CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The setting up of an organization
comes with the blending of human and material resources to accomplish certain
objectives through designated tasks and authority. It also involves the
development of formal and informal rules to coordinate the actions of people –
who have diverse backgrounds, particular interests and different understanding.
The operating forces of this
organization will bring to bear on the survival instincts of the people who use
both legitimate and illegitimate means to achieve their personal and group
goals at the expense of others. These means are conceptualized in politics.
According to Churchill (2000), politics is the maneuvering methods and tactics involved in managing and resolving social
issues in a given society or state government. Politics is the activities
involved in getting and using power in public life and being able to influence
decisions that affect a country or a state Winston (1998). Organizational
politics means the application of politics to activities of organization.
According to Haughty (1999), organizational politics is the use of one’s
individual or assigned power within an employing organization for the purpose
of obtaining advantages beyond one’s legitimate authority, those advantages may
include access to tangible assets or intangible benefits such as status or pseudo-authority
that influence the behaviour of others. Organizational politics is the pursuit
of individual agendas as self-interest in an organization without regard to
their effect on the organization’s efforts to achieve its goal (Macson 1998),
it refers to the processes through which these rival interests are played out
and eventually reconciled. Organizational politics are inescapable and
intrinsic reality in any organization. There are tools available to leaders to
influence, and manipulate subordinates into accomplishing tasks. The interplay
between leaders and their authority and influence over the followers set the
tone for political climate in an organization.
Organizational politics refers to
the structure and process of the use of authority and power to effect
definition of goals, directions and the other major parameters of the
organizations. Tushaman (2001) and Miles (1993) see organizational politics as
a process where by individuals or groups will use whatever power they can amass
to influence organizational decision in the direction of their own interest.
Organizational politics is a behaviour to influence, or attempt to influence
the distribution of advantages and disadvantage
within the organization while power is the capacity that A has to influence
the behaviour of B so that B does something he or she won’t otherwise do.
Organizational politics can be described as self
–serving and manipulative behaviour of individuals and groups to promote their
self interests at the expense of others and some times even ‘organizational
goals as well. Organizational politics in a company manifest itself through
struggle for resources, personal conflicts, competition for power and
leadership and tactical influence executed by individuals and groups to attain
power, building personal structure, controlling access to information, not
revealing the real intents, building coalition etc.
In public organizations, such as
Nigeria Breweries PLC Enugu, which contributes immensely to the revenue of
Nigeria, human and material resources are involved. Like every organization
there exists a tacit interplay between leadership, authority, influence,
subordinates and limited resources which the management tends not to take
cognizance of.
How organizational politics is
related to leadership, can be better understood from the fact that organization
leadership occurs in the context of groups, where followers are influenced by
the leaders to ensure their commitment and voluntary involvement towards
predetermined outcome
Hickson et. al., (2002) stated that political climate
of an organization is impacted by a leader through treatment and use of
authority under different settings which is clearly visible during the acts of
decision making, setting agenda and interaction with others to mobilize
support, inspire teams and individual and recognize people.
Managing organizational political system is the key to
success. Understanding organizational political system is absolutely essential
for management to manoeuver the company towards its goals. Managers must make
efforts to learn and understand the existence of organizational politics and
power through keen observation and focused interaction with different groups of
people. Some of the indicators for leaders to assess political climate is
general job satisfaction levels, responsiveness to innovative ideas efficacy of
decision making machinery and speed of implementation of decision for effective
management of organizational politics.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
The hidden
activities of man most often keep him in the dark as to how to make maximum use
of all activities existing in the organization. This is more obvious in his
inability to recognize the human resources implication of politics which is the
unique domain of interpersonal relations in the organizations. The assumptions
of non-existence of politics or worst still, seeing them as negative phenomena
has crippled organizations unnoticed. This false assumption makes it difficult
for managers to manage them like other activities. As such they are not used
positively in the interest of the organization. The reality is that politics
can be negative or positive depending on how they are perceived and managed in
an organization.
In Nigeria Breweries PLC Enugu,
managers and Employees see politics as predominantly negative as such, try to
ignore or silence its existence. According to Cropanzano et al (1997), a work
place can be conceptualized as a social market place in which individuals
engage in transactions all seeking to earn a return on investments. The
assumption of the mangers of Nigeria Breweries that politics is predominantly
negative does not allow them to understand as well as utilize the political
environment to enhance competitions and handwork among employees in order to increase
the organizational growth. Here, the challenges faced by the management due to
their intention to eradicate politics in organization are ambiguity in decision
making context, propensity to use influence behaviour unskillfully, it does not
allow those who are highly competitive or motivated for success to be involved
in organizational politics. Rather, it results in sanction, cliques or
cohesiveness, manipulations and the use of upward appeals.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is
to identify the human resource implications of organizational politics with a
view to improving the management and use to the growth of the organization.
The study will seek to
i. identify
how politics is perceived and managed by
managers of Nigerian Breweries PLC Enugu.
ii. measure
the effect of politics on the performance of employees in Nigerian Breweries
PLC Enugu.
iii. Identify
measures to improve the use and management of politics in decision making in
Nigerian Breweries PLC.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
i. How
do managers perceive and manage politics in the Nigerian Breweries PLC Enugu?
ii. Does
effective management of politics improve employee’s performance and
organizational growth?
iii. Are
there any measures taken by the management of Nigeria Breweries PLC Enugu, to
improve on the management of politics to avoid its negative influence?
Hypothesis
From the statement of the problem and
objectives of study, the following hypotheses are formulated to guide this
research work.
Ho: perception and management of politics by
managers and employees has impact in quality decision making in Nigeria
Breweries PLC Enugu.
Hi: perception and management of organizational
politics, by
Managers and employees have no impact on quality decision
making.
Ho:
Politics has a positive effect on the
performance of employees
in Nigerian Breweries PLC, Enugu.
Hi: Politics does not have positive effect on the
performance of employees in Nigerian Breweries PLC Enugu.
Ho: There are measures by management to improve the
management of politics in Nigerian Breweries PLC, Enugu.
Hi: There are no measures to improve the management of
politics in Nigerian Breweries PLC, Enugu
1.5 Significance
of the Study
Research of any kind is embarked on
in order to provide a solution to a problem, improving on the performance of an
existing system, contributing to the existing knowledge etc.
The study is significant in the
following ways.
1. It is
hoped that this study will help managers of Nigerian Breweries Plc Enugu to
improve on their management of organizational politics in her organization to
help employees contribute in a very high rate to the organization.
(ii) It
will help managers to understand the effect of organizational politics in the
performance of employees and the growth of the organization.
(iii) It will help the management of Nigeria
Breweries Plc Enugu and other public organizations in adopting policies that
will not portray organizational politics negatively
(iv) It will help to understudy Nigerian Breweries PLC
Enugu in respect to its management of politics to enable the researcher suggest
a better method.
1.6 Limitation
of the Study
The
study covers only Enugu Brewery.
There are a lot of problems which the researcher
encountered in the process of carrying out this work, the non co-operative
attitude of workers in Nigeria Breweries Plc Enugu to give out relevant
information formed part of the constraints and limited time for the study.
Despite all these problems the researcher was able carryout the research
effectively
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
According to conventional wisdom,
people who act politically in an organization are playing “dirty” undermine the
legitimate structure and functions of their organizations for personal gain
(MacKins, 1997). Despite this wide held view, it is important for managers to
recognize that successful organizations achieve high performance not only in
spite of political behaviour but also because of it. The primary reason why
this is the case is that organizational designs incorporate two functional and
opposing characteristics that make political activities inevitable. They divide
up responsibilities for carrying out the organization’s tasks and at the same
time, require those separate parts to act together to achieve its overall
objectives. These simultaneous differentiation and integration account both for
the functional value of organization and for its understanding political
dynamics. In effect, you can’t have one without the other.
Politics according to Baron et al
(1986) is simply the process through which the inevitable differences in
self-interest and organizational agendas are played out Appodorai (1978) citing
Aristotole said that any man who does not participate in the political affairs
of the state either because he does not want to or because he has no need for
it is either a beast or god. The above statements simply mean that no
individual or organization exists in a vacuum and the impact of their action
can be felt across diverse set of stakeholders.
Politics helps to reorganize or even
reconcile competing interests within an organization; Essentially, all
employees bring their own interests, desires wants and needs to the workplace
which leads to the diversity of interests in which politics in some form or in
some degree is played in an organization but viewing politics positively is
considered to have a positive force within an organization.
Relationships, norms, process
performance and outcome are all enormously affected by the organizational
politics because they are all intertwined into the management system.
Cropanzano et al (1997).
In this chapter, attempt will be
made to review related literature on organizational politics with a view to
providing detailed meaning of politics in organization, sources of
organizational politics, advantages and disadvantages to the organization and
how it can be managed.
2.2 Empirical
Review
Organizational politics is a
critical factor affecting various organizational practices. Although many
studies carried out by scholars on the subject indicate that politics and power
are important part of the organization.
However, it is generally perceived negatively by
managers and workers in the organizations. Macdonard (1995) studied power,
politics and conflict in surfaricom (K) limited using a using survey
questionnaire and chi-square test discovered that in organizations, there are
various powers, politics and conflict intrigues at play, which can only be seen
by those with eagle eyes in organization.
Hanbyul (2004) investigated how organizational
politics and power influence training and transfer. Using qualitative research
design he found three substantive themes in terms of organizational politics
and power: transfer of training was encouraged by referent power; learners
transferred what they had learned with their authority, and transfer of
training was constrained by marginal interests that comprise dominant.
Ferris (1991) examined the impact of the use of
influence by employees on their managers in organizations, using parametric tests;
found that the use of influence in the organization is positively related to
the managers’ positive attitude toward his/her employees. (i.e The more an
employee uses influence in the organization, the more his/her performance is
appreciated. They suggest that in essence, Organizational Politics introduces a
serious bias into Human Resources Management factions and potentially damages
the selection, evaluation, promotion processes. In line with this, a study
conducted by Murray (1980) on the perception of organizational politics and
power, found that employees usually consider organizational politics to be an unfair, evil, irrational and unhealthy
behaviour but at the same time as a necessary skill for those who want get
ahead and be promoted in the workplace.
Similarly, Uka (2002) examined how politics and power
can be used to influence others in a positive way using multi-regression of the
southern industries in Nigeria, found that some aspect of “good” politics in
leaders behaviour, in general managerial decisions and human resources process,
may lead to constructive outcomes for the employer the employee and
organization as a whole.