When you are in charge of an outdoor program, how tactful your approach often means the difference between good administrative support and poor administrative support. Or put more practically, it's the difference between a good budget and a poor budget. Artful politics involves the understanding of power structures within institutions. One way of categorizing institutional power is to look at it from the perspective of two dimensions. One dimension is authoritarian power.
Authoritarian power is that which is assigned by the institution.
The power that your superior possesses to hire supervise you or to approve your budgets has been given to him or her by the institution. Most institutions have flow charts showing the network and chains of authoritarian power. The other dimension of power, influential power, is not assigned by the institution. This the kind power which comes through personality, tact and persistence. It also comes through friendly contacts, respect for work and logical and compelling proposals.