The Manager as Politician

“Gilley paints a rather unpleasant-but probably quite realistic-portrait of the organizational environment. He then explains how he helps managers navigate the political seas by learning how power, politics, and influence work in their organizations. The outlook improves as managers learn the negotiating, partnership-building, and consensus-building skills they need in order to successfully traverse their political milieux. Gilley includes a hands-on chapter in which managers can develop their own plans and do self-assessment exercises. His topically arranged bibliography is handy as well. As the most scholarly work in this roundup, this book is recommended for academic library business collections.” —Library Journal

“Gilley discusses the importance of political understanding to be a more effective manager. He addresses political navigation within organizations and with clients, understanding power and influence, the roles and responsibilities of the manager, important skills and strategies, and development plans and self- assessment tools.” —Reference & Research Book News

Jerry W. Gilley is Professor and Chair of the Organizational Performance and Change and Human Resource Studies programs at Colorado State University. Previously on the faculty at Iowa State University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he also served as Principal and Director of Organization and Professional Development for Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Currently serving as President of the Academy of Human Resource Development, he is the author, co-author, and co-editor of dozens of articles and over a dozen books, including The Performance Challenge, Beyond the Learning Organization, Stop Managing, Start Coaching, and Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change, recipient of the Academy of Human Resource Development book-of-the-year award in 2000.