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THE MYTH OF THE CORPORATE POLITICAL JUNGLE: POLITICIZATION AS A POLITICAL STRATEGY

Jonathan I. Klein^1,2

¹ University of Southern California · ² California Southern University

ABSTRACT It is argued that the belief that the intraorganizational environment is necessarily a political one represents a myth propagated and entertained to address various needs of organizational members. One consequence of subscription to the myth of the corporate political jungle is a belief in the necessity for, and as a result the performance of, ‘political’ behaviour itself. ‘Political’ responses by others to this behaviour empirically support the myth and justify the behaviour. It is argued that political behaviour incurs dysfunctional consequences that warrant its reduction or elimination. Because political behaviour responds to belief in its inevitability, reduction of political behaviour ultimately depends upon acceptance of the argument presented in this discussion that the workplace is not inherently political.

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-6486.1988.tb00019.x

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