Unit 5: Discussion
Introduction
The word politics often elicits more negative than positive connotations. Popular culture portrays politicians as underhanded, power-hungry, and ruthless in their ambitions. Nevertheless, all persons possess the capacity to engage in self-serving behavior. Politics exist wherever conflict and competition collide. Organizational politics, behavior that is not formally sanctioned by the organization, focuses on maximizing ones self-interest, often at the expense of the organization or other employees. Whether one chooses to engage in it or avoid it, organizational politics is a reality in every workplace. Hence, a critical component of any leader or managers decision-making processes.
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Directions

Initial Post
Peer Response

Initial Post
Part 1
Read carefully Examining the Evidence- Political Behavior: A Viable Coping Strategy for Organizational Politics? found in Chapter 13 of the Neck et al. textbook. For the discussion by:

Identify positive effects of organizational politics as articulated by academic and business sources (not just the Neck et al. textbook)
Assessing best practices for mangers and leaders to leverage effectively organizational politics (make sure to base your assessment on scholarly and practitioner literature, not just your opinion)
Evaluate best practices for managers and leaders to minimize negative employees perceptions of organizational politics.