Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

The Other Organizational Chart

Picture two diagrams of the organization. One has names in neat little boxes connected by a matrix of reporting lines. The other is the invisible diagram of all the consultants, experts, and people who are hired on a short-term basis. And here is where the complexity lies. The rise in this population—and their temporary nature—has affected organizational dynamics and politics. Their agendas are different, their commitment to the longer term is shaky, and yet they can be very well connected. We need to see the world from the standpoint of the people on the other organizational chart if we are to be successful, understand their agendas, and be an effective influencer.

 

• You need to see temporary hires as stakeholders first and colleagues second.

• Understand that temporary does not always mean low commitment, even if that commitment is to a narrow agenda.

• Your agenda and the agenda of short-term hires will seldom be mutually exclusive, so you must be alive to the possibility of opportunities to negotiate.

 

Our charter needs a commitment that we recognize how an organization’s reliance on short-term staff can change the organization, how it shifts the balance between them and us in the workforce, and the impact that this has had on the culture and politics.