THE EMPOWERED MANAGER --- POSITIVE POLITICAL SKILLS AT WORK
by Peter Block. Jossey-Bass, 1991
PREFACE TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION

ORIGINAL PREFACE

THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION --- The dilemmas of managers in the middle! (p1-6)

PART 1 --- POLITICS IN THE WORKPLACE --- Rekindling the entrepreneurial SPIRIT! (p7-104)

    1) Personal choices that shape the work environment (p7-19)

    2) Origins of the bureaucratic mentality (p20-62)

    3) Developing antidotes for bureaucracy > (p63-104)

    Empowerment is a state of mind as well as a result of position, policies and practices!

      As a manager you become more POWERFUL as you nurture the POWER of those below you! One way you nurture those below you is by becoming a role model of how you want them to function. This begins when you create an "entrepreneurial cycle" within your department. (p68)

      As a manager, your task is to empower yourself and to create the conditions under which others can do the same. The "Entrepreneurial Cycle" serves you in this effort. Figure 3 shows the ESSENTIAL RESTRUCTURING required concerning your contract with your organization, your definition of self-interest, and your way of being political --- IF you want to reduce bureaucracy! (p70)

      The "Entrepreneural Cycle" = (1) Entrepreneurial Contract +
      (2) Enlightened self-interest + Authentic tactics + Autonomy (p70)

    To create an "Entrepreneural Cycle," it is necessary to renegotiate the essential contract between the subordinate employee and your organization's administration. Whereas, the "patriarchal contract" requires you to: (1) submit to authority + (2) deny self-expression + (3) make sacrifices for unnamed future rewards, the "Entrepreneurial Contract" requires you to: (1) be your own authority + (2) encourage self-expression + (3) make commitments + (4) believe that the first three enlightened ideas are just! (p71)

      [1] BE YOUR OWN AUTHORITY (p71-76)

        (1) If you want to begin with a radical act, show your
        organization with the pyramid turned upside down. (p72)

        (2) If turning the organization upside down is too
        big a leap, flatten it out! (p72-74)

        (3) Change the "ground rules" about when a
        supervisor supervises. (p74)

        (4) Reverse the performance appraisal process. (p74-75)

        (5) Introduce "self-managing" teams. (p75)

        (6) Encourage subordinates to call meetings. (p75)

        (7) See that assignments become a "two-way" contract. (p75-76)

      [2] ENCOURAGE SELF-EXPRESSION! (p76-80)

        (1) Devote 25% of each meeting to issues of
        attitude, morale and motivation (p78-79)

        (2) Try a "do-it-yourself" attitude survey (p79-80)

      [3] MAKE COMMITMENTS --- Specific ways to replace "sacrifices" with "commitment" (p80-84)

        (1) At the simplest level, STAY FOCUSED on what you and your subordinates are commited to PROFESSIONALLY rather than BUREAUCRATICALLY to remove the "bureaucratic fog!" (p82-83)

        (2) Act in ways that give others "ownership." (p83)

        (3) Discourage and confront passive, nonassertive behavior (p83)

        (4) Create a VISION of greatness for yourself and ask your
        subordinates to do the same.         (p83-84)

      [4] BELIEVE THAT THE ABOVE IDEAS ARE JUST! (p84-85)

        (1) Enlightened self-interest --- (p85-95)

          1. Meaning (p86-87)

          2. Contribution and service (p87-88)

          3. Integrity (p88-90)

          4. Positive impact on others' lives (p90-92)

          5. Mastery (p92-93)

          6. The payoff (p93-95)

        (2) Authentic tactics (p95-103)

          1. Say "NO" when you mean "NO" (p96)

          2. Share as much information as possible (p96-101)

          3. Use language that describes reality (p101-102)

          4. Avoid repositioning for the sake of ACCEPTANCE (p102-103)

          5. Summary (p103-104)

PART 2 --- POSITIVE POLITICAL SKILLS AT WORK (p105-208)

    4) Creating a VISION OF GREATNESS is the first step toward EMPOWERMENT (p105-136)

    5) Building support for your VISION --- NEGOTIATING with allies and adversaries (p137-160)

    6) Balancing autonomy and dependence --- PEACE with those around you (p161-188)

    7) Facing organizational REALITIES (Culture) --- CONTINUAL ACTS OF COURAGE! (p189-200)

    8) Enacting the vision is the ESSENCE of EMPOWERMENT! (p201-208)

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (p209-220)

INDEX (p211-214)

Go to: Achievement Issue at Work
Go to: Change Issue at Work
Go to: Character Issue at Work
Go to: Creativity Issue at Work
Go to: Feelings Issue at Work
Go to: Leadership Issue at Work
Go to: Motivation Issue at Work
Go to: Performance Issue at Work
Go to: Success Issue at Work
Go to: Leadership Control Essay
Go to: Home Page Index
Go to: Interactive Index