Management and Organizational Behavior Module 5 CASE Organizations as POLITICAL SYSTEMS Essay

Introduction
Organization is an association of employees, who jointly implement a certain program, or reach certain goals, and acting on the basis of certain rules and procedures.
In a narrow sense, the organization is understood as relatively autonomous group of people, focused on achieving certain predetermined goals, the implementation of which requires joint and coordinated action. Many scholars consider organization as a political system in order to describe the relationships and processes within it.
There is a view that organizational politics is self a manipulative behavior of individuals and groups to promote their self interests at the expense of others. It can be presented as the struggle for resources, personal conflicts, competition for power and leadership and tactical influence executed by individuals and groups to attain power, building personal stature, controlling access to information, building coalitions etc. (www.alagse.com)
In this paper it is necessary to discuss the relationship of politics to leadership, and how leadership depends on understanding the politics of the organization.
Leadership and organizational politics
Organization as a system of governance is one of the key concepts of organization theory, which is related to such concepts as power, leadership, guidance and so on. That is why organizational behavior is compared with political behavior and political system. Within this system runs the entire management process, involving managers at all levels, formal and informal leaders, their followers, etc. And the main attention paid to the heads of organizations, and their leaders, aspiring to continuous improvement, the development of the system as a whole and its individual components.
Organizational politics is closely connected with concept of leadership, while relations between leaders and their followers include commitment, influence and power. Political climate of an organization is impacted by a leader, because of his use of authority, his treatment of employees, his use of power. (www.alagse.com)
It is necessary to stress the interconnection between leadership, its influence & authority and followers. This connection between leaders and their authority & influence over the followers in many aspects define and set political climate in an organization. (www.alagse.com))
The next important issue is the fact that it is leadership a key concept when considering organizational behavior, organizational politics in the company. The leader is both the driving force and coordinator, who chooses the direction for the development and operation of the company, and also affects the formation of organizational culture and climate in the company.
The concept of political behavior is closely related to the concept of leadership in the organization and the concept of organizational culture. Leadership and culture are two interrelated concepts. A well-known researcher in organizational culture, E. Shane said: “The leader’s unique talent is the ability to create and manage culture, it is the only leadership that has real importance.” (McShane, 2005)
Organizational culture is a set of dominant stereotypes
values ​​and rules, which finds its expression in typical behaviors, the interaction of members with each
other and with the external environment, as well as in various types of organizational activity.
The organizational culture include:
o set of the typical stereotypes, beliefs, experiences, values, norms and rules, rituals and traditions;
o the observable and unobservable common patterns of behavior and interaction of members with each other, as well as with the external environment;
o technology of production of goods and services;
o any tangible products work, including layout of offices and production facilities, advertising, books, etc.;
o any of the intangible products of social reality (ideas, assessments, ratings, etc.).
Organizational culture is reflected in relations of members of the organization and methods of its interaction with the environment. Organizational culture shapes a certain style of interaction with members of the organization
constantly changing external environment, enabling the organization to survive and / or to develop. Organizational culture is continuously developing and improving, it exists and is transformed under the influence of many factors. The only factor in which can consciously influence the development of an organizational culture that is leadership. Leadership can be primarily seen as a process of improving the organizational culture that allows to develop such elements, which together will ensure the effectiveness of the organization to achieve strategic goals. If among management there is no among such leaders, who would give serious attention to the establishment and development of a specific organizational culture, with its values​​, the organization will inevitably operate inefficiently. (Clement, 1994; Nemetz-Mills)
The power and organizational politics
The main reason for the difficulties in organizational politics is in the presence of factors and people that can not be controlled by power. This situation appears because of the fact that the leader often depends on the people who are not formally subject to him. If the manager or leader can not effectively interact with “uncontrollable” forces, he can not perform his own work, which affects the entire organization.
Also, if the manager has little power to influence, he will not be able to get the resources needed to define and achieve organizational goals with the help of other people. Many people think that the possession of power implies the ability to impose the will regardless of the feelings, desires and abilities of other people. However, nowadays it is widely recognized that the influence and power depends more on the individual and his ability to manage people, as well as on the situation. There is no real absolute power, as no one can affect all people in all situations.
Another important aspect of organizational politics is that the power can belong not only to the head or to the leader in the organization, but also to subordinates, and, accordingly, there is, so-called power of subordinates. And in order to make power in the organization more efficient and make it work to achieve common goals, it is necessary to achieve a harmonious balance of power and authority between subordinate and the leader (or the head).

Leadership, power and organizational changes
Most organizations naturally belong to the type of organizational system, where the mission of management leader is the approval and ensuring the regular implementation of the strategy changes (to continually improve the effectiveness of the organization). The basis for successful change is the idea of ​​their implementation, which is shared by both ordinary employees or representatives of management. However, the easiest, shortest, and therefore effective way to organizational change is the way that initiated by representatives of organization, who have full power to implement ideas to life, and sufficient personal authority to form a camp of supporters of reforms and strengthening the driving forces. This person is the leader, who is the key person is both initiating and implementing organizational changes. (Carter et al., 2007)
Managerial leader has many qualities that encourage him
to implementation of changes. First, the leader by virtue of his position in the organization has information that enable him to have a perspective and a multidimensional vision of the
company and its capabilities, as well as external conditions,
that influence the effectiveness of organizational activities
at the moment and will affect in the future. Secondly, the leadership position in the organization allows to collect and then implement the ideas, born in the minds of employees. Third, the managerial leader has the ability to accumulate innovative ideas outside the organization and transform them into related ideas with increased organizational effectiveness. And, finally, a leader possesses the personal qualities that allow him to convert a new idea in the conviction of the reality of its implementation,
about its importance for the company, since without these
beliefs the idea is not productive. Only the power of spirit and talent of a leader, who knows the organization and its capabilities (technical and human), can transform an abstract idea in reality. (Senior et al. 2006; Carter et al., 2007)
In order to achieve maximum results in the creation of
constructive ideas for the implementation of organizational change, leaders can act in two directions:
a) as the creator of the climate and conditions that will allow to develop belief in the need for change;
b) as an organizer, using his power of status, individual influence and organizational resources to restructure the organization, to solve conflicts between individuals and work units. The effectiveness of the change is associated with the presence of agreement between the leader and organization’s staff on the objectives of reforming. (Nemetz-Mills)
In order to reach agreement on the objectives of the
changes, the leader must decide a number of problems:
1. Define the objectives of changes in concepts and terminology, understanding available from the staff. Defining the purpose must also be easy to remember by members of the organization.
2. Form and develop confidence in the idea and goals change.
3. Develop a common vision of purpose.
4. Develop on this basis, strategies for change. (Senior et al. 2006)
The effectiveness of the changes is associated with the activities of formal leader in the formation of the responsibility for the final result of changes in
all categories of subordinate: Representatives of higher management level, middle management, as well as ordinary employees. The responsible behavior of subordinates to their duties is directly associated with providing them with appropriate freedom of decision-making, but also with use of power.
In this regard it is interesting to consider the view point of Ronald W. Clement. In his article “Culture, leadership, and power: the keys to organizational change” he explores the 3 important concepts of organizations as organizational culture, leadership and power. The author starts the topic on the examples of three large companies, General Motors, IBM, and Sears, which once faced the need of organizational change and failed. Clement R. argues that the most important idea of all for companies like General Motors, IBM, and Sears, is that they all face certain obstacles in the process of organizational changes. That are cultural and behavioral obstacles, which are three key features of organizational life: the firm’s culture, the leadership of the change effort, and the existing network of power. (Clement R., 1994)
In this article Clements R. argues of the importance of organizational culture when dealing with any changes in the organization. The author stresses that management of the organization must take into account organizational culture and work with it, but not try to change or brake it. Only then any changes or transformations in the organization will be successful. (Clement R., 1994)
The second important idea of the author is the role of leadership in the organizational change. Clements argues that leadership plays the most important role in dealing with culture, and also the most critical element in a major organizational change effort. The author stresses that it is very important that top management be involved in leading the change effort, but “top executives can’t lead the effort alone, and senior management team should share the responsibility of creating and articulating the new vision for the organization”. (Clement R., 1994)
At last Clements R. considers the issue of organizational power and organizational politics, which is very important in organizational change efforts, because it is possible to achieve any goals and organizational changes only through influence and the use of power. But both power and politics can be used in a positive way in management of changes in organization. Thus, the author recognizes the fact that leadership and power are key factors in the change process.