Me versus Us

Organizational politics can bring about project success through favorable resource allocation if the project is thought to be career enhancing, or it can bring about project failure if resources are withheld because the project does not serve the interests of the project stakeholders. (Gendron 114) Anytime when one puts thyself above others, the greed generally creates animosity and hurts all (in my opinion).

 

We see something similar when companies aggressively use patents to remove competition. An example of this occurred in 2012, when Apple sued Samsung over it’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, citing a single design patent, Samsung was illegally using.

In the courts, the judge initially felt Samsung had the right, but then later ruled in Apple’s favor.

"Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products," Koh wrote on Tuesday. (Parrish, 2012 Jun 27)

Samsung replied by conveying Apple was restricting progress.

"Apple sought a preliminary injunction of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, based on a single design patent that addressed just one aspect of the product's overall design," Samsung said in a statement. "Should Apple continue to make legal claims based on such a generic design patent, design innovation and progress in the industry could be restricted." (Parrish, 2012 Jun 27)

 

Companies tend to fight very aggressively to maintain control of their niche (services and goods). Personally, I view this scenario as the same within organizational politics. Ultimately, it is the stakeholders that suffers.

The other side of the coin is for the individual to feel his/her worth returned from the company. As the individual works and provides experience and time, the company should provide a valid return of investment (ROI). That value should be agreed between employer and employee.

 

References:

Gendron, Michael S. Business Intelligence Applied: Implementing an Effective Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure. John Wiley & Sons P&T, 2012-10-15. VitalBook file.

Kevin Parrish. (2012 Jun 27). Samsung’s Original Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Banned in USA. Retrieved from https://www.tomsguide.com/us/Apple-Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-Lucy-Koh-Patent,news-15692.html