Corporate Politics Coach Blog

2008-12-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

Politics is the Tool of Cooperation

From the period known as the "New Thought Movement" in the late 19th century, Orison Swett Marden said, "We make the world we live in and we shape our own environment." I believe politics is the tool of cooperation that allows us to shape and change our environment.

Dr. Gary Ranker, Colin Gautrey, and Mike Phipps's book titled, Political Dilemmas at Work, provides useful and clear tools to assist you as a member of the work environment to effectively shape and positively change both your individual career dilemmas and offer wise solutions to the dilemmas of your colleagues.

I have learned through my personal and professional life (as so far) that you will interact with different people with varied agendas and backgrounds. You will see politics used for both good and bad in the workplace. Expanding your knowledge of politics allows you to understand how other's agendas are shaping the work environment for better and/or for worse. Keeping in mind you have an agenda just like your coworkers... so don't forget to look in the mirror.

"In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state. When we are ill... we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or the most eloquent one, " - Plato

By understanding how you both use and are affected by politics you will be able to better exist and shape the environment you live and work in.

The more you embrace and expand your political astuteness the greater chance you will select the most qualified physician instead of the most eloquent.

Food for thought:

If we were all the same would we need politics?

2008-12-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Importance and Value of Understanding Politics

Politics as I understand it refers to various rules of social interaction. I say various to capture the diversity and multitude of rule sets. Rule sets may stem form culture, gender roles, life experience, generation, industry, roles, etc. Additionally, these rule sets are not used in isolation; any combination may be used simultaneously by an individual. An additional layer of complexity center on situations in that rule sets may vary across different circumstances.

As we are all working toward some goal(s) (e.g., to just get through the day, to make a networking connection, to be good at our jobs, to get recognized for our work/contribution, to just get the paycheck, or to just fly under the radar) these rule sets are in play. The combination of our goals and the rule sets we have in our repertoire essentially drive our behavior and perception/interpretation of the events occurring around us.

In most cases, most people operate on a day-to-day basis without consciously considering what behaviors are driven by which cultural value or are stemming from some other background characteristic. Most just go on auto pilot. Having an understanding of organizational politics and specifically, what that means, what it looks like, and how it works is critical to functioning effectively within any role. Finally, under this explanation, it is clear that organizational politics in and of themselves are neutral. They are neither good nor bad. It is in their application that "charge" is set.

For example, Steve R. explained that to meet his goal of obtaining a desirable position within the organization, he made a point of learning what the goals and priorities of decision makers were so he could align his own efforts accordingly (and where appropriate). In addition to consistently doing good work and actively working to develop himself through coaching, he employed this tactic. He engaged this tactic openly and with good intent (therefore the positive charge) to successfully maneuver himself up the corporate ladder.

In the examples discussed by Keryl E., we saw how others used different tactics to get ahead. For example, taking credit for others' work, finding legal loopholes, confusing those around them, polarizing groups, etc. These tactics aren't done openly (meaning, people don't say out loud they are taking credit for others work to promote their own self interests). The impact of these tactics and the damage done to others is as results in a negative charge.

Being aware that people are working toward some goal and that they behave toward that goal (however effectively) is half the battle to understanding organizational politics. This simply occurs and is part of our human nature. Consequently, developing the skill in identifying tactics and identifying goals of others is integral to our effectiveness in supporting our clients. This is the main forum to which I apply the other theories (e.g., organization theory, group dynamics, executive coaching, organization diagnosis, etc). I keep in the back of my mind that organizations do not exist to simply meet their purpose (e.g., manufacturing a car). I keep in mind that organizations are made up of people all working toward some goal (e.g., earning a pay check, getting ahead, changing the world, etc.) and create additional under currents to the organization's purpose.

In all this, what I'm trying to say is that politics is a fact of life. I see politics as the forum of social interaction. My personal approach is to develop those skills to successfully navigate these interactions toward my many goals. Politics is not something to be judged negatively as activity engaged only by those with malicious ulterior motives. They should not be just considered the "games" people play. Finally, no one is immune from politics. Because politics is in the fabric of our human interaction, it is by design not something that can be avoided- it is something, we can learn to more effectively manage.

2008-12-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Up until just a couple of years ago, I never gave much thought to Corporate Politics and how it impacted my career or the organization I worked for. I recognized incidents of power struggles, internal conflicts, workplace gossip or drama, but never articulated them into any formal thought of organizational politics. When I shifted my career to I-O Psychology, I became more aware of the internal dynamics within departments, between employees, colleagues, and supervisors and noticed how those types of relationships played a significant role in how decisions are made. Now I can reflect on numerous incidents that occurred in the past where I was either in the middle or on the edge of political tactics. I remember an incident where I had to move my car from a parking space because someone in a higher position wanted it, although the parking space was not reserved for anyone. I was infuriated and at the time, and because I did not recognize it to be a power struggle or a political dilemma, I lashed out at HR and made myself look petty. My manager even pulled me aside and told me she was shocked that I had such a reaction to it. If I had understood politics at the time, I would have approached the situation differently and used my personal power and influencing styles or just taken a moment to reflect on the situation and use that opportunity to understand the company’s culture and what it meant that they would allow that to happen.
Understanding the importance and value of politics not only helps us in our own personal careers and jobs, but as future consultants and executive coaches, we need to be aware of how politics play a significant role in everyday situations. Before this Corporate Politics class, I never saw myself as politically savvy, and thought politics occurred only in grandiose gestures. I didn’t see myself as a participant of political games or struggles. Now, I see that politics can be much more subtle, and to develop a political antenna has allowed me to hone in on my personal influencing styles and power. Although I may not be politically savvy, I feel more empowered to not be a victim of political situations and use it to benefit me or the company.
I am excited to explore politics in more depth in future research, and this class has set the stage for my continuous development of recognizing and my role in participating in organizational politics.

2008-12-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

We have all had experiences where our situation was not going our way. We either accepted it or tried different tactics to change the outcome. These tactics are often learned while growing up and then perfected as an adult.

As the youngest sibling of three, there was an occasion when my brothers didn’t let me play with them. I had remembered this when my brother asked me to play with him at a later time. As a result of this, I made him promise me that he wouldn’t play with our other brother before I agreed to play with him. This gave me the upper hand in our sibling rival hood and ensured me a playmate till Tonka Trucks and Barbie Dolls went out.

These childhood games are no different as adults, they are just better polished techniques used to get what we want. This is same reason why we are nice to those in positions of power. Have you noticed that people are nicer to you when you are higher on the totem pole? It’s not because you are suddenly more likable, it is because people try to control their environments to their favor. We learn our environments and build relationships with those who have the power to get our agendas met.

This can also mean ostracizing our competition. When individuals have a problem with another person they often try to get other to dislike that person as well. They don’t call is a rat race for nothing.

These political games are not confined to individuals, groups, families or organizations and they are not found in one gender, race or location. They are every where and affect us in everyday life. The only way to avoid falling victim to political games are to acknowledge and recognize the techniques used.

Corporate politics are not necessary good or bad. It is a function of many agendas. We should accept this and learn to understand it fully to understand its utility.

2008-12-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

Before entering the Corporate Politics class, I only thought that politics were played by the powerful, the upper crust, those that were type A business savvy people. Needless to say, I held negative perceptions of the "game" called politics. I now understand that politics is not game, per se, but a way of life. We are constantly being exposed to politics on a daily basis as long as we are engaging socially. I was only thinking about the aggressive and overt behaviors when first asked to define politics and power. I now understand that I have been apart of politics all my life.

I believe that everyone has their own style of politics. Their political personality that fits their style of social interaction. Those caught unaware that an interaction in the workplace holds more than its outward appearance, are those most affected by persuasion and outcomes of events beyond their control. Much like persuasion, politics needs to be inoculated against. Exposure to the variety of political personalities in a workplace will give an individual a better understanding of the relationships, culture, and your place at an organization.

Understanding politics also provides an insight into an individuals behavior and personality. This comes from the reflection of observing others demonstrate their political power abilities. With Dr. Ranker's help in defining others behavior in Political Dilemmas at Work, better preparation and action to remedy situations in the workplace will occur. Acknowledging that politics does take place and that you are apart of it regardless of your say in the matter is the first step to understanding how you can capitalize on the opportunities rather than being left behind.

From this class I have acknowledged the fact I am apart of politics. I am also aware that everyone engages in some type of politicking. This is nothing to be scared of, just to be aware of. When you are aware, you are prepared.

2008-12-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

If you are the youngest of your siblings like me, you probably realized early on that you need to do certain things to stand out, get what you want and accomplish your goals. These strategies and techniques if you will, worked or didn't work in your personal relationships, socially and at work. What is unique about Corporate Politics is that the game often has very different rules and you might be playing the same way as you always have.

I have worked in a variety of jobs in my life. Among the multiple jobs I have had, I have always been told "Rachel, you have potential" and "you are smart." When it came time for promotions however, I was not the one chosen in most cases. My coworkers would tell me that it's because "you're too good at what you do" or "you need to get a Masters Degree to do that" and although the comments came from caring friends, I always suspected that there was more to it that I didn't know.

After getting laid off from what I thought was my dream job. I was heartbroken. They would not tell me why I was one of the people chosen to be laid off and wished me well with familiar words "You're smart. Go to graduate school. This has nothing to do with your performance. You can do more." I was puzzled. If it wasn't my performance, if it wasn't my intellegence, if it wasn't my capabilities than what the *&^% was it? It was organizational politics.

It was a bittersweet departure as I made the final decision to go to The Marshall Goldsmith School of Management (pic above of Marshall Goldsmith)to study Industrial Organizational Psychology. Partly inspired by the person who had just laid me off. Weird. My boss couldn't tell me that it was because I wasn't lying and cheating (which the other faculty were doing) to get funding and he couldn't tell me that it was because he knew that I was a potential whistleblower (which I never did). He could only say what he was "allowed" to say. I really don't blame him.

As with every other bad situation in life, something amazingly good came out of it. Although I was bitter for quite some time, I was finally able to let it go and look at the lessons I learned from what had happened. Had I understood corporate politics and had not been in denial about it, I would have saved myself a lot of grief.

Fast forward to 2008 and I hear about this seminar that is being offered titled "Corporate Politics" taught by a thought leader by the name of Gary Ranker (pic above). I had an opportunity to share my experience with others and get feedback on it. The first lesson I learned was: get out of denial about corporate politics. They exist, it's real and you are playing them (unconsciously) anyway so you might as well play smart. The second lesson I learned was: It happens to everyone. I am not a victim. I can do very practical, healthy things to overcome obstacles based on organizational politics. The third lesson I learned was: I can't do this alone. A coach to support me in accomplishing my goals is crucial for me to succeed, to push me beyond my limits and call me on my BS. I also need to trust my honest friends and family members that will give me the feedback and support I need.

Sitting in Gary Ranker's class has given me the tools to understand the importance of corporate politics and how to win the game by not playing dirty but still playing. As I graduate with my Masters Degree and enter the corporate world....may the games begin. Bring it.

2008-12-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Having grown up in a political family and working with several political elections I saw how nasty politics can be. Recently with the elections and trash that is brought up about people and their family shows that some people are willing to use any method they can in order to try and get ahead. In life we are all running a race. It is important to understand the how and why of situations. Corporate Politics provides an insight on how to play fairly and identify the situations instead of having to react to them.

I believe that it is important to apply politics within a workplace in order to try and accomplish an agenda. I have taken principles that have been discussed in class and applied them and I have had different results than I previously did. Unfortunately some people don’t believe that politics exist, but there are so many events that go on that are purely political interests.

After Colin’s lecture on the Victim, Rescuer and Attacker I had a situation at work where I was the rescuer. I said to the original attacker “don’t be a victim”. The original victim started laughing and I explained to her what I had learned in the class about corporate Politics. The original victim then proceeded to tell others about what had happened and I explained that in order to change the way politics is played it is important to first identify the political games.

I am excited to explore the area of corporate politics even further and try to find more ways to identify political events within organizations.

2008-12-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

In looking back to when I was an undergraduate student, one of the main reasons why I wanted to go into a career in Industrial Psychology was that I would be considered an ‘outsider’ in the whole corporate game; that I would be impervious to any petty nuisances that occur in organizations whether as an internal or external consultant.

Fast forwarding six year to the present, my lens at how I look at my career and the environment in which I will be working in has dramatically shifted. I look back at my naïve undergrad mentality and see that maybe it is I that needs to change to my environment. Having this epiphany has helped me embrace different environments and different political agendas that are naturally evolving essences in organizations because as a free market society, everyone has their own (or their group’s) interest as their main focus for making certain decisions and actions.

It is easy for someone to stick their head in the sand and say: “Well, I’m too good/too ethical to play politics at my company” or “Politics has never and will never be a problem at my company”. By taking polarizing stances like these, you are proactively taking yourself out of your own company culture and restricting advancement opportunities because you are denying the actual existence that is your company. As the old saying goes, “Failure follows the path of least resistance”.

In order to be an effective executive, the need to be politically aware is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s business environment. It is not only recognizing political issues within your organization, it is how you react to political situations. Many executive careers have been derailed due to the mishandling of political issues within their organization (see: Carly Fiorina at HP).

2008-12-02T18:10:00.001-08:00

This is Nikki Prestidge. First let me apologize for the blog name “KyleandNikki”. I entered the sight under an old blog name.

Why is politics important? I love this question now because I have an answer for it! Two months ago I may have said, “Politics is something I try to avoid, therefore it is unimportant to me.” Today however, I recognize it is important to understand politics because politics exists around all of us whether we want it to or not. By acknowledging politics exist around us, we are given the option to avoid politics, or understand politics. I personally like to have a better understanding of the circumstances which exist around me and influence me each day. By increasing our understanding of politics we are able to gain a wider picture of others around us, our interactions with others and “the way things are”. In understanding these things we are able to identify political dilemmas which we face and begin generating ideas of how we may respond to them. This is a much healthier approach to politics, as opposed to doing nothing or responding in the moment (which we may regret later). Understanding politics increases our objectivity toward our circumstances. Then we may be proactive in determining how to respond to circumstances and people.

Understanding politics is valuable because politics have the power to make us or break us. Politics has this power because we allow it to by not acknowledging or understanding it. Politics have a genuine affect on people. Choosing to understand the politics at work around us is valuable because it helps us in gaining control of a situation that may be out of control. Once we are able to think through our dilemmas and create an outcome we are able to influence those around us, our daily work environments, our career path and the emotional burdens some of us carry home each day. Because politics have such a large impact on our work environment and even our personal lives understanding them could not be more important and valuable.

As stated before, politics exist around us and influence us regardless of our approach to the subject. Understanding politics is important and valuable because it changes our role from the influncee to the influencer.

2008-12-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Before enrolling in this class, I knew very little about corporate politics. It's not that I had never been exposed to them, or had never seen some of the consequences (good or bad) that resulted from them; it's just that I wasn't aware of the importance and the valuable role that they played amongst individuals and organizations today. In fact, I used to view the idea of corporate politics in a negative light. The word 'politics' had a very negative connotation in my mind, and I would not have imagined any good coming from them. However, through Dr. Ranker's teachings and guest speakers like Steven and Collin, I have learned that one can actually take organizational politics and use them in their favor. It is also clear to me now why it is so important for individuals to understand the politics of their organization. Without the proper knowledge and understanding of the things that are going on around you, it is very easy to fall into the "trap" of political dilemmas at work.

At first I was naive enough to believe that I could just "avoid" corporate politics by not "getting involved" with problematic situations and workplace dilemmas that arose. I understand now that corporate politics cannot be avoided. Whether we like it or not, they are, and probably always will be, a part of our lives in one way or another. Although we cannot all afford to hire on a political coach or mentor to guide us through the politicking that may be going on around us, it would be wise for each individual to take it upon themselves to study the subject and become better acquainted with the ideas, solutions, etc. that come along with them. With books like Political Dilemmas at Work being available to us, it is important to take advantage of these types of resources. Upper management and CEO's should also strongly consider attending seminars and/or presentations about corporate politics, so that they can build their own personal tools for dealing with political dilemmas. I personally feel as though I have greatly benefited from our monthly seminars and from reading the assigned book. I have learned what to do in certain situations and how to handle difficult problems that may be thrown my way in the future. We all know that until we get the real life experience, it's hard to say that we are 100% confident of our ability to do something, but at least I can say that I am knowledgeable about this topic now and can continue to learn more about it through my studies at Alliant.

2008-12-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Everyday I am becoming more aware of the important role politics plays in an organization and the role it has played in getting me to where I am today. If you had explained corporate politics to me 10 years ago, I might have thought twice about choosing a career that required working with or in an organization. I definitely would have reconsidered anything that involved interaction with others or working in teams! After all, I considered myself as someone who did not “play games” and would never partake in such deceptive behaviors.

Yet, I have learned through group discussions with Gary and Colin and by reading their book that politics does not have to mean deception or self-serving behaviors. Politics can also provide structure to an organization and, when properly managed, encourage diverse opinions and healthy competition. Positive politics can also provide a basis for personal growth and leadership development.

Someone once told me, “no one will ever care about your career more than you do.” This saying has stuck with me over the years and served as a guide when I needed to make critical career moves or decisions. Recently this saying served as a reminder that politics will always play a factor in my career because they are inherent to organizational life. Thus, it is up to me, for the future success of my career, to understand them and learn how to handle them effectively.

2008-12-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

The Importance and Value of Understanding Politics

In my opinion, politics is the result of combining of social dynamics and power and the ensuing consequences. Social dynamics arise from the interaction of individuals and groups with each other. In most social environments, including work situations, such groups and individuals try to consciously or unconsciously acquire the power to achieve certain desired results.

The "importance" of politics is comparable to the importance of increasing leverage or range of ability to get what you want, whether that is through personal power or by acting through others. Due to the growing size of organizations and the rising dependence on teams, the likelihood of a person being able to meet ambitious organizational goals in isolation is miniscule. Thus, the need for any individual to increase her/his power in order to influence the course of projects and the behavior of larger and larger groups of people is a skill that cannot be denied. The way that physicists study the laws of the universe in order to harness its materials and energies to benefit mankind (we hope, e.g. nuclear bombs) is similar to the way that an organizational politician may study the nature of human beings in order to marshall available psychological energy and physical resources to achieve some end.

The "value" of understanding politics is threefold. First, it is the value of increasing the probability that one gets what one wants. Second, it is the value of being able to have an impact on an increasingly larger scale as the number of people influenced by you grows. For example, take the cause of recycling and protecting the environment. In our culture, it is fairly well understood that celebrities can have as much impact on the individual American's behavior as the government, sometimes more where consumerism is concerned. Therefore, it is as effective a political move to advertise a celebrity endorsing the cause of recycling and protecting the environment as it is to pass bills supporting organizations who have "greener" practices. The goal is the same - to get large groups of people to change their behavior to achieve the desired result, though the types of influence may differ. However, without the use of politics, this scenario might simply have been isolated individuals and companies trying to enact change with little result. Influencing on a larger scale can mean more widespread and longer-lasting results. Finally, the value of understanding politics is the value of having more options and control over "how" things get done. Wise politicians value politics because they realize that the manner in which a goal is reached can affect how they feel about themselves and the goal itself. Ultimately, politics is a means to an end in which how one gets to the end is as important as what the end looks like.

2008-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

I've been working with Gary Ranker and his Corporate Politics Tool, which is now online at his website http://www.GaryRanker.com.

During a visit to his Corporate Politics course at the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management at Alliant International University in San Diego last weekend, I listened to a fascinating discussion with his students about how this tool works to identify important stakeholders that can help them reach their goals, and a methodology to organize their process of tracking their progress with each stakeholder and goal over time.

This was a three-part course over three weekends: one in October, one in November, and the final class in December. Special guest speakers: Steve Rodgers, President and CEO of Prudential California Realty in October, Colin Gautrey of Politics at Work in the UK in November, and Keryl Egan, a Specialist Coach for Bullying and Harrassment in Australia will be the December guest speaker.

Gary Ranker and Colin Gautry have recently published a book co-written with Mike Phipps called "Political Dilemmas at Work".

2007-05-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Managing Through Understanding

By Donny Huang*

One of the most frequent complaints heard from expatriates about their Chinese colleagues is that “they are not proactive” or “do not take initiative”. Although this does not apply to everyone, it is often true. This is because ‘being proactive’ or ‘taking initiative’ is simply not yet in the Chinese consciousness; asking Chinese staff who the most proactive person from e.g. their school days was, will most likely result in them thinking of the class ‘trouble makers’.

On the other hand, most expatriates will agree that their Chinese colleagues are extremely good at following orders. This is because fulfilling one’s role is a strong part of Chinese social culture. Understanding the roles and relationship-based nature of Chinese communication is essential to building trust. By understanding how the individual fits into Chinese culture, expatriates can enhance their personal effectiveness when dealing with local staff.

Motivating Chinese Staff

Confucian philosophy teaches that a man has to be capable of managing himself first; then he needs to be able to manage his family, his country, and eventually the entire world. This philosophy has been the driving motivation for Chinese intellectuals for centuries and goes some way to explain why Chinese individuals look for common threads connecting their personal, social, and professional roles.

Leadership that only motivates individuals is not enough. Ideally, personal, social, and professional achievements should all be rewarded and recognised. In addition, reward schemes should not only target individual performance, but also the team performance. The ideal reward system in China should take into consideration both individual performance as well as that of the team/department.

If the reward offered is too individualistic and bottom-line oriented, it may create pressure for the recipient and his/her group, which could negatively impact on the relationship between team members.

Communication

The Chinese communication style is indirect and highly contextual. In the communication process, Chinese people are expected to safeguard others by saving ‘face’ and maintaining social harmony. It is important to convey a message implicitly and indirectly, especially if bad news is being delivered. Sometimes, a gesture can say more than a thousand words.

Multiple layers of relationships with others define the self. ‘Face’ or ‘mianzi’ is defined through concepts of self-worth, social pride, honour, dignity, insult, shame, disgrace, humility, trust, mistrust, respect, and prestige. It plays a key role in Chinese personal interaction; giving other people ‘mianzi’ is the greatest way of paying respect. Conversely, saying ‘no’ directly should be avoided at all costs as criticising someone publicly is normally considered immature behaviour.

The result is that in meetings, Chinese staff tend not to voice their true opinions and feeling if it involves a negative response; they only interact in a group when they feel the environment is safe. Rank dominates the meeting room and determines with whom one should speak and when. Those in a lower position are generally expected to remain silent, only speaking when spoken to. The best way to solicit suggestions and honest opinions is to talk privately with each individual.

One way around this is written reports. In China, written reports are the formal way of communication in the workplace and requests or recommendations are expected to be in writing. Good writing skills are thus highly respected and emphasised.

Feedback

Due to the concept of ‘face’, it is sometimes quite hard to get honest feedback in China. Don’t be misled if your employees come to you looking for advice or suggestions. It is common for Chinese subordinates to come to their supervisor for advice and they are comfortable taking orders from their superiors. This does not mean the communication is a two way street though.

When giving negative feedback make sure it is done in private, not publicly where it would result in a loss of ‘face’. The person giving the feedback should not have a close relationship with the individual, but should be a superior. Chinese people will rarely give negative feedback to their ‘friends’. For this reason many multinationals have given up on the 360-degree feedback procedure in China. It is best to gain and give feedback through individual conversations.

Delegating Tasks

China is a relationship-based society. Priority is often given to relationships over the completion of a task and the emphasis on planning and meeting deadlines is not as strong as in the West. Thus it is a clear decision if the choice is between jeopardising a harmonious relationship and completing a task on time.

Critical is that Chinese employees tend not to make decisions outside their roles and responsibility for fear of violating the balance and harmony in the working relationship. Chinese organizations are very hierarchical and decision-making process is centralized at the top of organization. Because of this factor, and because employees in China are generally process-oriented, any work delegated should be very specific, with each individual task or role clearly defined. When tasks are clearly defined, they will usually be completed very effectively.

Thus to increase effectiveness, Western managers should get involved in tasks at the beginning, clearly define the role for each team member, constantly monitor the progress of individuals and tasks, and ultimately act as a checking function to make sure that the project as a whole is on track. The beginning phase is the most critical here: it is imperative to make sure that the tasks expectations from superiors are clearly understood by all. Only then can and should work be delegated.

Leading Chinese Employees

The Chinese strive to fulfil their assigned roles in every aspect of life. Social roles have historic roots that can be traced back to the ‘five relationships’ of Confucian thought: father-son, ruler-subject, husband-wife, older brother-younger brother, and friend-friend. The authority figure in each of these roles has several obligations and is greatly respected. The personal identity is closely connected with the social role. Thus they are always conscious of their positions as above, below, or equal to those around them.

Sensitivity and training are key here. If a Western manager adopts management practices such as delegation or empowerment, they need to pay attention to these Chinese cultural values. It is important for the Western manager to keep in mind that, without proper training, the Chinese staff may not be comfortable making decisions beyond their roles or responsibility. Even those who are capable and willing to make those decisions may be put in an awkward position if they are forced to do so: by acting in a more Western manner, a Chinese employee may well gain the respect of his Western boss, but lose that of his colleagues making a harmonious work-life as good as impossible.

Western managers can sometimes mistake this for a lack of initiative at work. Don’t make this mistake. Appreciate that in the role as boss, it is your role to train the team to understand your management requirements. By pushing any one member of the team forward, you could cause huge conflict among the Chinese team – a conflict you may not be made aware of until it is too late.

China is a very hierarchical society. Power is respected, and the power distance is high. The Chinese emphasis on maintaining harmony and good relationships may seem ‘soft’ to Western managers more used to dealing with hard numbers, structure, and regulations. The expectation that an executive will be sensitive and understanding seems at odds with the picture of a tough leader in the West. The Chinese management style however mixes a paternal care for staff with clear expectations and hard discipline, similar to the good father image of a Chinese family.

As such Chinese employees have certain expectations of their leaders, such as that they be firm, disciplined, caring, reserved, and careful with words and promises. In essence, leaders function much like a father figure. Indeed, Government officials are often called “father” and “mother” officials.

Conclusion

The key features of a Chinese management style are to develop trust among all parties and a strong emphasis on balance and harmony. The combinations of ‘Guanxi’, role fulfilment, and group-harmony result in a leadership style dependent on developing good relationships and maintaining balance with all parties. Driving results through structure and system, which is so fundamental to the Western management style, may thus not be the best way of getting results in China.

Any Western manager operating in China must find a balance between these two worlds to lead China operations effectively. To this end, General Managers of multinationals in China often need more lenience from their HQ than those based in countries with a more Western approach to management and leadership.

*Donny Huang, managing director, 4stones Cross-cultural Consulting Group.

This article is published in 02/07 issue of Business Forum China (www.bfchina.cn)

2007-05-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Mentality, Mindset, Mianzi

How to Avoid a Crisis

By Donny Huang*

In 2005 numerous public relationship crisis have haunted multinationals operating in China. Big brands such as P&G, Nestle, KFC, Johnson & Johnson, and Sony have suffered severe damage to their brands’ reputation. An analysis of the underlying reason for the problems encountered shows that they are due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the intricacies of Chinese cultural on business. This reaches far deeper than most people think.

Impact of Cultural on Business

It is a well known fact that personal and professional relationships are much more blurred in China than in the West. But this has a much deeper impact than most people coming to China understand. For example, many multinationals in China hire public relations firms to handle their public image. They adopt this policy because it is common practice in the West and assume that it is the same in China, especially if they don’t feel they have the in-house competency to do the work themselves. In China though, this might backfire if certain operational elements of this PR work are not changed to reflect cultural differences. For example, when potentially facing a crisis, a company should not ask their PR firm to deal with media directly. If they do so, the media will consider the company to be insincere or not to be ‘showing them face’. A better way is for the company to give the media information directly, for the press to then disseminate among its readers. This applies not just in times of crisis. A firm should never rely entirely on its PR agency. Ideally, the PR agency will build up a national network of media relationships, while senior management will cultivate a personal relationship with well-connected celebrities, Chinese executives, high-ranking government officials, etc. In times of crisis the latter connections, the ‘social capital’, will be much more important.

Mianzi

‘Mianzi’ (面子) means ‘face’, but in Chinese culture it stands for much more than appearance, it represents the social identity and standing of a person in the community. It has two underlying meanings:

1. Lian (脸): related to the moral side of one’s face. The loss of Lian makes it impossible for one to function properly in the community.

2. Mian (面): related to personal face, standing for a kind of prestige or reputation achieved through personal success.

Loss of Mianzi can bring shame or disgrace to the family or the organisations that the individual is associated with, as much as to the individual themselves. It applies to all levels of Chinese society and even applies on a national level. When a Chinese person feels that they have ‘lost face’, a series of actions will follow to regain it.

Example: Generally speaking, the Chinese are hesitated to take out a lawsuit. The customer from the Jianxi province who sued SK-II probably would not have taken this extreme step if she had not been deeply hurt emotionally by the SK-II representative. Equally, if the Sony China management team had responded earlier to the quality claim by the Zhejiang Industrial and Commercial Bureau, the government officials would not have felt loss of face. Again, the outcome would have been different and probably solved on a less public level.

Hierarchical Mindset

In China, behaviour still follows the Confucian principle of the ‘Five Social Roles’, creating a very hierarchical mindset. I.e.

1. Ruler to Subject

2. Father to Son

3. Husband to Wife

4. Elder Brother to Younger Brother

5. Elder Friend to Younger Friend

Because of this China has a very hierarchical social structure and high ‘power distance’ dimension. Although Confucian values have become less important in modern China, their influence is still clearly visible in mentality of the people. So individuals who are high up in the social or political hierarchy, like celebrities and state government, still have a big influence on public opinion.

Example: Over 60 percent of Chinese television commercials, are endorsed by celebrities. A big part of the reason why the local media refused to co-operate with Sony was that the criticism had come from an important political body and very publicly too. This was the main reason why the media forced Sony to change its stand toward the claim of quality problem with its digital camera from denying to apologising. This eventually led to the products being removed from the shelves, causing the incident to escalate to a serious national public relations crisis.

Group Mentality

The root of Chinese culture lies in its farming society background. Chinese people are very much group-oriented and relationship-based. Chinese saying are a good way to understand some elements of its culture. For example the saying “Gun will kill the bird that sticks its head out”, vividly describes the group dynamic and peoples reluctance to stand out from the crowd. The opinions and reactions of society and the peer group are hugely important for the individuals decision making process and behaviour. This peer group consists of family members, trusted alliances, and close friends. This also means that the ‘snowball’ effect can happen faster in China, one negative opinion potentially having devastating effects for a company.

Example: With this in mind, employee incentive programmes in China should not simply be copied from headquarter prototypes. They need to be adapted to add certain elements that are able to motivate groups, not just individuals, in order to achieve ultimate organisation effectiveness.

Conclusion

All these elements and many more play into the daily reality of doing business in China. These hidden rules, so important for success, are difficult for western managers to understand. In today’s global business, technology is relatively easy to transfer across borders, but a successful business model is hard to duplicate into a foreign culture. In China, the biggest and most daunting challenge for western executives is to develop a new or innovative business model that is viable in the Chinese business environment. This is especially challenging for global players, where the company headquarters expects the new branch to adopt the corporate culture of the company’s world-wide corporate value system. The HQ must understand that this impossible to do in China. To be successful a company must integrate Chinese cultural aspects to successfully deal with and motivate staff, business partners, and customers. To do this, western managers must thoroughly understand basic Chinese cultural insights.

*Donny Huang, managing director, 4stones Cross-cultural Consulting Group

This article is published in 02/06 issue of Business Forum China (www.bfchina.cn)

2007-04-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Understanding Corporate Politics from a Chinese Perspective

By Donny Huang

Personally I believe that wherever there are human beings, there exist politics. For good or for bad, its causes can be by human nature or maybe human foible. Take for example the current World Bank President, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz. He is resigning at the end of June and what he has done is beyond what the rules allow in his organization. However, the same kinds of deeds gendered in different organizations, in different cultures, may be considered legitimate. It is very important to understand where the limit stands.

Corporations consist of groups of people with very different gender, ages, backgrounds, and value systems, however, corporations need to achieve corporate objectives and goals, so there are many rules and policies set up to avoid uncertainty and increase efficiency. But rules and policies can not replace human emotion and feeling. Therefore, people like to interact with like-minded people. We like to go the extra mile for people who we like and trust; we like doing favors to those who are close to us. As long as the rules allow, it is fine. The US president-elect, for example, has the right to nominate Cabinet members, most of whom are the President’s personal friends. Since those people are known by the President for years, when the nominations are passed, those people will enhance the efficiency of US government. So politics can be good for organizations.

In cross-cultural terms, China is a group-oriented, hierarchical society. China has a long history of being an agricultural society and has a tradition of regulating peoples’ behavior through Confucian ethics, which has become Chinese orthodox school of thought for over 200 years. The essence of Confucian value is family-value, loyalty to friends, and respect to the elders; Confucianism lays down the foundation and rules for proper human interactions and sets up roles for people to follow. Relationships transcend the rule of law sometimes. There is an obvious line between insider and outsider. It is common for Chinese to treat people differently based on context and relationship and person’s social status. Even today, Chinese organizations, no matter where they are, still heavily rely on trusted relationships to achieve organization results instead strong systems and structures. Therefore, Chinese culture is a hotbed to develop alliances and trusted friends in organizations which will create strong “corporate politics.”

It is kind of healthy for western managers to develop closer personal relationship with their colleagues, clients, partners, or suppliers in China. The line between professional relationships and personal relationships are a blur in Chinese society. Sometimes it is hard for western managers to do this, since it may violate their code of conduct in their own countries. Remember, in China, an organization achieves its maximum results through trusted and harmonious relationships with its people instead of systems and structures.

2007-02-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

Charles Moyo on social/political antenna

Dear Gary,

I like your example of the ease with which one moves through a crowd with the help of an antenna. In your example the antenna is the seeing device. It makes it possible for one to see where they are going and what obstacles lay in their way. While the antenna is a good direction finding/maintaining device it does not necessarily guarantee smooth passage through a crowd in the example you gave. Yes it shows the direction but it does not show one how to get to the other side of the crowded room without bumping into other people.

When it comes to efficiency, I think the most efficient way of getting to the other side of a crowded room would be to have a situation where the people give way to you as you move across the room. This unfortunately only happens with people like Royalty and others of similar social standing. The Queen, for example, would be announced on arrival and everyone would immediately make room for her to get to her seat which is usually conspicuous enough for all in the room to see.

This basically means that all in the room know where across the room the Queen will sit and all those in her route of passage will obligingly make room for her to get to her seat. She can then chose to either get to her seat in the shortest time possible or to rather majestically stroll to her seat as she enjoys the attention and applause that usually accompanies royal strides.

Is there a way of mastering the political game to the extent that one can move across a crowded room with as much ease as Royalty would? That, to me, is where we would all like to be.

What would be the political equivalent of the announcement of the Queen's arrival?

Politics usually, if not always, seeks to make one's passage across the room difficult. What is it that one can do to turn the politics into obliging willingness to make way for one's passage across the room?

2007-01-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Social Antennae / Political Antennae

Think about how difficult it would be to walk across a crowded room having just lost your vision. Without your sight, you bump into people, you have to ask if you're going in the right direction, and although you eventually get to the other side, it's not at all as efficient as had you been able to see. You would have been able to clearly maneuver around the obstacles in the room and avoid any accidents or problems that could have gotten in your way.

Most people, when it comes to organizational politics, are politically “blind.” They stumble through their political cultures and corporate environments, bumping into uncomfortable situations, stubbing their toes on bad gossip and rumors, and are cloaked by the sometimes spiteful agendas surrounding them. They feel lost in their business politics. Unfortunately, many business people in the corporate world are not aware of, or just can’t “see” the agendas of others around them.

They don’t know if other peoples’ agendas are an obstacle, or perhaps a source of assistance, to the navigation of their own corporate worlds. Other peoples' agendas are like wind on the ocean for a sail boat. Sometimes the wind fills your sails and helps you, and sometimes it blows you off course. But even those peoples' agendas that are blowing against you can still be useful if you know how to jibe and tack. Good sailors can use the wind to go in any direction.

Although we may be blind to these agendas, we can still develop a way to “feel” our way around them. Think of it as having extra antennae that pick up or sense these social and political agendas. When we have these social antennae, we can more easily move through the rooms of our relationships. When we develop our political antennae, we can better sense these agendas to use to our advantage.

With the right coaching, guidance, and insight, we can learn to grow and develop our own social / political antennae, to help us navigate the corporate worlds around us.

2006-12-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

How do you differentiate yourself as an executive coach from other executive coaches?

GARY’S ANSWER: I do a different form of coaching in that I coach very in depth over a longer period of time than some. I don’t think that I do necessarily a better format than others, it’s just different.

What you asked is how do I differentiate myself? Actually I use a similar format like many other coaches, in terms of a 360 interview process. I want to get to know the people who know the target individual, the person to be coached, best. In my case, I interview people one on one in person. And I probably interview about 10, and sometimes more if they wish. I don’t really need to interview a lot of people, but it’s important to interview the stakeholders in the executive’s sphere of influence. It’s important to meet with those people who know the individual the best (some above, some peers, some subordinates), and draw from them a couple of common themes that they believe, if they were to be changed, things (or the client) would be more efficient and productive.

You’re asking about what’s different about my style? I’d say that I’ve come to see that I work often with people who have behavioral issues that perhaps they’re aware of, and perhaps not. But they’ve never really done anything about it.

Lately I’ve offered a kind of analogy to clients that explains the goal of coaching in a positive light. I tell them to think of a wind tunnel. If you think about the concept of a wind tunnel and what you’re trying to achieve, is you’re looking for sharp objects that stick up from the object in the wind tunnel and cause a higher “co-efficient of drag” --- in other words the shape doesn’t slip through the air as easily as it might --- there’s friction. You’re trying to achieve a shape that’s most aerodynamic and that’s able to slip through the air in the easiest manner.

So I think of my coaching as looking for the sharp objects ---behaviors --- that somehow cause social friction. When I think about it, that’s what I’m trying to do when I coach executives. I’m trying to find sharp objects, essentially behaviors that stick up a little bit and cause “drag” in the person’s life.

Just like a car that’s in the wind tunnel – I’m trying to help my clients get the most out of their “horsepower” by identifying and removing the “drag” in their lives. If we smooth those little sharp objects, their behaviors, style, relationships - then they will be able to get more work done, in less time.

Sometimes clients feel stigmatized when they think of the idea of being coached. But if you put it in this wind tunnel analogy way it’s a little more positive.

I specialize in helping people be coached towards efficiency and productivity, especially in environments where there are a lot of organizational politics and political issues. In work settings that are highly politicized and there’s a strong political culture, there can be a lot of “drag” in the executive’s life. I specialize in helping leaders analyze their behaviors, the individuals around them, which people are most important, and what they want from those people. We do this by analyzing which behaviors are getting in the way of their success and cause “drag” in their lives, and I help them smooth out these friction points. The clients achieve with greater efficiency because of less “drag” and can therefore succeed faster and quicker towards more important goals.

2006-11-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

What clients benefit most from coaching?

Do you feel that there is a particular type of client that benefits more from coaching?

GARY’S ANSWER: I think that since I’ve been coaching, almost 20 years now, I’ve rarely had anybody not be successful in making some behavioral changes.

However, I have found that people, who have jobs where they have risen in responsibility based on technical skills, often had more of a breakthrough of understanding than someone who comes to their position from a background requiring social skills.

For example, if somebody has become very successful as a salesperson, then VP Sales, then President --- they’ve had to understand the dynamics that occur between themselves and what’s happening with other people around them. And so, sometimes when there’s a suggestion when they are being coached, they may second guess that suggestion, as if they already knew or understand that already.

Whereas an engineer, or scientist, IT or other technically brilliant person who has risen to be a top manager, may not think as readily about or realize how their actions or their style of communication might make a difference on other people’s productivity in the corporate workplace. These technically oriented people tend to be more receptive to the newness of examining interpersonal relationships. And so, sometimes, there may be greater breakthroughs with technically proficient people, who’ve risen to higher responsibility due to their technical accomplishments.

2006-09-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

What sets Gary apart as a corporate politics coach..

Hi Gary,

There are a lot of coaches offering a variety of services. What particular skills set you and your executive coaching apart from all the other coaches practicing now?

GARY’S ANSWER: My ability to understand and coach about corporate politics.

General Electric approached me in 1989 and asked me to help one of their top managers in their Power Systems Group to change his management style. There was no formal term then for this type of consultancy. Over the years we’ve come to know of this work as executive coaching.

I do bring a different style and in particular, a different set of skills to this role of coach.

I saw that the role that I was being asked to do back in ’89 was to help someone be more successful. Really what the company wanted was for them to be more efficient, more productive. And so I thought well if that’s the case, I need for them to understand more of the political agendas surrounding them. Here is where I began to differentiate myself from others and why people would come to me and not to somebody else. I

Most corporate cultures have some degree of politics. I ask my client to talk to me about the people who surround them. Most people haven’t analyzed their corporate political environments, political cultures, or political systems like that. I help them strategically think about the people in their world and who and how they are important to achieving their goals. I help my clients think about what their goals are and what they want to do? Make more money? Be promoted? I think it’s very important for the executive coach to keep it very simple and pragmatic.

And then I start to use this skill, the political savvy, to help the executive analyze their client’s corporate political environment. I ask them to talk to me about what they perceive to be the agenda of these other people. And I’m also asking them to begin to look at their own agendas. We begin to make comparisons and see how these agendas are either in conflict, help, hurt, or don’t matter at all.

This political strategizing becomes a really unique process that many coaches or clients never thought about. And that’s part of what I do that is unique as an executive coach. My clients are in the senior management at the very highest levels. Mostly I work with people who have great consequence – as role models in their style of management and in the decisions they make.

This political analysis that happens in my coaching is different than simply helping somebody be more efficient or help change their behaviors. I think that this added dimension of what I bring to the coaching process is extraordinarily powerful for my clients because they can begin to take control of the politics that surround them.

2006-09-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Gary's start in business politics

Dear Gary,

How did you become interested in business politics?

HM, Seattle

GARY’S ANSWER: Great question! It started with my own experience, as often is the case. We’re interested in things because of our own experiences or those of someone close to us. In my case, I had trained for a career in internationally oriented management. I had worked and lived in a number of locations and different parts of the world. And as a manager, I happened to have come into a couple of positions while I was managing that were highly politicized. I came in and I saw my job as being in charge of an operation and yet that wasn’t how I had to spend my time. I came to realize that a significant amount of time was spent defending myself against sabotage; against other people’s agendas and that there were people who actively wanted my job.

It began to occur to me that this is really inefficient. I did all these things to try to train to be a good manger, now I’ve got a position where I really can show who I am, and yet I have to spend 50% of my time on politics? But, I recognized if I didn’t do it, somebody would perhaps be so successful that I wouldn’t be able to do my job. I maybe wouldn’t even have my job. I think a lot of time and effort is wasted in organizations managing corporate politics. Many organizations have some form of corporate politics. My own experience and position, I think, was a little bit more politicized than average, and thus, I think I was exposed to more of it that others may have. And became more sensitized earlier.

I believe I came into management with a natural ability, like some people may have ability in art and other people have an ability to drive race cars, I believe that I have a natural ability and instinctual understanding of the political environment around me. For example, we all have cell phones and other wireless devices surrounding us, communicating with each other on a constant basis. These invisible waves of communication are coming from a variety of different sources and directions. Similarly with people and individuals in organizations, there are countless “waves,” agendas between people, surrounding us, hidden from plain view, that make organizational politics. We all know they’re there if we think about it.

I think I have an ability, an intuition, to somehow understand these different “waves” of agendas. I’m able to sense not just the fact that they’re there, but actually begin to think about how they interrelate and whether they are in conflict with one another.

And so, I came to a point while managing in Hallmark Cards - Europe, when I realized I had my own agenda, in addition to those around me. I began to question how does my agenda, in other words, what I’m trying to achieve, relate to all these other things that are going on, emanating from all these other people. I was able to design a strategy for myself, just sort of intuitively, on handling and managing the politics in my own workplace. And it worked well for me. I was able to succeed and also mostly defend myself against the agendas of others. I could understand what people were trying to achieve, what their agendas were and maybe help some of them. So as I grew in responsibility, I had this other talent that I was able to use and as I managed many different locations and situations, it became a really valuable extra thing. It became my own private ace up my sleeve.

2006-08-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Gary Ranker... The Corporate Politics Coach

In today’s dynamic corporate climate, competition among executives has developed into a costly, time consuming reality. This corporate politicizing between individuals is sapping their productivity and efficiency and is increasingly demanding attention within organizations. Dr. Gary Ranker is perhaps one of the only executive coaches who specialize in coaching individuals to navigate their corporate politicized worlds.

Dr. Gary Ranker is recognized worldwide as an authority in executive coaching and a pioneer in coaching corporate politics. He has been listed by Forbes Magazine as “one of the top five executive coaches” and the Financial Times named him one of the “top 50 worldwide Thought Leaders.” Dr. Ranker has 17 years of experience as an executive coach, specializing in corporate politics, a facet of executive coaching that he has almost single handedly pioneered. Gary Ranker is the corporate politics coach. He has been invited to be a member of the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management's 30 Distinguished Thought Leaders, and Marshall Goldsmith has this to say about Gary:

“Few people who call themselves ‘executive coaches’ have as much top-level experience as Gary. He is very comfortable with high-powered, extremely successful executives – who have the highest expectations from any advisor. If the potential client is working in an environment where issues of power and politics are key – which is often the case – Gary is the best coach there is.”