Organizational Politics and Power

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the writer discusses that while many people like to argue that organizations would operate better without politics, there is little doubt that politics are a key part of all organizations. The writer claims that politics can be considered as closely linked to the power structure of an organization. The writer maintains that those who have legitimate power in the organization are able to use that power to their advantage. Those who have other forms of power use politics to assert their power and use it to their advantage. Those who do not have power become political players as a means of gaining power. In this way, the writer demonstrates that there is a direct link between politics and power. The writer concludes that that there is a strong link between power and politics, with politics a means in which people both gain power and exercise that power.

From the Paper:

"Before considering how politics become part of organizations, it is necessary to consider the nature of power within organizations. It must first be noted that power is a natural part of all organizations since organizations are based on a hierarchical structure. The hierarchy means that there is a flow of authority from lower levels to higher levels. This means that those at the higher levels have power over those at lower levels. For example, a supervisor has power over his or her subordinates, but the individual's manager has power over them. This means that for most people in the organization, they will be in a position to use the power they have over others, while also being in the position to want to manage and limit the amount of power that those above them have. The other important point about power is that it is not just given to people because of their position in the hierarchy."

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