships. Start building social networks immediately to help influence how others perceive you by doing the following things. 1. Map out your ideal network. • Determine who knows what’s going on. • Figure out who is critical in the workflow. • Assess who knows how to get around roadblocks. • Determine who can help you the most. 2. Take action to build the network. • Don’t be shy; most other people will be receptive and want to help. • Start conversations with: “I’m new here. Can you help me get to know people who...?” 3. Reciprocate and invest in your network. • Share information useful to others. • Take the time to stay in touch with network members. • Update your network as people and situations change.

FIGURE 12.2 Networking Skills for Impression Management. Source: Adapted from William C. Byham, “Start Networking Right Away (Even If You Hate It),” Vol. 87, No. 1, Harvard Business Review (January 2009), p. 22.

Social network analysis graphs the relationships between parties in a communication network. It is a useful tool to identify the informal groups and networks of relationships that are active in an organization. The resulting map shows how much work really gets done in organizations.13 A social network map can give you insights into political coalitions, common interest groups, and who the leaders, facilitators, most active members, and isolates are. Social net working is a useful tool for facilitating the implementation of many of the politicking skills described in this chapter, such as political diagnostic analysis, image management, making yourself visible, appearing indispensable, finding a mentor, building a coalition, and avoiding tainted members. 4. Gain control of organizational resources. The control of organizational resources that are scarce and important is a source of power. Knowledge and expertise are particularly effective resources to control. They make you more valuable to the organization and therefore more likely to gain security, advancement, and a receptive audience for your ideas. 5. Make yourself appear indispensable. Because we’re dealing with appearances rather than objective facts, you can enhance your power by appearing to be indispensable. You don’t have to be indispensable as long as key people in the organization believe that you are. If the prime decision makers believe no ready substitute is available for what you are giving to the organization, they are likely to go to great lengths to ensure that your desires are satisfied. How do you make yourself appear indispensable? The most effective means is to develop expertise through experience, contacts, secret techniques, natural talents, and the like. It must be perceived as critical to the organization’s operations, and key decision makers must believe that no one else possesses this expertise to the extent that you do. It also helps if others in your organization perceive you as mobile and believe you have employment options available at other organizations. Combining perceived mobility with perceived indispensability lessens the likelihood that your rise in your present organization will be stalled by the excuse that “we can’t promote you right now because your current unit can’t afford to lose your expertise.” 6. Be visible. The evaluation of managerial effectiveness has a substantial subjective component, so it is important that your boss and those in power in the organization be made aware of your contributions. If you are fortunate enough to have a job that brings your accomplishments to the attention of others, it might not be necessary to take direct measures to increase your visibility. However, your job might require you to handle activities that are low in visibility, or your specific contribution might be indistinguishable because you’re part of a group endeavor. In such cases—without creating the image of a braggart—you’ll want to call attention to yourself by giving progress reports to your boss and others, being seen at social functions, being active in your professional associations, developing powerful allies who speak positively about your accomplishments, and using similar tactics.

Skilled politicians actively and successfully lobby to get projects that will increase their visibility. 7. Get a mentor. A mentor is someone, typically higher up in the organization, from whom you can learn and who can encourage and help you. When you have a mentor, that person can be expected to stand up for you at meetings and relay inside information that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Additionally, just the fact that you have a mentor provides a signal to others in the organization that you have the resources of a powerful higher-up behind you.