UNDERSTANDING POWER IN ORGANIZATIONS

Managers devote too much of their time and energy to making the "right" decisions and too little to figuring out how the decisions they make are actually going to be implemented. A decision itself changes nothing. The key to effective management lies in understanding how organizational change actually occurs. This in turn requires managers to recognize that organizations are essentially systems and structures of power. By learning how to "manage with power," managers will be better able to achieve both their own goals and those of their company.