management where my decisions are not dictatorial, but are based on information from those responsible for implementing the decisions (Pittard, 1999). Ideally, I seek to eliminate conflict by understanding the sources of conflict and finding ways to eliminate obstacles. By listening to senior managers, I am likely to learn where they feel the company could be more successful, as well as where they see the company as vulnerable.
This does not mean, however, that I do not expect there to be political alliances at work and political forces influencing the information I receive. As a newcomer to the organization, I am likely to be ignorant of the political landscape and will have to learn the formal and informal power structure of the organization in order to be effective. This does not mean that the personal alliances already in existence are necessarily detrimental to the organization (although they may well be), only that I may need to be aware of them in order to be effective (Mulitz, 2000).
With the information I gain from my senior staff, and the information I have about the o
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