Act Politically: Winning Allies and Managing Opponents of an Adaptive Challenge

By: Alexander Grashow and Marty Linsky and Ronald Heifetz

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: People who think politically understand the relationships and concerns among people in an organization. Ignore the human complexities when you try to lead adaptive change, and you greatly reduce your chances of succeeding. Acting politically means using your awareness of the limits of your own authority, and of stakeholders' interests, as well as power and influence networks in your organization, to forge alliances with people who will support your efforts, to integrate and defuse opposition, and to give valuable dissenting voices a hearing as you adjust your perspective, interventions and mobilize adaptive work. This chapter offers guidelines for acting politically and some exercises to help you put these ideas into practice. This chapter was originally published as chapter 10 of "The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World."