Understand Organizational Politics, Conflict Management, and Organizational Design

Organizational Politics

Organizational politics is how people use informal networks and tactics to gain influence and get things done.

Common reasons politics happen:

• Political skill: knowing who to talk to and how to persuade.
• Feeling in control: people who believe they can shape events act more politically.
• Limited resources: when things like budgets or promotions are scarce, competition rises.

Conflict Management

Conflict can be good or bad depending on how it’s handled.

Traditional view: all conflict is bad and should be avoided.

Modern view: some conflict sparks new ideas and better solutions.

Functional conflict helps teams solve problems and improve ideas.

Dysfunctional conflict hurts teamwork and slows progress.

The conflict process in four simple steps:

1. A problem or tension appears.
2. People notice and label the issue.
3. They take action—talk, argue, or ignore.
4. The issue is either resolved or comes back later.

Negotiation

Negotiation is talking things through to reach an agreement.

Two main bargaining styles:

• Distributive: split a fixed amount, one side wins more.
• Integrative: look for solutions where everyone gains.

Five simple steps to negotiate:

1. Prepare your goal and best alternative.
2. Share information and listen to the other side.
3. Make offers and trade value.
4. Close the deal or decide to walk away.
5. Follow up to ensure both sides stick to the agreement.

Organizational Design

How an organization is structured shapes how people work and feel:

• Functional: groups by job type (e.g., finance, marketing). Great for expertise but can isolate teams.
• Divisional: groups by product, market, or location. Boosts focus but may duplicate work.
• Matrix: dual reporting lines to both function and project leads. Flexible but can confuse roles.
• Network: small core team working with outside partners. Very agile but less direct control.
• Team-based: self-managed teams with clear goals. High engagement but roles can overlap.

Organizational Climate vs. Culture

• Climate is how people feel about the organization’s rules and practices right now.
• Culture is the deeper values and beliefs that guide how things are done.