While wrapping up the semester's work, one of my executive MBA students challenged me: "Sure, all of this technology stuff is good -- and powerful -- and might even contribute to the business, but when all's said and done, politics determines what gets funded and what gets killed, what the company does and what it doesn't do. Good arguments are nice, but they usually fall on deaf ears.... I'd rather play golf with the boss than work my tail off writing the 'perfect' business case."

Does politics explain what happens -- and what doesn't?