Discussion Post 1

Mapping the Political Terrain

COLLAPSE

For this assignment I choose mapping the political terrain. Bolman and Deal (2013) uses an example of a mine field to illustrate the concept of mapping the political terrain. Explaining that it is foolish to enter a minefield if you have no idea where the explosives might be buried, yet organizations unknowingly do it all the time. Meaning that organizations tend to launch new initiatives with little to no effort to understand the political arena they are entering. Pichault (1993) provides four steps to following when developing a political map:

1. Determine channels of informal communication.
2. Identify principle agents of political influence.
3. Analyze possibilities for mobilizing internal and external players.
4. Anticipate counterstrategies that others are likely to employ.

A simple way for me or anyone to develop a political map is to create a diagram that provides a visual depiction of who is involved, how the power is distributed and what is the outcome each player desires (Bolman & Deal , 2013). Once you have a clear visual, extreme effort by all parties involved will be required to calibrate the political force field.

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal , T. E. (2013). Reframing organization: Artistry, choice and leadership (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-bass.
Pichault, F. (2013). Human resources and strategic change: Toward a political approach to managment. Brussles, Belgium: DeBoek.

Discussion Post 2

I chose to comment on Bargaining and Negotiation. Bargaining takes practice to acquire the skills that enhance the potential outcome before deliberation begins, as alternating perspectives may influence the incoming agendas . As the text implies, bargaining is very critical to political decision-making tactics between two or more divergent parties. (1) Maintaining the level, and open, dialog can prompt diverging parties to be more receptive to options and alternative solutions. This sound basic, but human decency goes a long way in lieu of threats and hostile gestures. Considering options can help express the need for negotiation as the two conflicting parties may provide problem solving avenues that may ultimately benefit "everyone". The common interests may not be aligned before the bargaining becomes productive. Therefore, the emphasis on value, common interest, focused objective management, and mutual collaboration is imperative for overall success.

Building this competency, once again, takes practice and experience. By maintaining the values stated above, it may be likely that the "win-win" scenario will eventually provide a fruitful benefit for all parties involved. Avoiding distractions and remaining objective can also increase competency, especially when both parties can collectively align agendas. The significance for one side may be down-played or irrelevant to the other, so negotiations need to be impartial and respective toward the intentions of "the other party".

(1) Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.

Discussion Post 3

Structurally, an agenda outlines a goal and a schedule for activities. Politically, an agenda is a statement of interests and scenario for getting the goods (Bolman & Deal, 2013). An agenda is a priority list of things one cares about and intends to act upon. Politicians display their attentional intentions through party manifestos, and or other speeches. Effective leader creates an agenda for change by balancing the long-term interest of key parties and a strategy for achieving the vision recognizing both internal and external competition. The organization I currently work with is tasked develop and field a 21st century Commercial Over The Shelf personnel and pay system for the army. In order to successfully execute this task the organization has developed an agenda or road map to the fielding of the system. The agenda including stakeholder reviews, deployment cycles for the three components in the army (National Guard, Army Reserve and Active Duty). The organization has proposed a timeline for the fielding of the system to the Army National Guard across the 56 States and territories followed by the Army Reserve and the Active duty. An agenda as in the example described above must have direction while addressing the concerns of stakeholders (Bolman & Deal, 2016). In order to build this competence one has to have a strategy, a vision without a strategy remains an illusion (Bolman & Deal). Identifying the major stakeholders and the competition that an organization faces and how to counter those challenge are essential elements in developing this competence.

Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass

Walgrave, S., &Aelst, P. V. (2016). Political Agenda Setting and the Mass Media. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics.