Exploring Management & Leadership in Canada

Overview According to my research on power and politics in business, the authors of the five referenced articles have a common view. All of them advocate addressing workplace politics and power directly, rather than avoiding them. The articles offer valuable insights and coping strategies from various angles, including management, employee education, academic interpretation, and psychology. In particular, I want to point out that one of the differences is one notable article by Kobeissi, titled "Power Politics and Stakeholder Management: The Effects on the Organizational DNA," which examines the architects of workplace politics and power games, namely the top stakeholder groups. The author identifies stakeholders in the organization as the architects of workplace politics and power games. It means, in addition to learning political power's machinations, we also need to consider stakeholders' ultimate goals and preferences. Personally, I agree with the author tha...

Hello everyone! My focus will be on Control System Design in this post.  Here I would like to take the B2C business of Alibaba, where I used to work, for example. Major Projects for Alibaba's B2C Business Most of Alibaba's business is conducted through its online platforms Tmall.com and Taobao.com, which are among the nation's most popular e-commerce sites. Taobao.com is a marketplace for small businesses and individual sellers to sell their goods and services to consumers, while Tmall.com is a marketplace for big brands and distributors. The aim is to provide customers with a convenient, safe and diverse online shopping experience while providing sellers with a sustainable and profitable platform. Three types of control Output Control As far as control type is concerned, Alibaba's B2C business is an output control as of now. It focuses on measurable results such as sales, profits, customer satisfaction, etc. It establishes clear, quantifiable performance indicators...

Welcome to my blog! this post is about the challenges of gender expression in the workplace and some positive strategies we can implement as managers. My role I am a team leader working in a relatively traditional financial industry that requires a certain dress code. My Team The team is diverse. There are different requirements for dress and gender expression for different employees. This video shows a Global Bank employee, Erika Miguel, having to wear her Catholic school uniform as a child and a dress code at work. She chooses to wear men's clothing to feel more comfortable at work. In the workplace, Erika Miguel has experienced many different kinds of treatment because of her gender expression and fashion. Erika came out of the women's restroom because she was dressed in a more neutral manner than her male coworkers, and then Erika was asked disrespectfully why she was in the women's restroom with her female coworkers. Erika felt disrespected and valued as a result...

At the beginning of the article, the authors use metaphors to simplify the understanding of reading organizational management: corporations are machines and organizations are organisms. Managers and employees, on the other hand, are likened to " rulers and ruled ", " organizations are collections of voters " or " organizations are political arenas ". Within the article's first main section, the author explores the concepts of stakeholders, power, and politics. Stakeholders are defined as individuals or groups who are affected by a company's success or failure.  As time goes on, they will continue to evolve to include not only those closely associated with the company but also broader communities and government entities.  Also, the author reminds us that it is essential to assess the needs and interests of stakeholders before managing them effectively. The article also delves into several stakeholder management theories. These include: Normative ...

My fourth blog post on the Organizational Behavior course is based on the Harvard Business Review article "Office Politics Doesn't Have to be Toxic," published May 30, 2022, by Madeleine Wyatt and Elena Doldor. The article discusses office politics and its impact on workplace inclusion. According to their research, they found that office politics is often dominated by white men, which also leads to simultaneous inequality and exclusion of women and minorities. The survey also revealed toxic workplace politics, including exclusion, backroom deals, and being ignored or pushed aside. And, this culture can exist at any level of the organization, leading many to disengage from office politics and focus on their work, which can hinder their career development. How to look at office politics positively and change these negative situations ? The authors discuss how first organizations should foster an inclusive culture that promotes healthy office dynamics rather than merely...

In fact, it is a chapter in the Conflict Management course material at Fanshawe College , Canada. So I believe it is worth reading in terms of academic rigour. There are three sections that introduce what is power, what is politics, and how to effectively handle power and politics at work. Content Summary What is the difference between power authority and leadership?  After reading this chapter, I would say that Power is the ability to make someone do something by force or reward. Authority is making someone do something with respect or right. Leadership is making someone do something with trust or vision. In the workplace, under what circumstances do political disputes most commonly occur?   As shown in the chart below, it is expected that political activity will be highest in situations characterized by high levels of uncertainty and complexity and high levels of competition among groups for a limited amount of resources. When uncertainty and complexity are low and resou...

I share this article from psychologytoday.com, a website founded in 1967 that focuses on psychology and human behaviour. The author is Craig B. Barkacs, J.D., he is a professor of business law at the University of San Diego School of Business. Content Summary The article discusses the 7 rules of political skill and power in the workplace and emphasizes the importance of understanding organizational politics for protecting our interests. The rules are as follows: To succeed in workplace politics, it's important to actively participate in the process. Make wise decisions: Not every political issue is worth engaging with actively, but passive engagement is crucial. It is not just talent and hard work that determine success in the workplace: political skill and luck play a huge role as well. As individuals climb the organizational ladder, rivalry between colleagues for positions and opportunities may arise. Reacting poorly to not getting what we want can harm our reputation while rea...

My first blog post on the Organizational Behavior course is based on the article "You Can’t Sit Out Office Politics, but you can use them to your advantage.", written by Niven Postma, and published by Harvard Business Review, on July 14, 2021. Content Summary In the author's opinion, office politics is based on how people interact at work and influence each other. It can be positive or negative, but it is unavoidable. Some people think they can avoid office politics by focusing on their work and being nice to everyone. Meanwhile, the author also points out that this strategy may lead them to lose trust, miss out on opportunities, and isolate themselves. The article suggests four steps to deal constructively with office politics. First, get to know the political environment of our organization. Who are the key players, what are their goals, and how do they communicate? Second, identify our own political style and goals. Are we team players, networkers, self-promoters, or c...

Background information Alibaba Group is a China-based multinational conglomerate specializing in e-commerce, Internet and technology. Since 1999, it has grown to become one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world. It offers a wide range of services including online B2B & B2C, cloud computing, local lifestyle services, entertainment, and digital innovation businesses etc. Broad Mission and Goals From my experience working for Alibaba, I know its mission is "To make it easy for anyone to do business anywhere."  In the digital economy, Alibaba aims to connect buyers and sellers worldwide, provide seamless online shopping experiences, and enable businesses to thrive. Digital innovation and inclusive business practices are used to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and promote economic growth. (This is the Double 11 shopping festival in 2019. We take Chinese goods and sell them to overseas countries including Canada through the Internet.) Following is ...