Write a short paper describing how the exercise of leadership depends on understanding the politics of the organization. To help guide your thinking, however, you will need to consider issues such as:

Sum up the key lessons of the Clement article.

To what degree does Clement's analysis distinguish among the three companies? Are there areas where you see his advice as the same across situations?

Are there any differences in the time frames or other context features of the situations described that might affect your conclusions about the relationship of politics to leadership?

Summarize your overall thoughts on the management of power in social relationships, the balance of personal vs. organizational responsibility for doing this management, and the relationship of this management (that is, politics) to leadership (please note -- there's no "one right answer" here, but when you've stated your conclusions, remember that you need to back up your argument with facts).

What, if anything, does thinking about an "organization as a political system" add to what we have learned by thinking about an "organization as an organism", an "organization as a brain", and an "organization as a culture"?