Power, Politics, and Organizational Change: Winning the Turf Game

Buchanan, David A.;Badham, Richard

ISBN 10: 0761962220 / ISBN 13: 9780761962229

Published by Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.A.: Sage Pubns, 1999

About this Item

Trade paperback in near fine condition.

Seller Inventory # 7280

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Power, Politics, and Organizational Change: Winning the Turf Game
• Publisher: Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.A.: Sage Pubns
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0761962220
• ISBN 13: 9780761962229
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • business

About this title

Synopsis

`Anecdotes and case illustrations, including checklists and guidelines are provided, making this book useful for post-experience and postgraduate students of management and organizational behaviour, and for senior undergraduates. This book will also be relevant to managers and employees involved in organizational change′ - European Forum for Management Development

Power, Politics, and Organizational Change offers a theoretical and practical guide to the politics of change - an aspect of organizational life that plays a more significant role than is commonly admitted. The focus lies with the internal change agent, rather than with external consultants, as change is now a key element in the roles of most managers, who typically combine change responsibilities with their regular day job. A fresh perspective is developed, emphasizing the context in which the change agent operates, explicit and tacit warrants for particular actions, skills in accounting for one′s political behaviour, and the reputation of the change agent.

David Buchanan and Richard Badham argue that the change agent who is not politically skilled will fail. This implies that it is necessary to be able and willing to intervene in the political processes of the organization, to push particular agendas, to influence decisions and decision makers, to deal with criticism and challenge, to cope with resistance, to maintain one′s reputation.

Some managers regard political calculations and activities as distasteful. Some textbooks advise the change agent to avoid involvement in the turf game.This book argues that such avoidance tactics are both naive and unprofessional.

About the Authors

David is Emeritus Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Cranfield University School of Management, and Visiting Professor at Nottingham Business School.  He works freelance as a consultant, speaker, and author, specializing in change management and organization politics.  He has a Doctorate in Organizational Behaviour from Edinburgh University, was Director of Loughborough University Business School from 1992 to 1995, has held visiting posts in Australian and Canadian management schools, and has worked often in Australia and Sweden.

Dr Richard J Badham is Professor of Management in the Macquarie Business School Graduate School of Management. He writes, consults and teaches on leadership and change.  He is the author of the forthcoming book Ironies of Organizational Change (Edward Elgar, 2020), and is co-author of ‘Fire, Snowball, Mask and Movie: How Leaders Ignite and Sustain Change author (HBR 2011). He specializes in the use of storytelling, drama and arts-based interventions. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Yale Centre for Cultural Sociology, a Von Humboldt Senior Fellow at the Technical University, Berlin, and consultant to numerous companies including BHP, Ford and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, and the European Commission, West German, Australian and Brunei governments.