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Aquestion that is often debated is why are
organizations political? As we know,that
organizations work for the optimum utilization of the resources available with
them. This process needs proper control and good decision making. Decision making is not an
easy task as it is beset with uncertainties.
Decision making is an activity which can be influenced
by others. People who have to control and take decisions need to have an influence on others
who surround them. To understand the organization one should try to understand the politics of
that organization as Pfeffr (1982) said, "to
understand the government one needs to understand
the governmental politics."
Why politics occurs? – If everyone in an organization agrees on all the matters, then
there will be no politics. Therefore, politics evolve
due to disagreement among members of the organization, the more dissatisfaction, the
higher the level of politics.
The basic reason behind politics is individual interest which compels the people to think
and react accordingly. Thinking has a vast impact
on the behavior of the individuals and it gives
birth to organizational politics. Thus, the
central feature of politics is the notion of
interest. Interests are defined as positions which
people wish to protect or goals they seek to
achieve. Interests are classified into three categories:
People use political tactics in organization
for influencing the decision-making activity to
gain control over financial activities, creating
resource dependence, etc. Sometimes politics is the
result of displaying power in the organization. |
