ABSTRACT
Political action of different kinds is conducted in organizational reality on three main levels. The first level is that of relationships between individuals in the organization and between them and people outside the organization such as clients or suppliers. This is the organizational level at which interpersonal politics takes place. It includes relationships between office holders having defined functions in the organization who need to interact as part of their jobs (e.g., supervisors and subordinates); it also includes interpersonal relationships that are neither prescribed nor formal, but nonetheless affected by the fact that the interacting individuals do have specific jobs and certain positions in the organization (e.g., seniors and juniors).
