Power Games and micro­political Competence in Academia

Researchers are embedded in specific hierarchical constellations. Regardless of their position, sometimes they meet irritating and even incomprehensible behavior and outcomes: formal regulations may be bypassed, expertise and institutionally defined responsibility may not be acknowledged, rival camps may impede reasonable cooperation, etc. However, experience tells us that difficult situations can be mastered by analyzing the dynamics of key situations and of the players‘ interests, by skillful communication and a power-conscious approach. In this workshop, you can deepen your understanding of the power processes and „games“ played in your own environment, and you have the opportunity to reflect on your own power resources and roles in micropolitical games - as ‚victims‘ or ‚agents‘ – supported by a systematic and unbiased approach. You can identify strategies to pursue your goals more effectively and gain perspective on how to further enhance your personal micropolitical competence.