What Are Organizational Politics in the Workplace?

To understand business or workplace politics, it helps to first consider the politics definition. Most people are familiar with the primary definition of politics – the activities associated with governing a place or region. These can include debate between parties in power, a set of beliefs or principles and other facets that involve belief and governance.

However, it’s the secondary politics definition that concerns the workplace through organizational politics, or what is commonly called “office politics,” and that includes efforts made in an attempt to improve one’s status or to increase one’s power in the organization.

Consult business dictionaries and they’ll tell you that organizational politics are when one pursues an agenda of self-interest in the workplace while having little regard for the effect it will have on the company’s success in achieving its goals.

What Is Meant by Organizational Policies?

Two things are at the heart of politics – relationships and policies. It’s easy to believe the two are separate matters, but policies in workplaces often dictate relationships or at least the way relationships are enjoyed and nurtured.

Organizational policies guide the way in which employees and the organization itself act or behave regarding both the employee’s interests and the company’s interests. These are the guidelines, rules, operating procedures and principles outlined by the company’s ownership or administration, which are then expected to be adhered to by all people in the firm. From email guidelines to attire to hierarchy to company holidays, these are all policies one can expect to be defined by the company.

Contravening these policies can cause conflicts or lead to reprimands. The way these policies affect workplace interactions can influence the organization’s political climate, which in turn can impact office politics. Navigating policies and benefiting from using them to one’s advantage (or suffering the consequences thereof) form the heart of corporate politics and power.

Corporate Leadership and Politics

Organizational politics can often come down to relationships and allies in the workplace. Who has power over the direction of your career? Who can be of benefit down the line? Who will make the best teacher? What’s the best stance for negotiating your contract? Which projects would best benefit your career in the long run? Can you make an open secret of your career ambitions so management understands that you're in it to win it?

All of these questions and their answers are examples of what defines politics in the workplace. It’s strategy and methodology that will affect how you succeed in your career. It has nothing to do with what the company’s shareholders will receive or what the sales bottom line will be in the third quarter but is instead entirely about your future in the firm.

When corporate leaders favour one person over another for where he went to school or his speaking style or boardroom appeal, that’s part of politics too. It’s not objective or tangible, like how Robert has the highest sales success in his division and therefore gets the biggest bonus. Instead, it’s a subjective belief based on interpersonal relationships and interaction.

Playing Politics

History is rife with people who felt they were above playing politics but then got upstaged by peers. Anyone who believes politics are optional for any corporation or organization is due for a shock when one realizes that politics exist in every environment and are unavoidable. Whether you choose to participate is up to you, but make no mistake – politics will be played whether you suit up for them or not.

References

·         Harvard Business Review: The 4 Types of Organizational Politics

·         Forbes: What I Learned About Office Politics That Changed My Career

·         Inc.com: Why and When You Need to Play Office Politics

Power Orientation and Power Distance

Power orientation refers to the beliefs that people in a culture hold about the appropriateness of power and authority differences in hierarchies such as business organizations. 

Some cultures are characterized by power respect. This means that people in a culture tend to accept the power and authority of their superiors simply on the basis of the superiors’ positions in the hierarchy. These same people also tend to respect the superiors’ right to that power. People at all levels in a firm accept the decisions and mandates of those above them because of the implicit belief that higher-level positions carry the right to make decisions and issue mandates. Hofstede found people in France, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, and Singapore to be relatively power respecting.

Power Distance has been defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society. All societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others.

Table 1 Ten Differences between Small- and Large- Power Distance Societies

Small Power Distance	Large Power Distance
Use of power should be legitimate and is subject to criteria of good and evil	Power is a basic fact of society antedating good or evil: its legitimacy is irrelevant
Parents treat children as equals	Parents teach children obedience
Older people are neither respected nor feared	Older people are both respected and feared
Student-centered education	Teacher-centered education
Hierarchy means inequality of roles, established for convenience	Hierarchy means existential inequality
Subordinates expect to be consulted	Subordinates expect to be told what to do
Pluralist governments based on majority vote and changed peacefully	Autocratic governments based on co-optation and changed by revolution
Corruption rare; scandals end political careers	Corruption frequent; scandals are covered up
Income distribution in society very uneven	Income distribution in society rather even
Religions stressing equality of believers	Religions with a hierarchy of priests

The above table lists a selection of differences between national societies that validation research showed to be associated with the Power Distance dimension. For a more complete review the reader is referred to Hofstede (2001) and Hofstede et al. (2010). The statements refer to extremes; actual situations may be found anywhere in between the extremes, and the association of a statement with a dimension is always statistical, never absolute. In Hofstede et al. (2010) Power Distance Index scores are listed for 76 countries; they tend to be higher for East European, Latin, Asian and African countries and lower for Germanic and English-speaking Western countries.

References

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations across Nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (co-published in the PRC as Vol. 10 in the Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press SFLEP Intercultural Communication Reference Series, 2008)

Hofstede, G. (2006). What did GLOBE really measure? Researchers’ minds versus respondents’ minds. Journal of International Business Studies, 37, 882-96.

Hofstede, G. (2010). The GLOBE debate: Back to relevance. Journal of International Business Studies, 41, 1339-46.

Hofstede, G. & Bond, M. H. (1988). The Confucius connection: from cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics, 16, 4-21.

Hofstede, G. & Hofstede, G. J. (2005). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind

(Rev. 2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. For translations see www.geerthofstede.nl and “our books”.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J. & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (Rev. 3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. For translations see www.geerthofstede.nl and “our books”.

Organization Culture and the role of the Leadership

“Culture and leadership are two sides of the same coin. When organizations start or when groups start there is always a leader who has a preferred way of doing things, and those preferences by definition are going to be imposed on the group members. If you don’t like the way I run this group, I’ll replace you. The leader’s values and preferences are the first ways that a group or organization does things and if that works it becomes eventually the culture of that group. So in a very real sense, founders and leaders create culture.” (Tim KUPPLER 2014)

Organizational culture, or corporate culture, compromises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. It’s the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization which control the way they think and behave that has an impact on the organizational performance. It is necessary to shape and reshape the culture as teams evolve over the time, to face two basic challenges in business operations; integrating individual into an effective unit and adapting effectively to the external environment to survive.

We know that a company’s culture plays an important role in employee engagement, discretionary effort, teamwork and loyalty and that an organization’s culture impacts the company’s bottom line.

Further the leadership of the company is the primary shaper of the culture. It’s important to understand which leadership styles and behaviour have the most impact on culture. The background of people, group dynamics, operating environment, work condition, leadership style, structure, compensation policy/composition and social issues are factors that form the ‘natural organization culture’ (Kishu Gomez 2019)

By culture I mean the shared beliefs top managers have about how they should manage themselves and other employees and how they should conduct business (es) (Lorsch, 1985: 95)

References

Culture and Leadership two sides of the same coin: Available from:<https://www.tlnt.com/culture-and-leadership-theyre-simply-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/> [14 March 2014]

Kishu Gomez 2019, Sunday Observer: Biz Talk, The Advertiser

     

What Incentives Can Do, What Incentives Cannot Do

Incentive compensation. Powerful stuff when used well and unfortunately potentially even more powerful when misused and misdirected. Chip and Dan Heath said it well...

Incentives are dangerous, and not just because people game them. They often yield collateral damage. Remember the tale of the Darwin Award winner who strapped a jet engine to his car, dreaming of a joyride for the ages, and then met his sorry end as a human flapjack on the side of a mountain? Incentives are like that jet engine. There’s no question the engine will take you somewhere, fast, but it’s not always clear where. Or what you’re going to mow down on the way. Yet incentives are still the first resort of most managers, perhaps because they all think they’re smart enough to create the perfect carrot.

How do you know when an incentive plan is a good idea and when it is not? 

For starters, it is important to have a sense of the circumstances you are fixing to drop them into and the objectives you (or the prospective plan "sponsor") hope to achieve by putting them in place.  If you don't, start there.

Next, you'll need to face up to the reality that there are problems which incentives cannot fix (and may even make worse).  What follows is my own list of what incentives can and cannot do.  Many of you will have your own lists;

Things Incentives Can Do

1.  Incentives can focus out top priorities for employee attention. This is one of the most potent capabilities of incentives

2.  It can communicate to employees that where their efforts can create the most value.

3.  It shares the rewards of success. 

4.  It could encourage teamwork and collaboration across business or functional lines.

5.  Incentives can help drive and reward the development of critical skills and capabilities.

Things Incentives Cannot Do

1.  Incentives can't fix broken organizational structures and processes. If the structure and processes are so bad that have to dangle money to "motivate" people to work around them.

2.  It can't fix bad job design and staffing decisions.  Incentives are not an alternative to designing and staffing work roles in ways that make good performance possible and even likely.

3.  It can't serve as a substitute for enforcing policies and job requirements.  Following policy and meeting job requirements should be considered a condition of employment, not something you "purchase" with extra compensation in order to avoid confronting those morale-depleting slackers.

4.  Incentives cannot manage your employees for you (honestly, this doesn't even work with most sales jobs) and they are not an alternative to setting and communicating clear performance expectations.

Melcrum (2007) also cites the importance of compensation, benefits and formal recognition in instilling employee engagement. In 2008, a survey by CHA asked one thousand employees what single action their employer could take immediately to help improve engagement during the economic downturn (CHA, 2008 cited in Peacock, 2008). First and foremost, a pay rise including bonus or incentives was requested, followed by company organized other incentives and reassurance about job security.

References

Melcurm (2007), The Practitioner’s Guide to: essential techniques for employee engagement, Melcrum Publishing Limited.

Effective Employee Retention Strategies

[Robert Half October 1, 2018] It's every manager's nightmare: One of the best employees resigns out of the blue. A number of challenges to tackle on top of the daily responsibilities. Not only do have to find a replacement for such a talented team member but also have to consider the impact of his departure will have on the rest of the staff.

That's why employee retention and employee job satisfaction should be high on every organization's list of priorities, and why creating effective retention strategies to decrease turnover should be one of management's most important jobs.

How to develop employee retention strategies

Succeeding in employee retention efforts requires to think about from the team's point of view. All employees are different and each has unique desires and goals. In the meantime they want to feel that they are appreciated by their employer and treated fairly. They want to be challenged and excited by the job they're asked to do.

Ways to improve employee retention

Every area of the employer-employee relationship in the organization deserves our attention. The key strategies to improve the organization's employee retention and boost employee  satisfaction are:

·         On boarding and orientation — Every new hired should be set up for success from the very start, from the first day of work to the first week and beyond.

·         Mentorship programs — Pairing a new employee with a mentor is a great idea for on boarding. New team members can learn the ropes from a veteran with a wealth of resources.

·         Employee compensation —Companies to offer attractive compensation packages as per the market rate. It includes salaries and all the other perks.

·         Recognition and rewards systems —Make it a habit to thank your direct reports when they go the extra mile, whether it's with a sincere email, a gift card or an extra day off.

·         Work-life balance —A healthy work-life balance is essential, and people need to know that management understands its importance.

·         Training and development — Smart managers invest in their workers' professional development and seek opportunities for them to grow.

·         Communication and feedback — Keeping open lines of communication is essential for employee retention. The direct reports should feel that they can come to you with ideas, questions and concerns, and likewise, they expect to be honest and open with them about improvements they need to make in their own performance.

·         Dealing with change — Every workplace has to deal with unpleasant changes occasionally, and the staff looks to leadership for reassurance.

·         Fostering teamwork — When people work together, they can achieve more than they would have individually. Foster a culture of collaboration that accommodates individuals' working styles and lets their talents shine.

·         Team celebration — Celebrate major milestones for individuals and for the team.

Assess the employee retention strategies at least once a year. Stay on current on market salary rates and benefits, and best practices in developing workplace culture and manager employee relations. This will keep staff morale high and turnover low while guaranteeing organization’s success.

References

Effective Employee Retention Strategies 2018, Market Information. Available from: <https://www.roberthalf.com/management-tips/effective-employee-retention-strategies>

Women in the Employment: Then Vs. Now

1980 vs. Today:

The workplace is largely unequal, but gender equality in the workplace is the best it’s ever been. With millennial women leading the change, there’s no telling what another 30years will bring!

Today:

19% of C-level execs[2]
24% of Senior vice presidents
27% of vice presidents
35% of directors
40% of managers
53% of entry level positions
Are women.

But there are still barriers to women’s workplace advancement
Women make $.77 for every $1 a man makes.[2]

Women are likelier to be passed over for high profile assignments:[2]

Amongst business school grads:
Budget over $10 million for a project:
22% of women
30% of men

Men’s budgets 2x larger than women’s with 3x the staffers

With 1/3 men saying their project garnered C-level attention [#CEO, CFO, CTO, etc.]
and 1/4 women saying the same.

So less women aspire to management[4]
Percent who aspire to be management by age:[1]
Millennial (18-32):
Women-61%
Men-70%
Gen X (33-48):
Women-38%
Men-58%
Boomer (49-67):
Women-21%
Men-32%

Perhaps because of parental roles:
Career interruptions:[4]
[% doing the following because of a child/family member]
Reduced Work Hours:
Fathers-28%
Mothers-42%
Taken a significant amount of time off:
Fathers-24%
Mothers-39%
Quit a job:
Fathers-10%
Mothers-27%
Turned down a promotion:
Fathers-10%
Mothers-13%

As number of kids increases, men work more, and women less.
With unpaid work taking up the rest of their time.

But Millennial women are changing women’s role in the workplace.

(For 25-32 y.o.’s)
With More education than their male counterparts:[1]
% with a 4 year college degree
women: %38
men: %31

Earning 93% of what men the same age make:
avg. wage
Men: $16.00/hr
Women: $14.96/hr

Millennial women are more concerned with career success than millennial men.

% reporting being successful in a high-paying career is very important:
Men-59%
Women-66%
% reporting career success is very important:
Men-56%
Women-66%

How far we’ve come

In 1980:
Only half of women participated in the workforce,[6]
compared to nearly 80% of men.

Women earned $.55 for every $1 a man earned.[7]

6% less women than men had bachelor’s degrees
Men: 21%
Women: 15%

But that doesn’t mean more doesn’t need to be changed!
[% millennial saying changes are needed to enhance gender equality in the workplace]
Men & Women:
Country needs to keep making changes: 67%
Country has made necessary changes: 29%

Citations:

1.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/10-findings-about-women-in-the-workplace/

2.      http://hbr.org/2013/09/women-in-the-workplace-a-research-roundup/ar/1

3.      http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-30/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace-what-data-analytics-says

4.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/on-pay-gap-millennial-women-near-parity-for-now/sdt-gender-and-work-12-2013-0-11/

5.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/04/19/a-gender-reversal-on-career-aspirations/

6.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/on-pay-gap-millennial-women-near-parity-for-now/sdt-gender-and-work-12-2013-1-04/

7.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/on-pay-gap-millennial-women-near-parity-for-now/sdt-gender-and-work-12-2013-1-02/

8.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/on-pay-gap-millennial-women-near-parity-for-now/sdt-gender-and-work-12-2013-1-07/

9.      http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/on-pay-gap-millennial-women-near-parity-for-now/sdt-gender-and-work-12-2013-1-08/

10.  http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/12/11/on-pay-gap-millennial-women-near-parity-for-now/sdt-gender-and-work-12-2013-1-06/

Nurturing the People for their authenticity

Modern world management has tested that the crucial asset of the organization is their employee. Since all their mental energy, their ideas, physical efforts and their time are deployed at work.

According to the work and the position describes who they are and what are stand for. All managers think that their team members to think and act like every employees and bring same or similar values to the organizations. Every employee is unique and authentic in many ways and when nurtured can offer business benefits, since we all look for the right “Organizational and cultural fit” when hiring new employees.

What is the meaning of ‘Authentic’ at work?

People should ‘be themselves’ at work from their private life. The person’s own sprite or character, personality enforced or shaped by the practices of the co-workers. People’s authenticity could be developed through the psychological contract which is not the legal contract of employment, or any written statement of terms and conditions of contract. As the term implies, it exists purely in the mind of the employee and their managers. This is unwritten and never clearly articulated. It has been described by Armstrong (2009: p.297) as follows.

“The psychological contract expresses the combination of beliefs held by an individual and his or her employer about what they expect from one another.”

People bring the whole self to work ‘every day’ within which the ‘best of each person’ comes out. When offering a good prize for an individual their engagement for the organizations well-being, productivity and commitment are at greater level.

Employee take pride in the work they do and leverage their strength to the job. Further they learn much more due to a deeper personal application. The employees believe that being genuine creates stronger and better relationships with customers and coworkers because of a good understanding of one another and higher level of trust.

Creating an open-minded and accepting environment where differences in perspective and opinions are encouraged, sets the foundation for an authentic work place. Employees should be encouraged to express themselves with their own difference viewpoints (Kishu Gomez 2019).  

References

Armstrong M (2009) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management.

Sunday Observer J 2019, ‘Biz Talk’: Build and nurture your employees’ authenticity. The Advertiser 7 April 2019