View more photos

Navigating Power and Politics: A Guide to Starting and Leading an Organization

3 min read Article by Jude Shagba | CEO, CMCL/Training Coordinator

Photo Credit: Getty

 Navigating Power and Politics: A Guide to Starting and Leading an Organization

Introduction:
Designing Effective Organizations explores the fundamental environment in which all organizations operate. Imagine your organization as a rocket ship—each component plays a crucial role in ensuring a successful journey. In this article, I highlight how building a new organization or strengthening an existing one can be modeled after different parts of a spacecraft, each essential for reaching your destination. In a way, founding an organization—whether for-profit or nonprofit—requires a bit of rocket science.
It is equally important to understand how power and politics shape organizations in making them to  succeed or fail. There is no denying that power and influence can be used for harmful purposes. However, the same can be said for many forces in our world—medications can be lethal in the wrong dosage, automobiles cause thousands of fatalities each year, and nuclear energy has the potential for both progress and destruction. Yet, we do not abandon medicine, cars, or atomic power due to their risks. Instead, we recognize the importance of proper training and knowledge to harness these forces responsibly. Surprisingly, few people take the same pragmatic approach when it comes to power. Many shy away from discussing it, seemingly operating under the assumption that ignoring power makes it disappear.


To navigate challenges, accelerate growth, and achieve sustainable impact, organizations must understand and optimize the five key components of their structure and then delve into power dynamics and politics in an organization.

Building an Organization: The Rocket Analogy
Launching and managing an organization can be compared to the components of a rocket, each playing a crucial role in ensuring success and sustainability.

1. The Launchpad: Laying the Foundation

Before takeoff, a rocket requires a stable launchpad for support. Similarly, before starting an organization—whether for-profit or nonprofit—you must establish a solid foundation. This includes acquiring knowledge about starting an organization, managing it, entrepreneurship, refining your mission, and preparing the groundwork for your venture.

2. The Guidance System: Strategic Decision-Making

The guidance system determines the rocket’s trajectory, ensuring it stays on course. Likewise, the decision-making process in building an organization is critical. Small miscalculations can lead to significant deviations over time. Consistently making informed, strategic choices can lead to long-term success, while poor decisions can steer the organization far from its intended goals.

3. The Payload System: Defining Purpose and Priorities

The payload system carries the rocket’s mission-critical cargo to its destination. In an organization, this represents the key decisions that shape its purpose and impact. These decisions are influenced by both macro-level factors (such as ethical considerations and overall impact) and micro-level choices, including career direction, charity focus, co-founder selection, and operational location.
 

4. The Propulsion System: Securing Resources and Support

A rocket’s propulsion system provides the thrust needed to escape gravity and accelerate toward its goal. Similarly, securing funding, building a strong network, and effective communication act as the driving force behind an organization's growth. Without adequate support, progress slows, even if the direction is right.
 

5. The Structural System: Ensuring Stability and Resilience

The structural system forms the framework that holds the rocket together during intense pressure. For an organization, this equates to operational structures—budgets, governance, project management, and internal processes. A weak structure makes an organization vulnerable to challenges, while a well-planned framework ensures resilience and longevity.

Key Players Managing and Running an Organizations
Having provided an overview of the foundational aspects of building an organization, let’s now explore the key players involved in its management and operation, along with the complexities and dynamics they navigate.


 

1. The Strategic Apex

The strategic apex consists of the organization's top managers and directors. They serve as the brain of the organization, setting the vision and defining strategic goals. Their primary responsibility is to maximize the organization's return on investment while ensuring alignment with its mission and objectives.

2. The Middle Line

The middle line is made up of managers who bridge the gap between the strategic apex and the operating core. They are responsible for delegating tasks in accordance with the directives set by top management. The number of middle managers depends on the organization’s size. Their role includes overseeing operations, managing their assigned units, and providing periodic performance feedback to senior leadership.

3. The Operating Core

This segment comprises employees directly responsible for producing the organization’s goods and services. It is the backbone of the organization, where business value is generated. The effectiveness of the operating core significantly influences the organization’s overall success.

4. The Techno-Structure

The techno-structure consists of analysts and specialists who determine the techniques, tools, and standards used by the operating core. Their function is to ensure efficiency and standardization, but they are not directly part of the operating core. Depending on the organization’s structure, the techno-structure may operate at various levels, shaping processes and optimizing performance.
 

5. The Support Staff

The support staff provides essential services that facilitate the organization's operations. While not directly involved in production or decision-making, they play a critical role in ensuring smooth day-to-day functioning, handling tasks such as administration, HR, and logistics.
Each of these components interacts dynamically to sustain and grow an organization, making effective management a complex yet essential process.

The Power Dynamics And Politics In Organizations
In every organization, there is bound to be power dynamics and polities at play especially where all the players mentioned above are involved. For leaders to  manage organizations well and to drive such organizations to attain success, they are bound to be politics at play internally and externally in one way or the other. This is true for both profit and not-for-profit organizations. Jeffrey Pfeffer, in his article Understanding Power in Organizations, stated, “People readily acknowledge that governments are organizations. However, the reverse—that organizations function as governments—is equally true but often overlooked.” Large organizations, much like governments, are inherently political entities. To comprehend them fully, one must grasp organizational politics, just as understanding governments requires knowledge of governmental politics. Often times we are tempted to close our eyes to the aspects of power and politics in organizations or out-rightly deny its existence especially for not-for-profit organizations.

However, there is a fundamental issue with this approach to addressing organizational power and influence. Simply ignoring the social realities of power does not make them disappear, nor does attempting to create simpler, less interdependent structures necessarily result in more effective or sustainable organizations. While large organizations do sometimes cease to exist, smaller organizations tend to fail at a significantly higher rate and face greater challenges to survival. Overlooking power and influence in organizations not only prevents us from understanding these crucial social dynamics but also hinders our ability to equip managers with the skills needed to navigate them effectively.
It is important to know that in many organizations, power  and politics are usually at play because of conflicting priorities among the key players within the organization. As Peter F. Drucker explains, “For a CEO, the priority task might be redefining the company’s mission. For a unit head, it might be redefining the unit’s relationship with headquarters. Other tasks, no matter how important or appealing, are postponed.” However, once the top-priority task is completed, the executive does not simply move on to the next item on the original list. Instead, they reassess and ask, “What must be done now?”—a question that often leads to a new set of priorities.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, in his discussion of power dynamics, quoted Richard Nixon: "Power is the opportunity to build, to create, to nudge history in a different direction. There are few satisfactions to match it for those who care about such things. But it is not happiness. Those who seek happiness will not acquire power and would not use it well if they did."

More so, a whimsical observer once remarked that those who love laws and sausages should avoid watching either being made. Similarly, while we honor leaders for their accomplishments, we often choose to overlook the means by which they achieve them. In reality, politics is about compromise, and democracy is inherently political. Anyone aspiring to be a statesman must first succeed as a politician. Likewise, a leader must engage with people and nations as they are, not as they ought to be.
Consequently, the traits necessary for leadership are not always those we would encourage in our children—unless we wished for them to become leaders. When assessing a leader, the crucial question is not whether their characteristics are appealing or unappealing, but whether they are effective.

Conclusion
Running an organization comes with numerous challenges that push you beyond your comfort zone. Your intervention might fail in a randomized controlled trial, a key partner may under deliver, or a major donor could withdraw support—these are just a few of the obstacles you may encounter. Successfully navigating these setbacks requires both strategic influence and political acumen.
However, in doing so, you gain valuable insights into your personality and weaknesses, fostering growth not only in your organization but also on a personal level.This journey can be demanding, so it's crucial to avoid overextending yourself. There is a delicate balance between pushing yourself to grow and risking burnout. Seek support from co-founders, mentors, and professionals when needed. Remember that the struggles you face are not unique—many in your position experience the same challenges. However, the tendency to highlight success stories often obscures the reality of the ups and downs. Those who have built thriving organizations will tell you that the internal reality is always more complex than the polished external image suggests.


References

1. Charity Entrepreneurship (2021). How to launch a high-impact nonprofit. www.charityentrepreneurship.com (Accessed on 21^st February, 2025)
2. Drucker, P. (1967). The Effective Executive: the definitive guide to getting the right things done. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL13946384M/The_effective_executive
3. Pfeffer, J. (1992). Understanding power in organizations. California Management Review, 34(2), 29–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166692
4. Thomas Schmidt (2006):A review of Structure in Fives; Designing Effective Organizations. http://thesis.msc-cse.com/pdf/article_mintzberg.pdf (Accessed on 20^th February, 2025)
5. Weiss, T. G. (2018). Would the world be better without the UN. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL29375584M/Would_the_World_Be_Better_Without_the_Un

Read 247 times Share on Share on Share on

Author:

Jude Shagba | CEO, CMCL/Training Coordinator

---

Jude is an innovative humanitarian and development professional dedicated to empowering local teams with the knowledge and resources necessary to drive social reforms and make a positive global impact. As a Leadership and Management Trainer, he has a proven track record of advocating for the creation of networks to cultivate highly skilled workforces capable of delivering effective emergency responses and development programmes at the grassroots level. With extensive experience in the humanitarian and development sectors, he has pioneered and managed organizations in Nigeria and Europe. Known for his attention to detail and reliability, Jude excels in leveraging his communication, research and analytical skills to provide strategic direction for community development services. He specializes in collaborating with governments and organizations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and tailor solutions for humanitarian and developmental interventions. Jude's impressive educational background includes a joint degree in International Humanitarian Action, focusing on the Humanitarian Action and Development Nexus at Uppsala University in Sweden, and a specialization in Armed Conflicts and Humanitarian Action at the University of Warsaw in Poland. He also received regional training in Ethnic Politics, Regionalization & Development in Southeast Asia at Chiang Mai University in Thailand. He also holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Ilorin and an MBA from Ahmadu Bello University and Certificate of Advanced Study in Humanitarian Leadership and Management from Lucerne University in Switzerland,showcasing his commitment to professional growth and expertise in his field. Jude is the Founder of the Global Village Healthcare Initiative for Africa (GHIV Africa) and also the coordinator for the internship program by GHIV Africa in collaboration with Ambassadors for the World and Change Makers Consulting Limited. He facilitates modules on humanitarian leadership, peace and stabilization operations, and proposal development. Since 2022, he has graduated over 3000 interns in the field of humanitarian and development. Jude has led several research and needs assessments through GHIV Africa in the areas of gender analysis, multi-sector needs assessments.His recent research was on localization as new form of paternalism: differentiated donor aid approaches based on geopolitical criteria: a comparative study of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Bosnia Herzegovina (BiH.) Jude is the CEO/Chief consultant at Change Makers Consulting Limited.