N46 + cuarren rive of the symbolic consequences of their actions and by -ateempring co fo desired values. Bur chey can never control culture inthe ese tan management writers advocate The holographic diffusion of culture means tha it pervades inaway thats not direct control by any single group of vival An understanding of organizations as cults opens ots er other metaphors, bur these insights dono always provide the easy ecip for ving manager pobens tat many ‘managers and management writers hope fo, * Like an iceberg, important dimensions of culture are alvays invisible, snd what is easly seen can be slativey unimportant ‘When anthropologis: Franz Boss entertained a Kwakiut! from Pacific Northwest is New York Cty inthe erly twentieth cnnary. ved most of ty forthe bras balls Interests, Conflict, and Power: Organizations As Political Systems WHEN WE SEP ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH THE LENS oF POLITICS, patterns of competing interests, conflicts, and power plays dominate the scene, 1» We view organization and management for bbe captured by the hoopla and ritual chat deco ‘ional life rather than by the deeper and sustain chese visible aspects. To grasp metaphor we have to learn to go beneath the extremely dificule task. " Calture usually ha a deep political dimension, makingi impossible ro ‘rsp the fall significance of culture through the culture metaphor. In seus of ergunizacional culture, the proces of enacting ong ganna political process fundamental sructures that spreciate the fact that conflice is « natural propery of every . saestt many different sources of power and learn how they can be sed to our advancage nizations in political cerms allows us v0 accept Understanding orga pol “nt the enactment occurs. Weall construct or enact our realities but not necesaily under cle ‘cumstances of our own choosing underlying the enactment process always highlight to the degree poss the culture metaphor becomes infused with links with the perspectives to be explored in su148 cuapren six liv in democratic society. Why should I have co obey the ATED BY THE GRINDING AND OPP ‘WORK LIFE captures an aspect of o organizations where b lines have developed berween labor and management. Typical oF not, point of our illustrasion is thai invites us to understand organizations at polccal systems, che political principles employed. ns, lke the one considered above, may be highly admit in private that chey ae surrounded by fo jing” through which different people atempe co However, this kind of activi nt us from recognizing that politics and politicking may be an essen Sal aspect of organizational life and not necessarily an optional and dys. functional ex concile their differences through consultation and negoti Greece, Aristotle adv of organi ‘can grup important qualities of organization that are often glossed. ignored. ORGANIZATIONS AS SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT ‘scrutinizing the way bis grandson is driving the company. ‘The focus ofthe story ison the problem o four yearsas chief exec130 + CHAPTER 1x lacoceds dismissal was merely the most recent and controversial in 2 cofirings that had included the names of seven company presidents since 1960 lacocca was a popular and powerful figure a the Ford company but reed to be moving toward a General Busines Week tated that it believed himself withthe los of personal ppower that this kind of decentalization involved. by no means unigue. Many organizations are ruled by have strong autocratic tendencies and characteristics. DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN TYPES OF POWER AND RULE ‘When we summon rerms like autocrecy and democracy to describe the c onganizaionl or farily al group is characte by sbiolue and often dicaorl pow This power may be exercised through represe agement, where different stakeholders are fo hnocraric have as much pol as join kbor-management