• Why Designers Hate Politics (And What To Do About It)
  • Originally written by Scott Berkun
  • The Nuggets translation Project
  • Permanent link to this article: github.com/xitu/gold-m…
  • Translator: Starriers

People who design products for life have optimism. To do their jobs well, whether it’s designing websites or cars, they believe they have the ability to create products that are better than anything in the world right now. The problem is that this optimism, when mixed with immature thinking, can produce superficial ideas about the organization’s work. Designers often claim, with good reason, that they understand human behavior better than anyone, but their aversion to politics suggests that they don’t understand one of the most natural behaviors in a crowd. Designers who hate and don’t understand politics betray their own ideas because they fail to recognize how politics defines the environment in which they must work.

One of the main reasons for the confusion is that the word politics can be used in two distinct ways:

  • Politics (n): What do people do when they are not interested in Politics?
  • Politics (n): Applies to the decision-making process of members of a group.

When someone says “I hate working in the Stan organization, it’s too political,” they use the first definition, where they explicitly refer to the abuse of power to serve one’s own interests or create a culture of fear and dysfunction. These are all bad things, no doubt, but the term politics is often used loosely by people who simply cannot understand why their ideas have been rejected, or why they have not been given the power they deserve. Rather than examining the culture in which they live (who drives prosperity? Why did they do that and I didn’t? Do I need new skills or a new job? They are more likely to point to political ideas.

The lesson many designers refuse to accept is that human nature is political **. ** The fields of sociology, anthropology, and psychology are devoted to exploring the complex challenges of human beings trying to get along with each other (and themselves). In short, when you organize a crowd to do something, whether it’s throwing a party or starting a company, everyone has an opinion about the right thing to do. Who they like to work with and what they like to do. This means that no matter how talented a project leader is, some people will never get everything they want. It motivates people to influence those in power, or to assert their own rights (people tend to forget their goals if a raise, promotion, or reputation is at stake). Of course, there are many ways to express your ambitions, some of which are healthier and more transparent, but politics is everywhere.

“Every act of management is a political act, redistributing or enhancing power in some way” — Richard Farson

In the abstract, blaming “politics” is a convenient way to avoid taking responsibility for solving problems. The same goes for blaming “management”, “engineering” or “marketing” and saying how stupid they are (see: Mistakes they can’t get). Pointing fingers doesn’t make them stupid or ineffective, nor does it shift personal responsibility to learn how to work with them (which may be part of the problem) to make them more persuasive, collaborative or thoughtful. Who knows, if you look closely, the only thing you might consider incompetent in someone else is a smart person, bound by political factors as difficult as yours. Sure, some workplaces are really bad, but this is mostly about finding yourself a new place to work, and when a naturally optimistic designer feels pessimistic about who they work for and with, it’s time to move on.

Designers love to talk about their problem-solving skills, but politics is just another way of solving problems: human problems. If you approach organizational problems with the same optimism, discipline and creativity as design or engineering problems, you’ll find other ways to explore and use them in order to make more decisions. This is the ultimate irony of designer complaining politics: designers are supposed to be good at combining problem solving and understanding of human nature, yet they often can’t shake off their frustration with existing problems. It would be premature to expect an entire organization or individual to suddenly work differently just because of your arrival, but designers tend to do just that. The twisted joke is that everyone wants more power, they think they deserve it, and yet [designers] don’t realize that the people who frustrate them the most are acting with similar emotions.

The most important factor in your organization’s political experience is your boss. A good manager can pull you out of the organizational drama and help you succeed, whereas a bad manager can magnify the organization’s worst problems. For designers, this means that the heaviest political load falls on the most senior designers in their organizations. Their job is to pave the way for all the people who work for them, to build relationships with other powerful people in the organization. But sadly design as a profession suffers from the influence of Peter Principle. Over-promotion is a common problem in the workplace, but design is a very specialized field, and people who become design directors or supervisors are often better at it than people who coach, lead or manage. At best, until their primary job is to serve as design ambassadors for ceos and other executives, building partnerships, aligning goals, and gaining influence that can be transferred to their organizations. But even as an individual designer who doesn’t get a lot of support from above, there’s still a lot you can do.

Even in the fairest of organisations, the way forward, politics, is based on your reputation. How well you get the job done (or how little credibility you have at all) will determine how well you are treated within an organization. This means gaining trust and cultivating respect from peers and superiors is a must. This is far more efficient than allowing you to hear the “political” frustrations of letting people know your main meeting. Just as designers learn from their users, they can learn from their colleagues and superiors. By asking simple questions, you can increase the likelihood of prompting more healthy politics:

  • What’s the value of my boss? What problem is she trying to solve? Do my talents help solve the problem?
  • What is the problem her boss is trying to solve? How do they balance? (Is this a real problem between bosses and overstepping managers?)
  • Who has disappointed them most in the organization? Why is that? (Powerful people have their own politics to deal with.)
  • Who in the same class makes this place more prosperous? Why is that? (If no one prospers here, why?)
  • What can I learn from them?
  • Who disappointed me most? Do my goals align with theirs? Why is that? Who set their goals? Do they have a good relationship with the people who set my goals? Who is the ultimate boss and why haven’t they solved it yet?
  • My job is a low priority. Is “politics” what I see really just a matter of priorities?
  • Someone more influential than me who convinced me that he could help me hear more people?
  • What realistic expectations do they think I have for the culture here?
  • What are our weak political skills? How can I become a better facilitator? A negotiator? Persuader?
  • Is there a reputable person I can speak my mind about and whose fame helps me grow?
  • Is there a better manager here for me?
  • Maybe I need a new work environment?

Reference Resources:

  • This article is adapted from chapter 16 of the bestselling book Making Things Happen
  • How do you make things happen
  • Tackling organizational Politics By Jorge Arango (His Essay Inspired Me to Write This One)
  • Don’t destroy cultural criticism

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