We use the term ‘political temperature’ to describe the degree to which team members compete with each other or collaborate as a team. Temperatures can range from absolute zero to boiling point — and beyond! Certain temperatures are more suited to a particular organisational setting than others — and getting it wrong can be disastrous.
High temperatures exist when individuals are pushing forward their ideas and trying to beat others in the team. Higher temperatures are great when there is an imperative to innovate and change quickly. But watch out, at the extreme this turns into bitter rivalry and unscrupulous behaviour, which may significantly damage organizations and individuals alike.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, everyone is cooperating and putting energy into winning together. Lower temperatures are more suited to implementation where everybody needs to collaborate to get the job done. Extreme cold can lead to the organisation freezing due to the time taken to allow new ideas to surface and get agreed.
Prudent leaders need to work out which temperature they need, and then find ways of adjusting the temperature appropriately. Unless they pay attention to this dynamic of organisational life, the temperature is likely to be set by their default behaviour, or the predominate inclinations of the team members. This was graphically illustrated in our recent book — Political Dilemmas at Work — which outlined the problem of ‘Friendly Fire’.
With determined and careful action it is possible to begin to adjust the temperature to suit the environment. This involves making changes to a number of different aspects which influence the team culture. These changes can include the reward structure, team meeting agendas and the terminology used by the leader. A well planned implementation can help even the most naturally competitive leader to cool down the temperature and get the results they need. Equally, a leader who focuses on collaboration can take positive steps to raise the temperature if required.
One of the dilemmas right now is to determine what temperature is required during the current climate. This depends on the organisation’s position. If the members of the organisation know what they need to do to weather the storm, a cool temperature should help. However, if it is being buffeted by the chaos and doesn’t know which way to turn, a high temperature could be critical to success.
Benefits of High Political Temperature
When the temperature is high, the internal challenge will be tough and relentless. Team members will compete to find the winning idea. The creative tension this causes will yield increased innovation and radical search for new strategies. With chaotic environmental changes, organisations need strong and robust strategies in order to win. They need to look round every corner as they attempt to predict which will succeed and which will fail. Internal competition will help bring these ideas forward.
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Once the great ideas emerge, they will be subjected to vigorous inspection. The flaws will be quickly discovered, the downsides and drawbacks brought out into the open. This will give the team as a whole a great opportunity to pressure test proposals and allow the organisation to overcome the faults and improve the strategy still more. Healthy internal competition will give them the best opportunity to make the right choice. The prize to be gained from high temperature is increased performance. Great results are always needed, but now more than ever.
When the decisions have been made, the chances are quite high that the key advocates will already be in a strong position to start to drive forward their advantage. They will have already set the wheels in motion to capitalise on their success, making their moves to secure the territory gained. For the organisation, this provides a welcome boost to the initial implementation of the new strategy.
Risks of High Political Temperature
Despite the benefits, this high temperature needs to be monitored closely. Because we each play the game based on our own set of beliefs and standards, leadership needs to take care of the pitfalls that this competition can produce — and there are many!
If the internal competition is set up to win, there are going to be losers along the way. This can encourage unscrupulous behaviours which sometimes breach ethics or the law. Those hell-bent on success may stop at nothing to win. Their actions could include sabotage, threats, and even blackmail, all designed to hide the vulnerability inherent in their ideas and avoid the rational debate that could expose these weaknesses.
As the embattled team members take stock, they may become increasingly defensive of the territory they hold. At times they will decide that, if the prospects for winning are remote, better to at least save some ground and protect their own jobs and turf. All of this tends to lead to silo mentality and erosion of trust. The right ideas can only win if trust and appropriate honest debate are allowed.
Other side effects of high levels of political temperature include rising levels of fear and stress — perhaps even derailment. There is also a high risk of duplication and failure to synthesise implementation plans. This leads to unnecessary costs that erode the financial benefits of the winning strategies.
High political temperatures must be managed carefully to avoid excesses, maintain integrity, and avoid harmful side effects.
Benefits of Low Political Temperature
When the temperature is low, the team will be working well together. Open and honest dialogue can flourish. Individuals will be sympathetic to the position of their peers and will seek to harmonise their plans so that they can all win together. In effect, they will all be playing for the same team and being selfless in their pursuit of organisational goals.
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With everyone invested in the same strategy and direction, the team’s attention will be focused; team members will be working hard to implement the chosen course and make sure that the expected performance is delivered. The low level of conflict this sort of culture exhibits will minimise the potential for disruption, stress, and derailment. At its best, the team will help those who are struggling to perform and will share the results.
From the organisation’s perspective, performance will be robust because everyone is working together. The combined energy, enthusiasm, and motivation can be harnessed. Resource utilisation will be optimised because everyone knows the what, the why, and the how. This clarity also offers a strong and durable approach to implementation.
Risks of Low Political Temperature
When the temperature is low, organisational pace will suffer. Because of the desire for consensus and buy-in, change and implementation could be dogged by committees. Likely to be large and cumbersome, these committees may take far too long to make decisions due to the number of people involved and the time it takes to arrange meetings. Add to this the potential for individuals vetoing the decision, and the delays can become extreme.
There is also a significant risk of innovation being stifled. When someone has a great idea, they may have to jump through too many hoops to gain acceptance by the team. As with any good idea, the potential for disrupting a well-ordered and disciplined organisation could be too great for anyone to risk saying “yes.” There are also well-documented concepts such as “risky shift” and “groupthink,” to be mindful of.
Overall, the negative effects of low temperatures create a drag on organisational performance. During certain phases, this can be fatal.
Optimum Political Temperatures
n many regions of the world, temperature changes with the seasons. So too does the political temperature in organisational life. At certain times during the economic cycle or competitive market phases, different temperatures will be optimal for success. Being able to determine the correct temperature as a leader will help you to maximise performance and minimise risk as you take the team and the organisation forward. Every situation is unique and the following will help you to choose which temperature is appropriate for your team right now.
High Political Temperatures Are Beneficial When…
- Organisational performance is sliding.
- Significant strategic challenge or change emerges.
- New and strong external competition threatens.
- Credit crunches and similar chaos exist in the marketplace.
- Markets are fast paced and change rapidly.
- Innovation need is high.
- Ideas for strategic direction are diverse.
Low Temperatures Can Be Great When…
- Clear strategic decisions have been made.
- Successful implementation is critical to survival.
- Cost management is the top priority.
- An organisational crisis has arisen.
- Significant leadership changes are underway.
- Organisational performance is growing strongly.
- Market conditions are stable.
How to Adjust the Political Temperature
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Here are some suggestions to stimulate your own thoughts on how best to adjust the political temperature within your team…
Turning the Temperature Up
- Make individual goals public.
- Regularly review goals in team meetings.
- Focus on end results rather than actions.
- Speculate openly about who will hit their goals.
- Ask individuals how they think they are performing compared to their peers.
- Ask individuals how they think others are doing.
- Introduce “winning,” “being the best,” and “survival of the fittest” phrases into your dialogue.
- Review your reward structure-focus on individual rather than team performance.
- Make success very public and failure noticeable.
- Review succession plans and let people know you’re doing it.
- Be clear about decision criteria for succession plans, and make them stretch!
- Tell people frankly that they will get ahead by outperforming others.
- Hold small and frequent ad-hoc meetings where decisions get made.
Turning the Temperature Down
- Encourage teamwork.
- Ask people how their plans fit with others’.
- Establish quorum decisions at meetings.
- Remove veto power.
- Have management reports include impact assessments on others.
- Insist that key stakeholders sign off proposals.
- Incorporate “working together” and “winning team” terms into your dialogue.
- Build an external succession plan.
- Schedule regular team social events.
- Reward collaboration and teamwork.
- Focus on team goals rather than individual goals in meetings.
- Design projects that require the team to work together.
As you consider these ideas, pay careful attention to what will work in your particular organisational culture. Making a sudden shift in the temperature is unlikely to work; it is far better to begin making gradual changes as you turn the heat up or down. Some of these suggestions may also challenge your natural style and approach; you need to consider how well you may be able to implement the idea of adjusting the temperature and perhaps consider getting some coaching to help you become more comfortable with this new skill.
Political Temperature — The Bottom Line
Teams vary in their political intensity as a result of a wide variety of factors, from the leader’s personality to the climatic conditions in which the team operates. In addition, there are so many dynamics affecting temperature that it varies over time — it is not static. Some teams are highly competitive by nature; others hold collaboration as a central value. Both can be good news for an organisation’s performance, but only if the culture that exists is appropriate to the context in which the culture must deliver.
It is an important aspect of a leader’s role to monitor and manage the political temperature of his or her team. Making sure that the right level of internal competition and/or collaboration exists is a delicate task and not for the fainthearted. As you start to pull the levers to adjust the temperature, you will get a mixture of positive and negative responses. That is natural because you are changing the rules of engagement for your team. There will be some who will benefit and some who will find it harder. Staying attentive to these reactions and managing down the risks are critical to success.
You will also have to be very careful not to move to the extremes. A highly competitive culture can quickly turn into bitter rivalry that will harm not only the organisation but also those working there. At the other extreme, dropping the temperature too low can cause the organisation to freeze. There will also be a time lag between your actions and when the full effect is felt. So we urge caution as you explore this new dimension of leadership.
Diligent and careful action on the temperature controls can usher in a new phase of corporate performance. It can help you address the needs of the team and the organisation more appropriately in your role as a leader. You will become a far more effective and versatile leader with greater results!
Colin Gautrey
Provocative Coach/Mentor | Specialism: Impact and Influence
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