University & Students

"Our current approach is like 'throwing lambs to the slaughter.' Is there anything we can do to help prepare our students for the political aspects of organizational life?" -- College Professor.

The taboo against officially discussing the existence of organizational politics in corporations is somewhat understandable. Executives find it awkard in a capitalistic system that is supposed to be run by a rational meritocracy to admit that politics actually exists and plays a significant role.

However, it seems a shame that the educational systems that are supposed to be preparing people to be successful in the work world don't even raise this issue.

In university settings, one is not bound by business cultures and expectations of pure rationalism. Universities are the place where organizational politics can be legitmized as a part of business life. Open discussions can then occur as to what politics actually is all about and what students can do to prepare themselves.

There are many ways to help undergraduates with little business experience to get a taste of what they will be dealing with when they join a business. The tools in the MBA section are examples.

Often, great technical people are not able to create the informal networks essential to get their units work the attention it deserves. Too many fall off the fast track for their inability to learn the informal rules of the road neccessary to be maximally effective.

Those who learn to use the Political Savvy Advantage avoid this premature stalling of their careers and continue on to make greater and greater contributions.

MBA Programs

"Most of our students have several years in business. How can we leverage their experience to prepare them to be more effective." -- Program Director

MBA students and those who teach them know about the pervasive existence of politics in any organization.

Unfortunately, few MBA programs even in their leadership courses ever tackle the issue of organizational politics straight on. The result is a continuation of the silent taboo of not talking about power and how politics is a thread that runs through most processes in the organization.

We strongly recommend that the topic of organizational politics be legitimized in MBA curriculums. Too often it is left out of finance and and marketing oriented programs. When this ommission occurs, it leaves the student with an incomplete picture. It only serves to help seal in the denial of political realitities.

Our research indicates that less than 5% of MBA programs legitimize and discuss the ramifications of organizational politics as a part of their graduate program.

As a professor at an MBA program for a time, I found that about a third of the people who left work and came to the program, left because of run ins with organizational politics.

The Political Savvy Advantage contains a book based upon decades of research designed to help practicing managers. This research has also been crafted into a case intervention that has been used by over half of the top ten ranked MBA programs. Faculty members are encouraged to ask for the Political Savvy exercise, or some equivalent way to legitimize political discussion, for use in their classrooms. Contact us for the details.

Individual Action

"As an individual what can I do to get ready for what organizational life is really all about?" -- Student

It is unlikely that your university will have you deal directly with the topic of organizational politics. Yet talk to a parent or anyone who has spent years in the working world and ask how big a part organizational politics is in determining what happens in the organization over one's career.

One of the most frequent comments we receive is 'How come no one taught us about this stuff in school?"

Don't wait until you get blindsided or get passed by. Read the growing list of books on the topic. Political Savvy: Systematic Approaches to Leadership Behind the Scences was written with you in mind. Once you understand the power of 'positive politics,' your odds for a successful career increase dramatically.