Final answer:
Organizational politics involve both rational strategic components as well as expressive and symbolic human behavior. Factors like political socialization, political culture, collective dilemmas, and group dynamics are central to understanding political organizations. Power dynamics and authority types, as defined by Max Weber, also play a significant role in shaping political actions and decisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Research on organizational politics has identified several areas that are particularly relevant to the degree to which organizations are political rather than rational. These areas include the irrational, expressive, and symbolic elements of human behavior, as well as the rational, instrumental, and strategic components. Political socialization and political culture are key factors in this discussion. Political socialization is how individuals gradually develop their political personality, influenced by their environment such as family, friends, and broader social networks. Political culture refers to the set of political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors characteristic of a group. Furthermore, collective dilemmas, which arise when individuals disagree on solutions to group decisions, and collective action problems, where individuals might not cooperate despite group benefits, are significant to understanding organizational politics.
Another important aspect of political organization is recognition of the power dynamics between different ethnic and economic groups, with concerns that minority groups with greater economic advantages could dominate the political arena. Group behavior, rights, and forms of political action also play a crucial role in political action. Moreover, it is noted that skilled political actors, or those engaging in political activity, tend to make strategic decisions to maximize their goals while also acknowledging the noncognitive, intuitive elements of decision-making.
The study of politics from a micro to macro level, covering individuals, groups, institutions, and international relations, provides a framework for understanding the intricate dynamics of political interactions. Politics is grounded in human behavior and is influenced by various social factors and power structures, as outlined by Max Weber's types of authority: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal.