Table of Contents
Prologue: To Read or Not to Read ix
Introduction: Why Empowerment Now and Again xv
1 Managers in the Middle 1
Part One Politics in the Workplace—Rekindling the Entrepreneurial Spirit 7
2 Personal Choices That Shape the Work Environment 9
The Road Most Traveled 9
Now You See It, Now You Don’t 11
Choosing an Entrepreneurial Path 12
When to Play It Safe 19
3 A Culture of Empowerment 21
The Bureaucratic Cycle 22
The Entrepreneurial Cycle 24
The Patriarchal Contract 26
Myopic Self-Interest: The Myth That Advancement and Self-Esteem Are Related 35
Manipulative Tactics 50
4 The Empowerment Choice 59
The Entrepreneurial Contract 66
Enlightened Self-Interest 78
Authentic Tactics 87
Part Two Positive Political Skills at Work 97
5 Creating a Vision of Greatness 99
Claiming Our Autonomy by Creating a Vision 99
What Is a Vision and Why Is It Important? 100
Creating the Vision 106
Communicating Our Vision 117
Coaching Others in Creating Their Vision 119
6 Negotiating with Allies and Adversaries 127
The Critical Skills: Negotiating Agreement and Negotiating Trust 128
7 Balancing Autonomy and Interdependence 151
Political Scripts 153
The Right Use of Scripts 167
Interdependence 169
Autonomy and Interdependence 171
Finding Peace with the Boss 172
8 Facing Organizational Realities 177
Nonsuicidal Courageous Acts 179
9 Enacting the Vision 187
Moving Toward Tension 188
Final Thoughts 189
Annotated Bibliography 195
About the Author 197
Acknowledgments 199
Index 201