Session Summary: This session equips professionals with practical strategies to understand and navigate complex organizational hierarchies, decision-making processes, and unwritten rules. It is especially relevant for women and underrepresented groups seeking to increase influence and advance their careers in matrixed or highly structured organizations.

Key areas include:

• Decoding Organizational Politics: Identifying formal and informal power structures, key decision-makers, and influence pathways.

• Understanding Decision Rights: Clarifying who makes what decisions and how to effectively contribute to those processes.

• Navigating Bureaucracy: Techniques to work efficiently within multi-layered approval systems without losing momentum.

• Building Strategic Relationships: How to cultivate mentors, sponsors, and allies to increase visibility and credibility.

• Influencing Without Authority: Practical methods to gain alignment, advocate for initiatives, and drive change even when not in a formal leadership role.