The use of political skill in organizational change

Abstract

Purpose

This article explores how recognizing politics may help change agents have better success enacting change.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual paper using systems and practical domains to define a more sophisticated and useful definition of politics for change agents' use.

Findings

The article argues that there is an innate correlation between organizational change and organizational politics.

Research limitations/implications

This article is a call to action for future empirical study on political skill.

Practical implications

This paper is a practical invitation for change agents to recognize and adopt the positive aspects of political skill to aid in their efforts.

Originality/value

Though organizational politics traditionally receives a negative connotation, there is growing research supporting the positive use of politics. This connection has yet to be fully discovered when one reads the literature. This concept paper is an invitation to begin further study.

Citation

Waggoner, D.P. (2020), "The use of political skill in organizational change", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 33 No. 5, pp. 753-763. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-12-2018-0357