Being Effective: Power and Influence

Catalog description

All organizations are fundamentally political. People have different self-interests, perspectives, and objectives. Players also differ in the power or resources that they bring to bear to advance their perspectives. If you are to be effective, both with respect to the goals of an organization and with respect to your personal goals, you need to be able to map these differences, understand various groups' interests and objectives, and understand how to operate in an organizational environment. In addition to being able to think strategically, you also need a set of skills that can be summarized via the words power, persuasion, and influence. This more sociological course will expand students' ability to successfully navigate the social and cultural organizational landscapes to be effective agents of change. (MHA-EL)