ORGANIZATION SCIENCE
Vol. 2, No. 4, November 1991
Printed in U.S.A.

ILLUSIONS AND OTHER GAMES: A TRIFOCAL VIEW
OF ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS*
PATRICIA BRADSHAW-CAMBALL AND VICTOR V. MURRAY
York University, 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario, Canada
Despite recent and growing interest in organizational politics, conceptual thought in this area tends to be dominated by a single theoretical perspective. In this paper we describe and contrast three views of organizational politics (functionalist, interpretive and radical) according to their differing structures, processes and outcomes. Each view, or lens, directs attention to some aspects of politics and away from others, and each has strengths and weaknesses embedded in it. In order to assess whether multiple perspectives on politics can be fruitfully applied simultaneously, we describe and analyze a case of a hospital administration engaged in budgeting games and illusion making.
The data for the case were collected using naturalistic inquiry and multiple methods including structured and unstructured interviews, review of documents, observation of meetings and casual interaction facilitated by frequent visits over a ten-month period.
The case revolves around the hospital administrators' attempts to deal with what they termed a "disastrous deficit" and the most serious financial situation in the hospital's history.
Strategies for dealing with the funding agency and board of directors included the management of meaning and communications about the term "deficit." The three perspectives on organizational politics highlight different dynamics in the case.
The interpretive perspective on politics assumes that parties exert influence by constructing the meaning of what others experience. Focusing on a deeper structure of power, the elements of politics which become highlighted are the use of