The author argues that the prevailing image of organizational politics as 'the darker side' of human behaviour is too narrow. Her intention is not to construct a new image of organisational politics which ignores their competitive, instrumen tal and manipulative manifestations. Rather, it is to argue for acknowledging, and taking seriously, the notion that organisational politics can involve a wide range of motivations and influence interactions, from the ruthless to the caring. Addressing this complexity is seen as the challenge of organisational politics for management education and development, needing to build managerial awareness of the range of power mechanisms in organisations alongside the skills to also promote and engage in the politics of 'tolerance and mutual respect'.
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