Workplace Experience: Political Battle

by | Jun 24, 2024 | Management

 

 

Write about your own workplace experiences as they relate to power and politics. Think of one of the largest political battles you witnessed or were a part of during your career, and think carefully about how the concepts from the background materials apply to what you experienced. If you have no workplace experience like this, consider political battles, ethical dilemmas, or abuse of power among your family or friends, or in an organization for which you volunteer.
In preparation for the SLP, make sure you have a thorough grasp of the terminology from the background materials including the main individual and organizational factors that lead to political behavior and the types of political behavior. Once you are comfortable with the terminology and concepts from the background materials, write a 2- to 3-page paper addressing the following issues:
1. Briefly describe a political battle, ethical dilemma, or abuse of power that took place in your workplace, among your family or friends, or in an organization for which you volunteer. Explain who the main players were and what issues were at stake.
2. What individual and organizational factors led to this political battle, ethical dilemma, or abuse of power? Refer to the background readings in your answer.
3. What types of political behaviors did the participants in this political battle, ethical dilemma, or abuse of power exhibit? Be specific and use the types of political behaviors discussed in Luthans et al. (2021).

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Answer

Sample Answer

 

Workplace Experience: Political Battle

Introduction

In my previous workplace, I witnessed a significant political battle that unfolded between two senior managers in the marketing department. The conflict stemmed from a disagreement over the allocation of budget resources for upcoming marketing campaigns and the strategic direction of the department.

Main Players and Issues at Stake

The main players involved were the Marketing Director, who advocated for a more traditional marketing approach focusing on print media and events, and the Digital Marketing Manager, who championed a shift towards digital marketing strategies and online campaigns. The conflict escalated when the Marketing Director refused to allocate a substantial portion of the budget to digital initiatives, citing a lack of proven ROI and the importance of maintaining existing relationships with traditional media partners.

Individual and Organizational Factors

Several individual and organizational factors contributed to this political battle:

1. Individual Factors:

– Competing Goals: The Marketing Director and Digital Marketing Manager had conflicting goals and visions for the department’s future.
– Power Dynamics: The Marketing Director held more formal authority and control over budget decisions, creating a power imbalance.
– Personal Ambitions: Both managers were ambitious and sought to advance their own careers, leading to a clash of interests.

2. Organizational Factors:

– Resource Scarcity: Limited budget resources intensified competition for funding and prioritization.
– Lack of Clear Communication: Poor communication channels within the department exacerbated misunderstandings and fueled tensions.
– Organizational Culture: The organizational culture favored traditional marketing methods, creating resistance to change and innovation.

Types of Political Behaviors

The participants in this political battle exhibited various types of political behaviors as outlined by Luthans et al. (2021):

1. Networking: Both managers engaged in strategic networking with key stakeholders to garner support for their respective proposals.
2. Coalition Building: The Digital Marketing Manager formed alliances with other department heads who supported digital transformation initiatives.
3. Impression Management: The Marketing Director used impression management tactics to portray traditional marketing as the safer and more reliable option to senior leadership.
4. Information Withholding: Both managers strategically withheld information from each other to gain a competitive advantage and protect their interests.

Conclusion

The political battle in my workplace exemplified how individual ambitions, power dynamics, and organizational factors can converge to create conflicts that impact decision-making processes and organizational culture. Understanding and navigating political behaviors are essential skills for leaders to manage such situations effectively and promote a collaborative and productive work environment.

 

 

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