Influencing people is a key skill for Scrum Masters. Politics are alive and kicking in all organizations, and we must be aware and able to deal with that phenomenon. Therefore it is important to know how to work with all stakeholders, at all levels, including those involved in the political structures of the organization.
Savarana introduces two Harvard Business Review articles that explain that politics are a natural part of any human organization:
What everyone should know about office politics
Office politics is just influence by another name
A book that Scrum Masters can read to learn more about how to work with stakeholders and gain their cooperation is Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, a must read that has been referred to before on the podcast.
About Saravana Bharathi
Saravana started AgileKarma.com, a site dedicated to sharing better ways to develop software. His goal: to inspire other to share their ideas and experiences as well :) Which is exactly what we do here on the podcast.
Saravana is a seasoned software development professional with over 15 years of experience in Aerospace, Banking and Insurance domains.
You can find Saravana Bharathi on twitter, and link with Saravana Bharathi on Linkedin.