Developing Political Skills at Work - Essay Example

They include reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert power. Moreover, others manifest information power, which makes them unique and able to do something different to influence others towards following. The article also notes that the key to using all the above powers is by using them ethnically. This means that careful applicability of powers where it does not oppress the powerless is welcome.

Similarly, the article notes that personal power is negative while social power is positive. This implies that exercising individual power does not do good to serve the interest of the followers but instead portrays those in power as authoritative and serving self-interest. Hence, those who best enjoy power are those with social power. It works in favor of the followers contrary to satisfying the individual interest. The negativity of personal power comes because it serves the interest of the holder at the expense of the majority. Because of all these, the article notes that power has a role to play in aligning the followers toward the mission they are expected to accomplish. Hence, the functional power sources include control of critical resources as well as strategic contingencies.

Moreover, the article shows that recognizing the symbols of both power and powerlessness is essential in diagnostic skills for managers. As a manager, one is expected to pay attention to the subordinate or the followers by understanding their needs. This is important because it eases the administration's duties and leads the mass. Similarly, recognizing followers and understanding their needs helps in building political skills that a leader or the person in power can use towards influencing them.

Additionally, most organizations striving to excel have organizational politics that have become part of work life. Some portray political behaviors, which comprise actions not sanctioned to influence others for personal goals. Therefore, it is the duty of a manager-to-manage organizational politics so that it does not derail the good work done by others who are focused and want to deliver and realize the mission. This can be achieved by developing political skills, which is the ability to get things done by using interpersonal relationships outside the known organizational mechanisms. This implies that managers must know how to influence their followers in a political environment without compromising the activities as well as the outlined order that facilitates doing things. The established relationship between boss and employees and vice versa is important in bringing cohesion to workplace. Both can share power through the empowerment of another and realize self-potential.