Organisational Politics and Political Savvy: Power Maps, Coalitions and Hidden Agendas – London, 3–7 May 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Organisational politics shapes which proposals are funded, whose restructuring plan survives and who is credited for results, yet many capable managers either avoid it or misread it. Hidden agendas go unnoticed, informal coalitions settle outcomes before the formal meeting, and reputations suffer from credit-stealing and rumour. This Core Concept course gives managers a disciplined, ethical method to read power, map coalitions and act with political savvy without compromising integrity. Participants produce a Personal Political Map and Influence Plan for a case initiative.

Course Objectives:

• Distinguish constructive organisational politics from self-serving manoeuvring and assess the political climate of a team or function
• Diagnose formal and informal power holders using French and Raven's bases of power, including informational power
• Map coalitions, gatekeepers, veto holders and hidden agendas around a contested decision
• Cultivate alliances and executive sponsorship that advance organisational goals by ethical means
• Counter political game players, credit-stealing and rumour while protecting personal reputation and integrity
• Produce a Personal Political Map and Influence Plan for a case initiative

Target Audience:

• Middle and senior managers whose initiatives depend on decisions taken across rival units
• Department heads navigating restructuring, budget rounds and leadership transitions
• Senior specialists and advisers whose recommendations compete for executive attention
• Managers recently promoted into leadership teams with established alliances and loyalties
• Change leads and programme sponsors handling contested organisational change

Course Outline:

Day 1: Organisational Politics: Definitions, Myths and Political Climate

• Organisational Politics Defined: Self-Serving Behaviour Versus Day-to-Day Power Allocation
• Positive and Negative Political Behaviour Spectrum Checklist
• Political Climate Diagnostic for a Team, Function or Leadership Group
• Personal Political Orientation Self-Assessment Questionnaire
• Political Incident Log Review of a Recent Contested Decision

Day 2: Power Bases, Political Games and Dark Triad Behaviour

• French and Raven's Bases of Power: Coercive, Reward, Legitimate, Expert, Referent and Informational
• Formal Authority Versus Informal Power: Gatekeepers, Brokers and Trusted Advisers
• Political Games Taxonomy: Interpersonal, Leadership and Budget Games
• No Bad News and Sandbagging Games: Recognition Cues and Organisational Cost
• Dark Triad Traits at Work: Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy Warning Signs

Day 3: Power Mapping, Coalitions, Hidden Agendas and Sponsorship

• Power Map Construction: Decision Makers, Influencers, Gatekeepers and Veto Holders
• Coalition Analysis Grid: Alliances, Rivalries and Swing Players
• Hidden Agenda Detection Through Interest, Motive and Behaviour Triangulation
• Executive Sponsorship and Alliance Building Plan with a Reciprocity Ledger
• Accomplishment Visibility Positioning Without Self-Promotion Backlash

Day 4: Manipulation, Credit-Stealing and Restructuring Politics

• Ethical Influence Versus Manipulation Test: Transparency, Intent and Consequence
• Credit-Stealing and Knowledge Hiding Response Protocol
• Rumour, Backstabbing and Reputation Attack Containment Plan
• Restructuring and Leadership Transition Politics: Loyalty Shifts and Turf Contests
• Emotional Intelligence for Political Awareness: Self-Regulation Under Provocation

Day 5: Role-Play: Personal Political Map and Influence Plan

• Role-Play: Confronting a Colleague Who Claimed Credit for Shared Work
• Role-Play: Securing an Executive Sponsor Amid Competing Agendas
• Role-Play: Restructuring Briefing with a Resistant Coalition
• Personal Political Map and Influence Plan Drafting for a Case Initiative
• Integrity and Reputation Safeguard Review with Peer Challenge

Skills You Will Gain:

• Political Climate Diagnosis
• Coalition Mapping
• Hidden Agenda Detection
• Sponsorship Cultivation
• Political Game Recognition
• Reputation Safeguarding
• Credit Attribution Defence
• Restructuring Navigation

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with a Personal Political Map and Influence Plan for a case initiative, rehearsed in role-play
• Recognise who really decides, who blocks and what they want before a proposal reaches the formal meeting
• Respond to credit-stealing, rumour and game playing with rehearsed, principled moves
• Compare political dynamics with managers from public, private and non-profit organisations

Conclusion:

Political savvy is the ability to read how power actually moves in an organisation and to act on that reading without sacrificing integrity. The week moves from definitions and political climate, through power bases, political games and dark triad behaviour, to power maps, coalitions, hidden agendas and sponsorship, then manipulation, credit-stealing, rumour and restructuring politics. The final day rehearses difficult political conversations in role-play, and each participant completes a Personal Political Map and Influence Plan ready to guide their next contested initiative.