ABSTRACT
The concepts of power and organizational politics are interrelated and much like with power, organizational politics and developing political savvy can be viewed as positive influences within an organization’s decision-making structures. In their writings, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Jerry Gilley also promote the idea of successful leadership, requiring the understanding of internal politics and the development of political knowhow. Gilley suggests that whenever two or more groups within an institution pursue differing goals, or the institution’s goals are unclear or ambiguous, the environment will be ripe for politics. Scarce resources, frequent changes in leadership, and administrative and academic silos all contribute to the political climates existing on our campuses. In every higher education setting, nearly all interactions between administrators can become a political interaction. Senior level administrators will be confronted with difficult decisions throughout their careers. One of the primary reasons that political behavior turns toward the negative is that the individuals involved are fearful of the uncertainty that lies ahead.
