Political awareness is listed as one of the tools and techniques to manage project knowledge, plan communications management, manage communications, manage stakeholder engagement, and to monitor stakeholder engagement. It involves an understanding of the project and organizational environment and power structure. This understanding is used to work within the structure. It guides the project manager in communicating and engaging the stakeholders for support. Political awareness requires an understanding the strategies of the organization.
Political awareness is a team skill. Other team skills include active listening, facilitation, leadership, and networking.
The term of ‘political awareness’ probably has a negative sentiment if you are not really into the original meaning of it.
Related: team, interpersonal skills
(Political awareness was added to the PMBOK in version 6. It is described in section 10.1.2.6 Interpersonal and Team Skills.)