Manoj Kumar posted:

earnings Using political intelligence to develop effective workplace relationships and improve performance levels Political intelligence training educates employees in the positive application of organisational politics

Many organisations invest heavily in their ‘talent pool’ by developing their EQ and IQ to assist in their rapid rise up the corporate ladder. They however, fail to acknowledge the need for PI (political intelligence), which gives them a far greater chance of survival when they get there. Intelligent Behaviour is almost useless unless you understand the political territory you are entering.

Organisational politics gets a bad rap. So much has been said against it that even those who believe in its merits talk in hushed voices. While political intelligence has done its rounds, it no longer remains a go-go area in most organisations. Speak of emotional intelligence, competitive intelligence, even artificial and digital intelligence; these receive far more attention from the human resources academia than political intelligence.

The Definition

The best definition of political intelligence calls it “the art of managing politics and developing an understanding of what politics is and what type of political ‘animals’ exist in today’s workplace, together with strategies on how to manage.” This intelligence is also about gathering information about people you work with, and using it to work effectively with even those people one perhaps dislikes.

In Favour of Political Intelligence

It is both official and down in writing that “political behaviour can be used to make things happen, unlock barriers to change, create greater buy-in to key projects, produce organisational cohesion and speed up decision making”.

Moreover, sufficient anecdotal evidence ranks the ability to manage politics as one of the top skills needed by managers today. This nonetheless has failed to elevate political intelligence to its full glory. Not surprising perhaps, as most managers have nothing nice to say about organisational politics. Unfortunately, their opinion is a product of their ‘political’ experiences.

A study conducted by Roffey Park Institute revealed that nearly 70 percent of managers complain of bearing the brunt of organisational politics. Such negative experiences adversely affect the trust between employees at nearly all organisational levels making the organisation a seedbed of ineffective working relationships.

Worse is when such relationships affect overall organisational performance. While the percentage of complainants is rather high, the good news is that this has more to do with the bad reputation that precedes organisational politics; a reputation based solely on misguided perceptions.

The Other Side of the Coin

Most managers have heard only the bad ‘political’ stories. The reality is that the negative application of political intelligence is what prevents both individuals and organisations from maintaining productive relationships and achieving business objectives in turn.

Since this is the case, managers need to see the positive side of organisational politics. This includes creating organisation-wide awareness of the merits of organisational politics, developing an understanding of how it can be used effectively and educating managers in the skills and practices to enable them to adjust their behaviours.

All this can be done by waving the training wand! 3D Training and Development, an enterprise committed to improving organisational performance conducts ‘positive organisational politics’ workshops to provide manages with an insight to what political intelligence is and can do. What follows is an outline of components of these workshops. This could serve as a guideline for organisations interested in the positive application of political intelligence.

Training Sets it Right

The workshop begins with a series of diagnostic tests to identify the levels of politics that goes on within the organisation. Asimple question such as, “What causes politics?” leaves maagers in no doubt that politics is an integral part of organisational functioning and that it does affect workplace behaviour either to a large or lesser extent.

This diagnostic is followed by a ‘political perceptions questionnaire’ where individuals are asked select options from a series of paired statements that cover the positive and negative aspects of organisational politics. With each negative alternative comes an explanation of how adversely it affects workplace relationships and performance.

Seeing is Believing

The objective of such diagnostics is to make individuals aware that what they choose to see is basically what they want to see! This self-created smokescreen colours how they perceive what a co-worker or colleague is doing and what is motivating them. In most cases these individuals end up misinterpreting the behaviour of others and politics takes the blame!

The main cause for ‘dirty’ politics in most organisations is when individuals spot the negatives more easily than the positives. It also is common for employees to view one person’s manoeuvring as conniving manipulation. Additionally some organisations unwittingly stimulate negative politics by creating processes that fuel internal conflicts. For instance, a race to get bigger budget allocations, awards and recognition. Such aspects that make politics negative come to surface during the diagnostic tests.

Goal

The entire emphasis of these workshops is to get managers to apply political intelligence to redefine the way they see others and interpret behaviour. Behavioural experts believe that by viewing others differently employees can change their beliefs about them. Better still, this will help them alter their own behaviours and gain self understanding and self acceptance of the different political ‘animals’ that exist in their organisation.

Last lap

The final set of diagnostics measures an individuals’ political quotient. An individual with higher political intelligence succeeds in aligning his goals with those of the organisation. That is because he understands what constitutes political behaviour, manoeuvres his way around it and therefore encounters lesser conflicts and divergent interests.

One with low political intelligence focuses primarily on self goals thereby limiting the range of development choices that he can explore. This interferes with his performance, which in turn affects his workplace relationships.

With these measurements in place the workshop then aims to improve the levels of political intelligence. Individuals go through a series of courses that cover key areas such as communication, networking and influence and are equipped with skills: tips to develop high levels of political intelligence.

The Merits of Political Intelligence Training

Conducting political intelligence workshops helps employees:

Identify personal preferences regarding political behaviour and assess their level of political intelligence Determine the extent to which their goals can be aligned with those of the organisation Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different political behaviours and formulate appropriate responses for each Consider the changes they need to make to improve their levels of political intelligence Create productive and meaningful workplace relationships Share a common language while interacting with other on organisational politics Get things done inspite of prevalence of organisational politics Work well with even those they dislike

Happy organisational politicking!

Low Cost Bargain

I’ve seen countless threads on how Obama’s approval rating has been plummeting no that the "honeymoon" is over. Even though it is hardly a phenomenon for concern, considering the true plummets that most other presidents have experienced

I find it amusing that these greatly exaggerated reports of Obama’s political and popularity demise has all but ceased.

Here’s the reason:

Approval rating has been trending up for the past two months while disapproval is distinctly trending down. The largest bump in approval rating occurred once the President rolled up his sleeves and pushed his way back into the debate over health care reform. Perhaps President Obama needs more Joe Wilson’s to help show how the arguments of one side have pretty much degenerated into a series of personal attacks with no true offers of compromise or pure discussion.

A lot of people within the Tea Party movement have differing opinions and varying messages that range widely. However, there is one common theme.

In my own words, this is the overall message that I picked up on at the Washington DC 9/12 rally.

"First of all, slow down the rate of expansion of govt and start actually adhering to the US Constitution. Also, get control of the debt."

The American people don’t really care which political party you belong to, we just want to know that we are not leaving our progeny some overwhelming debt burden.

By Tami Luhby, CNNMoney.com senior writer
August 6, 2009: 6:41 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Fannie Mae, the government-controlled mortgage insurer, said Thursday that it needs another $10.7 billion from the Treasury Department to stay afloat.
The new infusion means the troubled company has drawn a total of $45.9 billion of its $200 billion lifeline this year

By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
9/24/2008 4:00:57 PM

The media coverage of Frank’s coziness with Fannie Mae and his pro-Fannie Mae stances has been lacking. Of the eight appearances Frank made on the three broadcasts networks between Jan. 1, 2008, and Sept. 21, 2008, none of his comments dealt with the potential conflicts of interest
The Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay, had a relationship with Herb Moses, an executive for the now-government controlled Fannie Mae. The column revealed the two had split up at the time but also said Frank was referring to Moses as his “spouse.” Another Washington Post report said Frank called Moses his “lover” and that the two were “still friends” after the breakup

I was watching Fox News Last night and the people who did the undercover video work on ACORN said tonight’s video release is "devestating".

It is supposed to be aired on Glenn Beck’s show at 5pm.

Anyone have any idea what this one will show?

Soros hedge fund invests $811m to buy Petrobras stake
August 15, 2008

London: Billionaire investor George Soros bought an $811 million stake in Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) in the second quarter, making the Brazilian state-controlled oil company his investment fund’s largest holding.

As of June 30, the stake in Petrobras, as the Rio de Janeiro-based oil producer is known, made up 22 per cent of the $3.68 billion of stocks and American depositary receipts held by Soros Fund Management, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Petrobras has since slumped 28 per cent

U.S. Ready to Finance Oil Drilling in Brazil
EFE News Services 8/5/2009

The U.S. government is prepared to provide up to $10 billion in loans to finance the development of massive hydrocarbon reserves off Brazil’s coast, a Brazilian official said Wednesday.

President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, Gen. James Jones, discussed the matter with officials this week during a visit to the South American country, Brazilian Planning Minister Paulo Bernardo da Silva told reporters.

More of the same You Democrats like to say Bush got rich off Iraqi oil but it looks like Obama is the one making money off Oil Companies.George Soros just made 10 Billion dollars ,nice to see Stimulus money going to the people who really need it.hows that hopoe and change working for you

Only a corrupt media could get an Obama elected. If every voter new every anti American detail about Obama he would have been out of the primaries early. But the corrupt media had a genius idea. To crush any decent.. they could just use the race card if they pushed for Obama. White guilt is far more rampid than actual racism nowadays. If they thought they had a better shot getting Hillary elected they would have pushed for her. All they had with her was the sexist card The media is pretty bad but I’d say even they couldnt stomach having to defend Hillary for 4 or 8 years with accusations of sexism lol. So they chose the easier candidate to get elected…not the best for the country…shocking, I know.
So they chose Obama.. and the minority that is Americas informed citizens never had a chance.
But that minority is slowly becoming a majority. Thanks to Obamas radical agenda. Even the corrupt media is having trouble covering it up. The racism card has run its course…Does the media have a back-up plan? Not sure, as of now theyre still desperately clinging to the racism card. Thats why the left biased corrupt media is becoming more and more irrelevant every day.
Hopefully they hit bottom completely before they come up with a backup plan.

The only part missing in all the debate about what Obama was called a liar about in the speech is the more serious issue than the lies and deception. Whats the motive? The agenda?
If I was a flaming leftist I’d say he has no other motive or agenda than to do everything he can to abide by the majority of Americans wishes. LOL
But since I’m not a flaming leftist anti American koolaid drinker, I’d say his motive or agenda is just the opposite. He hasnt supported the majority of the country’s wishes a single time yet. He’s an anti American marxist that couldnt care less about the majoritys wishes or this capitalist country for that matter. His own personal agenda is all that matters. And thats the motive for all the lies and deception. He’s no different in that way than any other politician, but, and a huge but, his agenda is marxist…anti American.
Bush was just as corrupt but he had no anti American agenda. Even if he lied everytime about being such a pro American defender of Americas freedom, he never associated himself with any "anti America" agenda or people. Clinton was a corrupt liar too but he’s no anti American either, just extremely corrupt and deceitful. Political corruption is sadly the American way, but its not nearly as much a threat to America and its traditions as anti Americanism, socialism, communism and marxism.
The left protested Bush because of his politics on gay marraige, abortion, war etc…. They just didnt agree with any of his politics whatsoever. Obama is being protested because he’s an anti American with an anti American anti capitalist agenda. Even Bush only dealt with a few wackos that called him a fascist and actually believed it. Obama has almost half the country believing he’s a socialist, communist, marxist, racist, and/or anti American. Now where did they get an idea like that? Obama hasnt given any reason for anyone, let alone half the country, to believe that? LOL ok.

When the leftists defend Obama when he’s called an anti American, thats a debatable issue. Its far too serious an accusation to not debate. But when they defend his corrupt deceit, thats just scary. Anyone who believes any politician isnt a corrupt liar AND at the same time theyre able to vote is scary. Obama has millions of supporters like that. So does every other dictator in history ironically.

When as a nation are we going to wake up. We are tearing each other apart instead of picking each other up. Example, Konya West, tearing apart Taylor Swift’s award. What the hell, just because you don’t agree, doesn’t mean that the award wasn’t warranted! But this seems to be what we are becoming, a nation of whiners. Another example, are the old white republican guys going around carrying Obama monkeys or saying that they are going to take back their country, from what? The black man? You can’t even pull your head out of your ass to realize that people are dying on the streets because they can’t afford healthcare or can’t even afford to put food on their table because they have to pay 400 plus a month in healthcare costs just to have basic coverage, or the pill that costs 450 dollars, but you have to have it because you will die if you don’t get it. You instead call it socialism and use scare tactics by using words such as death panels. When in reality there are democratic nations out there who provide their entire citizens 100 percent free healthcare and it doesn’t cost any more than what we are already paying today. There are a few folk, mainly white and old who are stuck in the ways of the past, who want to preserve their old ways of racist bigotry and who don’t care about picking up their countrymen and women in a time of need. To that I say, let’s bring on the death panels and let them be the first ones to go to them as we need to get rid of that kind of racism. We as a nation are much better than that.

Do you people really not know what the actual meaning of ‘teabagging’ is or do you have no problem with the media and politicians using a perverted sexual term when referring to their enemies?

The use of that term by the main media disgusts me. The actual term doesn’t bother me, and use of it to my face by friends is fine, but on national TV?!?! Where is the rejection to labeling Americans with different views in a perverted sexual manner?!? If they say that those protesting Obama are teabaggers then they should have no rejection to having their opinions being called gay…