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i just read another great column from alison green, and this one has me thinking more about social/political capital in the workplaceit's a concept i consider frequently, but realize is a bit tricky to explain or really quantify. do you have a good explanation? https://twitter.com/AskAManager/status/1290346958171729921
the way i typically understand capital is "how much excess goodwill have i built up, so that i can push back or try to influence something, without *damaging* my baseline level of goodwill"
in other words: can i advocate for this without being seen as a troublemaker afterwards?
in other words: can i advocate for this without being seen as a troublemaker afterwards?
i don't normally characterize actions as *spending* social capital unless they're moving against the prevailing winds
if we've already made a decision in one way and i'm advocating for one step more, that typically doesn't cost me
i'm talking about change of direction
if we've already made a decision in one way and i'm advocating for one step more, that typically doesn't cost me
i'm talking about change of direction
another important part of social capital, as i understand it, is that it's not universal
you have different amounts of goodwill with different people. and deciding when to use social or political capital depends on *which* of those relationships are in play
you have different amounts of goodwill with different people. and deciding when to use social or political capital depends on *which* of those relationships are in play
so if you have a great relationship with your skip-level manager, you might be able to push harder on them than on your CEO
and maybe they can advocate to the CEO on your behalf bc of their own goodwill they've built up—but that's not *your* goodwill and it doesn't auto-transfer
and maybe they can advocate to the CEO on your behalf bc of their own goodwill they've built up—but that's not *your* goodwill and it doesn't auto-transfer
what's a bit harder for me to figure out how to explain is how you build/lose goodwill and capital
e.g. you might build goodwill by consistently shipping your projects on time... but lose some of it because of constant snarky responses when other people ask for help
e.g. you might build goodwill by consistently shipping your projects on time... but lose some of it because of constant snarky responses when other people ask for help
i think a lot of being able to build and effectively use capital in the workplace is:
- being consistent
- having some understanding of the dynamics outside your immediate sphere of influence
- picking what's most important to you / what's worth losing goodwill for
- being consistent
- having some understanding of the dynamics outside your immediate sphere of influence
- picking what's most important to you / what's worth losing goodwill for
i sometimes see in software engineering this idea that you can just go heads down in code and only care about the technical side
but if you never build relationships outside your team, or pay attention to who makes decisions and why, it's hard for you to advocate when it matters
but if you never build relationships outside your team, or pay attention to who makes decisions and why, it's hard for you to advocate when it matters
specifically: maybe you need a period of time to burn down tech debt
it's easier to push for that if you have a good working relationship with product owners, some proof of past delivered value, and can explain the benefit in terms that match the objectives they're evaluated on
it's easier to push for that if you have a good working relationship with product owners, some proof of past delivered value, and can explain the benefit in terms that match the objectives they're evaluated on
social capital is all about feelings and relationships. so you can try to use it and... misjudge
maybe you don't have as much goodwill built up as you thought you did
or maybe the thing you picked to push on is actually a lot riskier or more deeply entrenched in the company
maybe you don't have as much goodwill built up as you thought you did
or maybe the thing you picked to push on is actually a lot riskier or more deeply entrenched in the company
*who* gets to build goodwill, and *how much* of their goodwill it consumes to advocate for something, is also completely subjective and mercy to bias and privilege
it's not objective and it's not meritocratic because it's ultimately all about people and relationships
it's not objective and it's not meritocratic because it's ultimately all about people and relationships
okay i *think* that's the extent of my ramblings for now, so here's a few polls because y'all know i love polls
have you ever used political capital at your workplace?
have you ever used political capital at your workplace?
have you ever wanted to make a change or advocate for something, but decided you didn't have the capital and backed off?
do you feel like you can build up capital or use it meaningfully in your current workplace?
have been having some great convos in the replies! this made me think of another point:
~ THINGS YOU CAN SPEND SOCIAL CAPITAL ON ~
- ethical questions
- company policy
- PTO / work flexibility
- assistance from a busy team
- project prioritization
- feature changes
what else?
~ THINGS YOU CAN SPEND SOCIAL CAPITAL ON ~
- ethical questions
- company policy
- PTO / work flexibility
- assistance from a busy team
- project prioritization
- feature changes
what else?
