Navigating the Political Landscape of My Organization

My personal story Erin Kotowski

Power – The ability or capacity to control or

influence

The power puff girls are a set of people who share a common belief in PLCs and education. I am bubbles.

Mojo-jo-jo is a person who has a want for power within the group. He is looking for ways to create a different power dynamic and structure in the group

Why is MoJo-jo-jo having problems exercising power?

• Different people have different needs or beliefs. – Mo-Jo jojo has different philosophical beliefs from

others in the school and department. He believes that power can only be authoritative and has a very different philosophy on how class schedules should be created. I should be the leader!!

I should be teaching ALL of the Honors classes.

• MoJo-jo-jo has a high need for power, but he has not laid the groundwork for followers, but he is trying!!

Doesn’t it bother you that we don’t have more say in the decisions?

I think that we should run the department

and teach all of the honors classes.

Hmm. Maybe you are right.

I am tired of teaching

CP kids and tired of

people blaming me for not

Cleaning up.

Partisans

Organizational Factors that create political activity

• Our school requires that all teachers work together and share resources due to a lack of such. The resources include classrooms, materials, and lab space, so everyone in the department is very dependent on one another.

Middle Managers

Nine Sources of Power that keep Mojo jojo in check

Sources of Power Position – Title

Bubbles: PLC LEADER /Lead TeacherBlossom & Buttercup: Deans, Department

Heads

Source of Power

Control of Rewards

Why is she the leader? Well she is my observer, so I need to be nice to

her.

Power

Coercive Power – power to constrain, block, or punish.

If I go against her, she could give me low scores on my

evaluations

POWER

Information and expertise – having info or know how to do something.

She has been teaching longer than I have.

She does have a little bit more knowledge

on how things are done.

POWER

Reputation

She has been here awhile.People know who she is.

She is a good teacher.

Power

Personal Power (referrent)

She is pretty charismatic. People like her.

POWER

Alliances and Networks

She is in pretty tight with the administration and the

department head. I need to create some alliances in the

departmentFor me!!

Power

Access and Control of Agendas

She and others have control of all that we doin biology.

I want CONTROL!!I want to be looked at as the authority

on biology so I can teach all of theHonors Biology Classes!!

POWER

Framing: Control of meaning

How can I frame what we are doing in PLCs as not working in

order to gain control?

CONFLICT

•Maybe we can come up with new ideas and solutions to old problems. (challenge Status Quo)•We can work to create a new power dynamic where leadership is more shared. (New approach to problem)

Conflict is OKAY. I am going to work with

MOJO to resolve his issues!

• Before working with MoJo, I need to map the political terrain and then network to form a coalition.

I just wanted to talkTo you about some of the

Problems in our departmentand PLC and they stem from

One person.

We are all aware of

Mojo’s MO.If you need

help dealing With him, let

me know.

Hey guys, I just wanted toknow what you

Think about MoJo’sIdeas.

I feel like he is the first tocomplain, but never works to

Fix anything.

I feel like we have the same conversations all

of the time and he doesn’t listen

Okay, now I need to engage in a confrontation to stop all of this ridiculousness.

Mojo, Do you have a problem

With the way we are doing

Things as a PLC and a department?

No, I mean I just think

that other peopleneed to make sure

that they are helping.

Really?? All that talking behind everyone’s back, and that’s what you say

when I confront you?????Okay, how would you like to

fix that? Do you want a specific job? We can give one

to everyone else as well.

Well, I have beenwriting up all of the

common labs, so that could be my

Job.

Isn’t your senior portfol iostudent doing most of that?

Why don’t you work on Also then typing up instructions

for how the labs need to beSet up and taken down?

OKAY.

What did I learn from this situation? How do you navigate a political situation?

• Most of the time, when confronted, people back down and lie to cover their tracks,

especially if they feel that you have any type of power over them. Be sure to do your

homework and cover your bases before the confrontation. Be sure to not AVOID the conflict, if you do that, nothing will get

resolved.