Prompt: A few years ago, the CEO of Apple Computer invited Steve Jobs (who was not associated with the company at the time) to serve as a special adviser and raise morale among Apple employees and customers.

While doing this, Jobs spent more time advising the CEO on how to cut costs, redraw the organization chart, and hire new people. Before long, most of the top people at Apple were Job’s colleagues, who began to systematically evaluate and weed out teams of Apple employees. While publicly supporting Apple’s CEO, Jobs privately criticized him and, in a show of no confidence, sold 1.5 million shares of Apple stock he had received.

This action caught the attention of Apple’s board of directors, who soon after decided to replace the CEO with Steve Jobs. The CEO claimed Jobs was a conniving back-stabber who used political tactics to get his way. Others suggest that Apple would be out of business today if he had not taken over the company. In your opinion, were Steve Job’s actions examples of organizational politics?

Support your answer by utilizing research that you have gathered from at least 2 sources other than your text. Finally, be sure to cite your sources in APA formatting.

A detailed and thoughtful response to the topic is required (minimum of 500 words). RUBRIC IS ATTACHED BELOW.

 Additionally, emphasis is placed on your ability to conduct and synthesize scholarly research. 

 Your posts should be professional in content and follow the APA standards. Be sure to city your sources in APA formatting.

SAMPLE RESPONSE:

            It is difficult to define what organizational politics are because it mostly depends on the individual (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 307). Everyone has a different perception of reality. Perceptions are based on assumptions and/or opinions and these will vary between individuals (Shaus, n.d.). For example, one individual may view a coworker’s attempt to influence the boss as organizational politics, while another does not see anything wrong with it (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 307). However, when the individual seems to partake in self-serving behavior, at the expense of others and the behavior may also be against the interests of the organization as a whole it is considered to be organizational politics (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013, p. 308). It can be difficult to determine whether an individual’s behavior is self-serving because we do not know what that person thinks.

            A few years ago, Steve Jobs began working for the CEO of Apple. Jobs spent time advising the CEO on many things, including hiring new people. After a short time, many of the top people at Apple were Job’s colleagues and many of Apple’s original employees were phased out. Job’s also criticized the CEO of Apple in his private life and sold the 1.5 million shares of Apple stock he had obtained.  This got the attention of Apple’s board of directors. Not long later, they chose to replace Apple’s CEO with Jobs. The CEO asserted that Jobs had used political tactics, but some believe Jobs saved the company.

            It is very difficult to judge if someone used organizational politics through a story since details are always left out and questions we have, go unanswered. From the story it is obvious Jobs behavior was at the expense of others, the former Apple employees and the CEO. Therefore, the question is whether Jobs actions were motivated by self-serving feelings. If they were, then I believe this is a perfect example of organizational politics.

Self-serving is defined as (1) being occupied with your own interests and disregarding the interests or well-being of others and (2) acting to further your own selfish interests (dictionary.com, n.d.). This is where it becomes difficult to determine one way or the other. Jobs did further his own interests, however I am not sure if he was disregarding the interests of others. Jobs could have been performing his job to the best of his ability and after all, thousands of people do this everyday. Maybe the board of directors replaced the CEO of Apple with Jobs because he was a better fit for the company and better at the job. The old CEO of Apple could have just been angry and embarrassed about losing his position that he made this claim to use Jobs as a scapegoat.

I cannot determine whether or not Jobs used organizational politics to become the CEO of Apple. I could make assumptions either way. Without knowing what Jobs thoughts were and having more details it is unclear whether Job’s actions were self-serving or if he was just extremely good at his job.

References

dictionary.com. (n.d.). Self-serving. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/self-serving

McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Shaus, R. (n.d.). Perceptions. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://www.rickshaus.com/docs/opn/thgts/prcptns.htm