ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how management team can serve as an arena for political behavior and the impact that this may have on both team and organizational performance. Although many managers still consider it taboo to speak about having power and using that power to push through own agendas, studies indicate that leaders often have hidden agendas and engage in political behavior, alliance building, and power struggles. As an arena for strategic decision-making, management teams are especially likely to be characterized by political behavior. It can be difficult to give straight answer to whether political behavior is helpful or harmful for an organization, as it depends on actions that are defined as political behavior, the types of consequences involved, and the situations in which it is employed. Some management teams are suspicious if subgroups in the team meet between the management meetings. Department managers who are dependent on tight interactions between departments actually need to interact closely between the management meetings.
