LEAD 103 Political Frame

In the political frame, organizations are…?

coalitions of different individuals & interest groups

In the political frame, organization members have…?

enduring differences in values, beliefs, information, interests, resources & perceptions of reality

The most important decisions in the political frame involve…

allocating scarce resources - deciding who gets what

Scarce resources & enduring differences put…

conflict @ center of day-to-day dynamics & make power the most important asset

Goals & decisions in the political frame emerge…

from bargaining & negotiating among competing stakeholders

What are the 5 propositions of the political frame?

1. orgs are coalitions

2. coalition members have enduring differences

3. important decisions involve allocating scarce resources

4. scarce resources and enduring differences make conflict central and power most important asset

5. goals & decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among competing stakeholders

Political activity is more visible and dominant under conditions of…?

diversity

What are the implicit rules that firms use to make decisions more manageable?

1. quasi-resolution of conflict

2. uncertainty avoidance

3. problemistic search

4. organizational learning

What is the relationship between partisans and authorities that Gamson (1968) describes?

the latter are recipients or targets of influence and the agents or initiators of social control

the former is the opposite; agents or initiators of influence, targets or recipients of social control

What are the 9 main types of power in the political frame?

1. position (authority)

2. control of rewards

3. coercive power

4. informative & expertise

5. reputation

6. alliances & networks

7. access & control of agenda

8. framing

9. personal power

What are the 6 techniques that skilled practitioners use to influence others?

1. reciprocation

2. commitment & consistency

3. social proof

4. liking

5. authority

6. scarcity

What system is described to have highly concentrated power and be equally regulated?

overbounded system

What system is described to have diffuse power and be loosely controlled?

underbounded system

Poorly managed conflict leads to…?

infighting and destructive power struggles

Well-handled conflict leads to…?

stimulated creativity & innovation that makes an org livelier, more adaptive, and more effective

The manager as politician exercises four key skills. What are they?

1. agenda-setting

2. mapping the political terrain

3. networking & building coalitions

4. bargaining & negotiating

Regardless of the role you’re in, the first step in effective political leadership is…?

setting an agenda

The effective leader creates an “agenda for change” with what two major elements?

1. vision balancing w/ long-term interests of key parties

2. a strategy for achieving the vision while recognizing competing internal and external forces

What is Pichault’s (1993) four steps for developing a political map?

1. determine channels of informal communication

2. identify principal agents of political influence

3. analyze possibilities for mobilizing internal and external players

4. anticipate counterstrategies that others are likely to employ

Political Map as Seen by the Techies: Strong Support & Weak Opposition for Change

The Real Political Map: A Battleground with Strong Players on Both Sides

Kotter (1985) suggests what four basic steps for exercising political influence?

1. identify relevant relationships

2. assess who might resist, why, and how strongly

3. develop links with potential opponents to facilitate communication, education, or negotiation

4. if step 3 fails, carefully select and implement either more subtle or more forceful methods

What is “horse trading”?

promising rewards in exchange for resources and support

Political dynamics are inevitable under three conditions:

1. ambiguity

2. diversity

3. scarcity

What is “positional bargaining”?

staking out positions then reluctantly make concessions to reach agreement

What are the four strategies for “principled bargaining”?

1. separate people from the problem

2. focus on interests, not positions

3. invent options for mutual gain instead of locking in on the first alternative

4. insist on objective criteria

What is objective criteria?

standards of fairness for both substance and procedure

Value claiming on the bargaining process:

1. it’s a mixed-motive game

2. it’s a process of interdependent decisions

3. the more player A can control player B’s level of uncertainty, the more powerful A is

4. it involved judicious use of threats rather than sanctions

5. making a threat credible is cruicial

6. calculation of the appropriate level of threat is critical

What are the 4 principles of moral judgement?

1. mutuality

2. generality

3. openness

4. caring

*Why do coalitions stay together?

mutual need for scarce resources (time, money, POWER)

*What is the process to get to scarce resources in coalitions?

bargaining and negotiation

*The process in coalitions causes what to emerge?

the goal

Arenas are where what takes place?

competition

What are the 2 ways change can happen in an organization?

1. top-down

2. bottom-up

What are bottom-up change called in orgs?

Grassroots

Which way of change is most effective?

grassroots

Why do people at the TOP not want things to change?

they’re the ones living successfully because of the current system

Orgs are lively arenas for internal politics. What are larger political arenas called?

ecosystems

When two different “arenas” go into conflict (external political org) refers to an…?

ecosystem

Political arenas have what type of conflict?

internal

What are the two approaches to negotiation

creating (??)

Most valuable asset for gaining power in an org?

strong network of allies & supporters

Any member of a coalition who wants to exert bottom-up pressure is?

a partisan