Barry Mallis said in part:
>>> I think power (politics) is as central to organizational process as
anything; and we integrate it into our conversations less than other
facets of LO, because it's so fraught with...with...with what?<<<<
My answer is JUSTICE. Justice is the big bug a boo about the capitalistic
system which favors the strong, the powerful, the money.
You know the cliche, "It's not the money, it's the principle of the
thing." Well, you can bet your last dollar, pal, it's the money.
He who pays the fiddler is calling th tune as they say, and anybody who
wants to keep their job should keep their eye on the person who signs the
paycheck, the time card, whatever.
Power has to do with who utimately, after it is all said and done, gets to
make the final decision about how things are going to be done. In one
organization that I worked in there was lip service paid to a consultative
and consensual model of decision making and everybody knew that this was
true for everyone but the boss who liked participatory models but who then
made autocratic decisions and was sensitive to who was loyal and "shared
the vision" and who was not.
Needless to say such organizations are dysfunctional because there is a
lot of secret keeping going on even though the avowed model is open
communication and participatory management.
Not being too cynical, it seems to me that we can all be participatory and
have open communication as long as it agrees with what the boss wants.
That's power even though it is disavowed. The sad thing is that the boss
thinks he is being open and participatory and is narcissistic enough to
have a blind spot for it. Over the years we have lost a lot of good staff
who he got in power stuggles with and wound up firing of having other
managers firing because "they just don't have what it takes'" and "they
don't belong here."
People whisper and ask me, "What is it like working for_____?"
I say great! cause I know who signs my pay check and where the real power
lies. To what extent are we all prostitutes?
David Markham
DavidM1225@aol.com
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Host's Note To David and all: I hesitated to post this for concern that
the tone was accusatory, not learningful. Then I found David's additional
msg on the same subject, below. I know that David is not the only one
troubled by these considerations; I'm personally affected by some of it I
see in some of my clients.
I propose the discussion question, "How do we deal with power and politics
in our journey toward becomming more of a learning organization?"
I solicit postings which seek to understand better and will decline
postings which complain but do not enrich the common understanding.
Please bear with me; this distinction may be hard to draw.
David's second message appears below. I've changed the Subject line above.
-- Rick Karash, rkarash@world.std.com, host for learning-org
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Date: Sat, 24 Jun 1995 15:09:18 -0400
From: DavidM1225@aol.com
Subject: Re: Leadership Can be Taught ...
Doug Blair said on 6/24>>>>
But political skills don't necessarily come naturally, unless one is
inclined to study relationships and organizations for some time.<<<
Amen!
Politics is the toughest part of my job and always has been. I hate it
actually and avoid it if I can. I am ready to be taught. What ideas do people
have?
-- David Markham DavidM1225@aol.com