Power and Politics

BY Mr. ARUN PIRAVOM ( [email protected]) Page 1

POWER AND POLITICS

INTRODUCTION

Power was once considered a taboo in nursing. In the earliest years, the exercise of power

was considered inappropriate, unladylike, and unprofessional. Many decisions about nursing

education and practice were often made by persons outside of nursing. Nurses began to exercise

their collective power with the rise of nursing leaders and the development of organizations that

evolved into the American Nurses’ Association and the National League for Nursing. Power

gives one the potential to change the attitudes and behaviors of individual people and groups.

Power has a positive and a negative face. The negative face of power is the “I win, you lose”

aspect of dominance versus submission. The positive face of power occurs when someone exerts

influence on behalf of rather than over someone or something. Politics is the art of using power

wisely. It requires clear decision making, assertiveness, accountability, and the willingness to

express one’s own views.

DEFINITIONS:

1) Power is derived from the Latin verb potere (to be able); thus power may be

appropriately defined as that which enables one to accomplish goals.

2) Power can also be defined as the capacity to act or the strength and potency to

accomplish something.

3) Power is the ability to influence others through the use of energy and strength.

THE NEED FOR POWER:

To provide competent, humanistic, and affordable care to people

To participate in health care policy development

To gain leverage proportionate with their numbers

To ensure that nursing is an attractive career choice for all who want to provide care,

influence, and improve nursing, heath care, and health policy.

LEVELS OF POWER:

The power to be (being)- The maintenance of a purely vegetative existence requires

minimum force (exist).

The power of self-affirmation- Efforts to define self and establish significance require

greater force than that required for existence.

The power of self-assertion- Compelling others to reckon with one’s individuality and rights

requires greater force than that needed for self affirmation.

The power of aggression- Moving into and taking possession of another’s territory requires

force beyond that needed to define personal identity and rights

The power of violence-Application of harmful force against another person or property

reflects a disturbed definition of self, other, and property.


POWER PRINCIPLES:

There are principles to guide a nurse manager in obtaining power and preventing its seizure by

others.

1. Power is dynamic and elusive and must be continuously replenished.

2. Power can be obtained only through active means; that is, it must be expressed against

resistance and wrested from opponents.

3. A power oriented manager uses any means of control that will manipulate circumstances in

her/his favour.

4. To win in the game of organizational politics requires a person’s total commitment to goals.

5. Restraint is needed to use power appropriate. A person should use only as much force as

needed to achieve desired objectives.

6. Power relations in an organization are situational, that is, a person’s ability to apply force to

another is contingent on specific circumstances that would not exist at another place or time.

For example, a subordinate’s power over a superior may result from the subordinate’s having

held a leadership position in the past; having publicly defended the superior against attack; or

having knowledge of the superior’s unwise or unsafe behaviour in a situation that is unknown

to others. A superior’s power over a subordinate may result less from their respective

positions in the official table of organization than from the superior’s membership on the

subordinate’s thesis committee or office in a professional organization that the subordinate

has recently joined.

7. Power has spatial dimensions. That is, the amount of a person’s power is relative to other

powers extant in the situation. A nurse manager who attempts to wield power forcefully will

encounter strong resistance from peers and subordinates, because excessive force engenders

counterforce as employees struggle for personal control and control over work life. This

counterforce limits the direction and distance through which the manager’s power attempts

are effective.

8. All agency employees desire clear definitions of power and control relationships among staff

members but are reluctant to discuss power and control issues publicly; especially in the

presence of persons with high authority. Consequently, health workers are unlikely to

ventilate dissatisfaction about power distribution and use during regular staff meetings.

Resentments concerning power abuse are likely to accumulate, fester, and explode

unexpectedly.


TYPES OF POWER:

According to French and Raven (1959), the following are the types of power.

1. Reward power:

Reward power is obtained by the ability to grant favors or reward others with whatever

they value. The arsenal of rewards that a manager can dispense to get employees to work toward

meeting organizational goals is very broad. Positive leadership through rewards tends to develop

a great deal of loyalty and devotion toward leaders. Nurse Managers have a strong reward power

base.

2. Punishment or coercive power:

This is the opposite of reward power and is based on fear of punishment if the manager’s

expectations are not met. The manager may obtain compliance through threats of transfer, layoff,

demotion, or dismissal. The manager who shuns or ignores an employee is exercising power

through punishment, as is the manager who berates or belittles an employee. The focus of

coercive power is not to assist others to improve or contribute more to the work team, but instead

specifically to hurt and punish others. This manager has reward power but chooses to use it in a

negative way. This is an unhealthy power base and must be avoided by nurse managers who

wish to be successful.

3. Legitimate power:

Legitimate power is position power. Authority is also called legitimate power. It is the

power gained by a title or official position within an organization. Legitimate power has inherent

in it the ability to create feelings of obligation or responsibility. The socialization and culture of

subordinate employees will influence to some degree how much power a manager has due to

his/her position.

4. Expert power:

Expert power is gained through knowledge, expertise, or experience. Having critical

knowledge allows a manager to gain power over others who need that knowledge. This type of

power is limited to a specialized area. For example, someone with vast expertise in music would

be powerful only in that area, not in another specialization.

5. Referent power:

Referent power is power a person has because others identify with that leader or with

what that leader symbolizes. Referent power also occurs when one gives other person feelings of

personal acceptance or approval. It may be obtained through association with the powerful.

People may also develop referent power because others perceive them as powerful.

Some theorists distinguish charismatic power from referent power. Willey (1990) state that

charisma is a type of personal power, whereas referent power is gained only through association

with powerful others.


6. Informational power:

This source of power is obtained when people have information that others must have

inorder to accomplish their goals. The person with the most information is listened and

respected. We need to determine if it is legitimate information coming from the person who is

sharing it. The information coming from someone in a management position should be valued

and recognized as a source of power as opposed to information from someone who does not have

legitimate right to the information.

SOURCES OF POWER

Type source

Referent Association with others

Legitimate Position

Coercive Fear

Reward Ability to grant favours

Expert Knowledge and skill

Charismatic Personal

Informational The need for information

Self Maturity, ego strength

WAYS TO ACHIEVE POWER:

There are multiple ways to accumulate, or gain power. Methods to acquire power include the

following:

☻ Broad human networks: the more networks and the more extensive they are, the more power

potential.

☻ Broad information networks: the more diverse types of information controlled the more

power.

☻ Multiple formal and informal leadership roles: high engagement and visibility bring

increased power.

☻ Ability to assess situations accurately and to solve problems.

☻ Authority over others and resources via legitimate work organizational roles.

☻ Vision for the future and creativity

☻ Ability to grant services to others, which builds debts.

☻ Expertise that is sought by others.


WAYS TO INCREASE EXPERT POWER:

Participate in interdisciplinary conferences to broaden knowledge, develop skills, and build

networks.

Keep knowledge and skills current to maintain and extend power. Continuing education

offerings, books, and journals are effective means.

Earn higher degrees; education brings expertise and enhances credibility.

Participate actively in professional associations such as the ANA, state nurses’ associations,

and speciality groups to broaden networks, hone expertise, and develop legitimate and

referent power.

Participate in nursing research to develop knowledge and increase expertise

Problem-solve with colleagues in nursing and other disciplines to develop expertise and

networks and to polish skills.

Participate in nursing and interdisciplinary committees to develop and enhance expert,

referent, and legitimate power.

Publish to develop expert power.

Learn from mentors; be a mentor to develop expertise and connections or referent power.

EXERCISING POWER AND INFLUENCE IN THE WORKPLACE AND OTHER

ORGANIZATIONS:

To use influence effectively in any organization, one must understand how the system works and

develop organizational strategies. Developing organizational savvy includes identifying the real

decision makers and those persons who have a high level of influence with the decision makers.

Recognize the informal leaders within any organization.

Collegiality and collaboration:

An empowering attitude:

Developing coalitions:

Negotiating:

EMPOWERMENT:

Definition: Empowerment is a sense of having both the ability and the opportunity to act

effectively.

Empowerment is a process or strategy the goal of which is to change the nature and distribution

of power in a specific context. It is a group activity that increases political and social

consciousness, is based on the need for autonomy, and is accomplished with continuing cycles of


assessment and action. Nursing organizations seek to empower nurses; nurses endeavour to

empower patients to seek and adopt healthy lifestyles.

Empowered nurses have three required characteristics that enable them to participate in policy

development:-

1. The first is a raised consciousness of the social, political, and economic realities of their

situation or environment and society. They are aware of culture and diversity and of gender,

race, and class biases, prejudices, discrimination, and stereotyping that produce the need for

policy development or change. Such nurses can evaluate and understand the dynamics of a

situation or issue in which they themselves can more readily find or help to find remedies.

2. The second quality empowered nurses to have a positive sense of self and self-efficacy

regarding their ability to effect, or facilitate, change. They value themselves and have voice to

articulate and effect change. They can also contribute to the resolution of problems that affect

health at the community, state, and national levels.

3. Development of skills that allow active participation in change processes is the third

important characteristics. Empowered nurses know how to use traditional methods of power

and politics in policy making. Concrete knowledge and information are necessary, as is

understanding interpersonal communication skills, politics, and power and how to use them.

Empowerment ladder:

Self-confidence

Ability to control life situations

Refuse to be a victim

Value self and others

Be a risk taker

Be creative

Resolve conflict

Show initiative

Become empowered.

The key factors contributing to one’s power image:-

Self-image: Thinking of one’s self as powerful and effective

Grooming and dress: Ensuring that clothing, hair, and general appearance are neat, clean,

and appropriate to the situation

Good manners: Treating people with courtesy and respect

Body-language: Maintaining good posture, using gestures that avoid too much drama,

maintaining good eye contact, and being confident in your movement.

Speech: Using a firm, confident voice; good grammar and diction; an appropriate vocabulary;

and strong communication skills

Belief in power as a positive force

Belief in value of nursing to society


Career commitment: Having a career commitment does not preclude leaving employment

temporarily for family, education, or other demands. Having a career commitment implies

that a nurse views himself or herself first and foremost as a member of the discipline of

nursing with an obligation to make a contribution to the profession.

Continuing professional education: Valuing education is one of the hallmarks of a

profession. The continuing development of one’s professional skills and knowledge is an

empowering experience, preparing the nurse to make decisions with the support of an

expanding body of knowledge. Returning to school for advanced degrees is also a powerful

growth experience and reflects commitment to the profession of nursing.

Additional personal power strategies:

Be honest

Always be courteous; it makes other people feel good

Smile when appropriate; it puts people at ease

Accept responsibility for your own mistakes and learn from them

Be a risk taker

Win and lose gracefully

Learn to be comfortable with conflict and ambiguity; they are both normal states of the human

condition.

Give credit to others when credit is due.

Develop the ability to take constructive criticism gracefully; learn to let destructive criticism

“roll off your back”.

Always follow through on promises

TOOLS FOR IMPROVING POWER IMAGE:

Communication skills- The most basic tool is effective verbal communication skills, which

help define a power image. These are same communication skills nurses learn to ensure

effective interaction with patients and families. Listening skills are essential leadership skills.

Manager who are good listeners develop reputations for being fair and consistent. Verbal and

non-verbal skills are important personal power strategies; the ability to assess these messages

is a critical power strategy. Experts in communication estimate that 90% of the messages we

communicate to others are nonverbal. When nonverbal and verbal messages conflict, the

nonverbal message is more powerful.

Networking: Networking is an important power strategy and political skill. A network is a

system of contacts that is developed, nurtured, and maintained as sources of information,

advice, and moral support. Networking supports the empowerment of participants through

interaction and the refinement of their interpersonal skills..

Mentoring: Mentors are competent, experienced professionals who develop a relationship

with a novice for the purpose of providing advice, support, information, and feedback to

encourage the development of another individual. Mentoring has become a significant power


strategy for women in general and for nurses in particular during the last 20 years. Mentoring

provides novices with expanded access to information, power, and career opportunities.

Effective mentoring in nursing can be characterized by certain attributes (Stewart & Kruger,

1996):-

Goal setting: Goal setting is another power strategy. Every nurse knows about setting goals.

Nurse may be expected to write annual goals for performance reviews at work. Goals help one

to know if what was planned was actually accomplished.

Developing expertise: must not be limited to clinical knowledge. Leadership and

communication skills are essential to the effective exercise of power in a range of nursing roles.

Education and practice provide the means for developing such expertise in any of the domains

of nursing: clinical practice, education, research, and management.

High visibility: the strategy of high visibility within an organization also requires volunteering

to serve as a member or the chairperson of committees and task forces. High visibility can be

nurtured by attending the open meetings of committees and other groups of which you are not a

member in the workplace, professional associations, or the community. Use opportunities both

before and after meetings to share your expertise, providing valuable information and ideas to

members and leaders of such groups. Share this expertise at open meetings when appropriate.

Speak up confidently, but have something relevant to say. Be concise and precise.

ABUSE OF POWER:

Abuse of power is the control of people by some kind of force. It is the use of power for

one’s own benefit and can be present in families, organizations, and all levels of domestic and

international government. It is always unethical. Poor developing nations around the world are

obvious examples. Dictators abuse their people often to the point of genocide. Industrialized

nations engage in unfair trade and often exploit workers.

POWERLESSNESS:

Powerlessness is a horrible state. Personal powerlessness is a personal nightmare. It

brings about feelings of frustration that generally lead to anger; it saps energy levels and leaves

the person in a constant state of exhaustion from fighting to alter the balance of power; it defeats

the spirit and soul of a person. A person who exhibits powerless behaviour is someone who

needs immediate attention. Powerless people do not function well in their jobs, they lose their

motivation and drive to do well, and they are a negative influence in any work environment.

Such people should not be eliminated from the environment; they should be assessed and worked

with in an effort to alter the situation.

A person becomes powerless when:

Being threatened by the competence of others

Accepting a job without sufficient training or experience

Depending on others to meet own needs


Transferring feelings of inferiority to others while demanding perfection from subordinates.

“Nitpicking” over small things

Wanting to keep things predictable

Being trapped by roles and stereotypes

Devaluing the group process

Protecting her/his own turf

Blaming others to protect self

POLITICS:

Definition: It is a process through which one tries successfully or unsuccessfully to reach a

goal.

Political nursing: Political nursing is defined as the use of knowledge about power processes

and strategies to influence the nature and direction of health care and professional nursing.

Anderson, Anderson & Glanze, 1998

Political Action Spheres:

The process of influencing others in order to achieve ends can be seen in relation to four arenas,

spheres or domains. These spheres are-

The workplace

Professional organizations

Community

Local, state and federal governments

The workplace:

Nurses work in organizations with varied characteristics- private or public; profit, non-

profit, or charitable; large, small or medium; and in large or small cities, towns, small towns, or

rural areas. In the work place, there are many issues with which nurses are involved. Power and

politics may be necessary to resolve issues. Some issues that may be found in some workplace

include the following:

1. Mandatory overtime work requirements

2. A nursing clinical ladder program that rewards excellence with promotions and pay

incentives.

3. Work scheduling length of shift, evening and night rotation, vacation priority.

4. A smoking ban in the entire facility; designation of smoking areas.

5. Visiting hours in special care units.


6. Identification and security procedures.

7. Authority to delay discharge from or admission to special care units based on professional

nurse assessment.

8. Authority to refer patients to a home health care agency.

9. Decisions regarding substation of unlicensed personnel for Registered Nurses to provide

care.

Professional organizations:

Professional organizations have been essential to the “professionalization” of nursing.

The modern nursing movement began in 1873 in response to the changing role of women.

Pioneers of this movement worked for a new profession for women and for better health for the

public. These women used political power to open nurse training schools, organize professional

associations, and participate in social issues such as women’s suffrage, public health, and

integration. Professional organizations have made significant contributions in developing nursing

practice. They have set standards of practice, advocated for change in the scope of practice and

passage of nurse practice acts, and advocated for nurses in collective action in the workplace.

Such organizations have an ever-increasing role in the health policy development. A strong

professional or organization needs to be a visible force. Organizations can identify issues that

concern nursing and health care, bring them to public, and take a leadership role in advocating

for development of policies that improve health and ensure high-quality nursing care. To achieve

this, organizations need support of nurses through their membership and through their political

acumen.

Community:

Community is defined as a population, a neighbourhood, a state, a nation, and the world.

Nurses are members of a community with the responsibility to promote the wellbeing of the

community and its members. In exchange, the community provides important resources for

nurses’ work in health promotion and health care-delivery. Many of the people who live in a

community, such as health-care administrators, corporate managers, industrial leaders, elected

and career government officials, and patient have power. These people can, and do, participate in

community activities; they have status, expertise, and connections. By building relationships

with community members, nurses can gain supporters to achieve goals. The connections they

make can transform into networks, and the people in the networks can be asked to support

agendas. In exchange, nurses should support community agendas to work to improve community

life. Nurses can help mobilize communities on issues such as recycling, environmental clean-up,

safety, energy conservation, health screening, and the like. This can affect professional life with

increased skills, knowledge, experience, and power development. In addition, nurses who are

active and form connections in their communities become role models and represent the whole

profession.


Government:

Government affects most aspects of our lives. We must document births, deaths,

marriages; and mandatory childhood immunizations. Government is needed to ensure that what

we need to get done is accomplished. Government plays an essential role in nursing and in health

care. Government influences and supports the current managed care arrangement, which

provides for reimbursement for health and nursing care. To a great extent, government

determines who has access to care and to what type of care. Federal, state, and local governments

make decisions about major health issues in our society. Recent decisions include:

1) The kinds of foods and snacks available to children at schools.

2) Prohibition of smoking in some public places

3) Provision of meals for the poorest children

4) The health services available at schools and whether schools may provide sexual

and reproductive information.

5) Whether public funds can be used to distribute clean needles to intravenous drug

users to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS.

6) Whether women can receive full information about reproductive rights and who

can provide that information.

7) Whether violence is treated only as a crime or also as a public health issue and

whether to regulate the use of hand guns.

8) Allocation of funds for housing development and maintenance.

THE FOUR STAGES OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PROFESSION

OF NURSING: (a model by - Cohen, Mason, Kovner, Leavitt, Pulcini, and

Sochalski, 1996)

1. Buy- in: Recognizing the importance of activism.

2. Self-interest: Developing and using political expertise to further the profession’s self-

interests.

3. Political sophistication: Moving beyond self-interests, recognizing the need for

activism on behalf of the public.

4. Leading the way: Providing true leadership on broad healthcare interests.

With the addition of an initial stage identified by Kalisch and Kalisch (1982), this

model can also be applied to the political development and activism of individual

nurses related to both professional and legislative political arenas:

1. Apathy: no membership in professional organizations; little or no interest in

legislative politics as they relate to nursing and healthcare.

2. Buy-in: recognition of the importance of activism within professional organizations

and legislative politics related to critical nursing issues.


3. Self-interest: involvement in professional organizations to further one’s own career;

the development and use of political expertise to further the profession’s self-interest.

4. Political sophistication: high level of professional organization activism (e.g.,

holding office at the local and state level) moving beyond self-interests; recognition of

the need for activism on behalf of the public.

5. Leading the way: serving in elected or appointed positions in professional

organizations at the state and national levels; providing true leadership on broad

healthcare interests within legislative politics, including seeking appointment to

policy-making bodies and election to political positions.

POLITICAL ANALYSES

Effective use of power and politics to facilitate strategy development for the policy

process requires systematic analysis of the issues.

COMPONENTS OF POLITICAL ANALYSIS:

☻ Identify and analyze the problem:

Identification and analysis of the problem or issue is the first step. The problem must

be understood in order to frame it in ways that will move elected officials to action. It

must be carefully crafted in terms that make sense. To frame the problem adequately,

state the scope, duration, and history of the problem. An important point is to be

explicit about whom this problem affects. Then collect all data that are available to

describe the issue and its implications. Identify any gaps in the data. Identify whether

more research might be useful and, if so, what types would help.

☻ Outline and analyze proposed solution:

Present possible solutions to public officials along with the identified problem. It is

best to develop more than one solution because costs, effectiveness, and durability

differ from approach to approach

☻ Understand the background, including its history and attempts to solve the

problem:

It is important to understand what attempts have been made to address an issue. The

history, including why and how previous attempts failed, will provide an estimation of

the potential success of the current proposal. Even in a workplace context,

understanding the background of an issue is important. If one believes that the staffing

on a unit needs to be changed to improve patient care, efficiency, and nurse

satisfaction, one must assess how the staffing was structured, why it was done in that

particular way, and why and how that format is outdated before one present one’s

proposal to the nurse manager or appropriate committee.


☻ Locate the political situation and its structure:

After the problem and solutions have been delineated, assess and choose the

appropriate political venues. The choice is between the private sector and government.

If the decision made is to approach government, decide on the level and branch. There

are times when both the public and private sectors are involved, but in that case, only

one has the decision making responsibility. When all sectors have equal power, no one

sector has the responsibility to make decision nor the vested interest to prevent a

decision. Be sure to identify the political setting accurately, because making an error

can cause you a loss of credibility and a loss of power. For example, if nurse are

concerned about an aspect of patient care, the employer must be approached through

the organization structure. It is unfair and impolitic to go to public officials before

internal mechanisms have been exhausted. It is also imprudent to exclude the nurse

manager and go directly to the chief nurse executive or a supervisor. Again, so doing

will cause loos of face, credibility, and power.

☻ Evaluate the stakeholders:

The next step is to identify the stakeholders. Stakeholders are those who are affected by

or have influence over an issue or who could be recruited to care about it. Stakeholders

include policy makers who have proposals related to the issue, special interest groups,

and those with a position on the issue.

☻ Conduct a values assessment:

All political issues have or moral aspects. Human rights, international health law, the

right to health, genetic engineering, embryonic stem cell research, genetic technologies,

terrorism, abortion, and the death penalty are among the most visible moral issues

today. Issues necessitate that stakeholders assess their own values and those of their

opponents.

☻ Ascertain financial and personnel needs to attain goals:

Any effective political strategy must include assessment of resources needed to reach

goals. In addition to money, other needed resources include time, connections or

network, volunteers, contributors, and intangibles, such as people who are strategists

and those with creative ideas. The budget structure within an organization or

government agency must be considered. It is important to understand the budget

process, including how money is allocated to a cost center or line budget, who makes

decision regarding expenditures, how use of funds is evaluated, and how an individual

or group can influence budget development and implementation.

☻ Analyze power bases:

In any setting, assessment of power bases of both proponents and opponents is

essential.


POLITICAL STRATEGIES:

After the political analysis is completed, a plan of action with strategies is developed.

Strategies are the plans to achieve political and policy goals. To achieve goals it is useful to

follow these tactics.

Persistence- Change takes time; conflict is almost always part of policy change. Policy

change or new policy development and implementation is a long-term commitment and

requires commitment and endurance.

Look at big picture: Always prepare for the political process of policy development by

clarifying aspects of the issue. This includes knowing your position and possible

solutions supported by data, assessing your power base and that of others involved,

planning strategies, and knowing the opposition and their plans and rationales.

Understand the context of the issue.

Frame issue adequately: Understand the stakeholders and target audience to present the

issue in ways that are congruent with their values.

Develop and use networks: Use power that accrues through persona; connections,

which requires keeping track of what you have done for others and asking them to

reciprocate.

Assess time: Consider carefully when is the most opportune time to act. Knowing when

the time is right requires accurate assessment of the values, concerns, goals, and

resources of those you have to convince that your way is best.

Collaborate: Work with others to achieve policy goals. Collaboration usually achieves

goals more effectively than does individual action.

Prepare to take risks: Do a risk – and –benefit analysis of an action. This analysis

entails considerations of the benefits gained or goals achieved in relation to the

expenditure of all resources, including personnel, money, time spent that could have

been used on another endeavour, and coherence with values.

Understand the opposition: Put aside emotional positions, focus on the issues, and try

to understand the fears and concerns of the opposition. Educate the opposition to

appreciate the nursing position.

POLITICAL TACTICS

The effective functioning of an organization depends on the relationship between

individuals and groups. Effective use of politics in the workplace can facilitate achievement

of goals.

SKILLS AND TACTICS IN THE WORKPLACE:

The effective functioning of an organization depends on relationships between individuals

and groups. Often, problematic conflicts arise that are threatening to groups. Resolution of

these conflicts requires significant managerial skill. Effective use of politics can facilitate


conflict resolution and achieve goals. The following skills and tactics are useful and have a

high probability of success-

Build your own team: Executives, administrators, and managers are often defeated in

their roles because persons from the previous team are unhappy, jealous, and disgruntled

and do not support, or actively sabotage, the work of the new boss.

Choose your second-in command carefully. “An aggressive, ambitious, upwardly

mobile number two man (or woman) is dangerous and often difficult to control”

(McMurray, 1973).

Establish alliances with superiors and peers. Determine expectations and motivations

of others before you form true friendships. Alliances with superiors and peers are needed

to achieve goals.

Use all possible channels of communication. Develop and maintain open, effective

channels of communication to avoid isolation, pre-emption, and loss in power struggles.

Be fair, but learn to recognize aggressive, manipulative people.

Do not be naive about how decisions are made. Learn and understand the preferences

and the way powerful people act in the organization in order to predict how they will

make a decision; then plan accordingly.

Know priority. Know what the goals are and how the organization generally works to

achieve those goals. In other words, know the modus operandi.

Be courteous. Treat others with respect. Respect can prevent feelings that can lead to

sabotage and retaliation.

Maintain a flexible position and maneuverability. Identify what is ethically important

and nonnegotiable. Then you can maneuver confidently to change power.

Disclose information judiciously. In order to work effectively, it may be necessary not to

disclose how power strategies are used.

Use passive resistance when appropriate to gain time. Delay can be useful when time is

needed for gathering information.

Project an image of confidence, status, power, and material success. The image of

weakness conveys a lack of power and decreases ability to act and achieve goals.

Learn to negotiate and collaborate. Do not be ingratiating or conciliatory.

Meier (1999) recommended some basic strategies for political action-

Join political organizations

Build a working relationship with a single legislator

Invite a legislator to a professional organization meeting

Invite a legislator or staff person from the legislator’s office to spend a day with you at

work.


Brendtro and Schwerin offered additional strategies for political action to shape policy:

Use power effectively

Always appear self confident

Empower others to work on policy issues

Build your visibility

Build relationships through coalitions and networks

Identify resources, human and physical, that can support your efforts.

Enhance the image of nursing in all policy efforts

Communicate message effectively and clearly

Develop expertise in shaping policy

Seek appointive positions or elective office to shape policy more effectively.

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Power and Politics

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