Have you heard of any game where you lose even when you do not play? Welcome to the world of office politics! They say death and taxes are permanent and here to stay. We can also add office politics to this list of certainty. Office politics is a universal phenomenon and is commonplace, irrespective of the size or nature of the business. While office politics is not necessarily a nice thing to get into, ignoring this can be dangerous. Books on organisational behaviour in the last decade or so have started to pay attention to this inevitable aspect of organisational life and, hence, cover this extensively.
Simply defined, office politics means and includes all acts of intentional behaviour aimed at influencing and enhancing the self-interest of individuals or groups. It is so pervasive that even novices should be able to get a feel of this as they enter the organisation. It does not spare anyone. And before you realise what is going on, you become a part of it. At a deeper level, office politics represents a complex struggle for dominance and control. And when it comes to it, it is survival of the smartest! You need to understand office politics not because you want to indulge in it, but because you would like to protect yourself from it. You do not have to be adept at playing it, but it pays to be adept in knowing what it means for us. Becoming aware of office politics can save you from becoming a pawn in this game.
The omnipotent presence
Gerard Egan made a powerful message when he said, “Stop pretending that office politics does not exist; decrying the fact that the system is political is like complaining that water is wet!” Office politics is accentuated by the fact that there is constant struggle for sharing resources and information, clamouring for shrinking opportunities, a psychological compulsion for many people to be the top-dogs. Politics is about power and influence whether we like it or not and it is measured in strange ways! Even when people indulge in impression management, they are playing a sober form of politics. There is a mistaken belief that those with power and holding hierarchically senior positions are not impacted by office politics. This is not true, since office politics is not about legitimate power, but about influence of all sorts.
Why beware of office politics? Here are some reasons: office politics can make or break career prospects; can determine whether one gets pay slips or pink slips; can undermine performers and reward non-performers; can confer or cancel promotion opportunities; and can make someone appear good or bad in different situations.
In short, it is many-faceted, omnipresent and omnipotent! Here is a quick quiz to help you understand where you stand.
Are you aware of the ‘unwritten’ rules?
Are you aware of how success is measured and by whom in your organisation?
Do you know who are the most influential people are in your team, and in your organisation?
Do you recognise the informal, but powerful networks that exist in your organisation — a network that often cuts across various functions/departments?
Do you notice that some people get away even when they do things that are not appropriate?
Have you observed that there is a discernible pattern in according praises and assigning blame?
Do you discern and notice subtle alignments during office meetings?
Do you notice that some people get concessions all the time?
Do you recognise that some of your colleagues constantly figure in any office grapevine?
Do you recognise that there is not necessarily a strong positive relationship between performance and rewards?
If you answer yes to most of the questions above, you are perhaps politically savvy enough to at least protect yourself! If not, you will likely get eaten for breakfast every day!
The protective gear
So, how can we ensure it does not hurt us? Here are some simple, but effective tips at managing the sharks and swimming safe at work.
Understand power holders and power sources: It is important to observe and validate who in your team or organisation hold and wield influence and how they exercise them. It is also good to know who your colleagues admire most and why they do so. Since politics has more to do with influence and not necessarily positional power, you need to recognise the influencers amongst the colleagues. It pays to build relationships with those that wield influence, whether or not you want to benefit from it!
Build your goodwill: You can neutralise the impact of office politics on you personally when you build a reputation as being helpful and cooperative. Contrary to popular notion that good people are often victims of office politics, your reputation for being helpful can actually protect you from it! Closely related to building the reputation is being seen as broad-minded in appreciating others.
Build and strengthen your circle of influence: In large and highly-matrixed organisations, it is not enough to just focus on your circle of influence, but continuously enhance your network of people who know others who you can influence. Forget for a moment managing office politics. Network influence can actually help you get information and resources you need to deliver on your work commitments. Remember what Woody Allen said, “Your network is your net worth!” A word of caution here: make sure you network carefully without being perceived as aligned to a particular lobby in the company!
Build a personal brand: It is important that you start to build your personal brand in the company from day one. Brand attributes include reliability, quality, non-substitutability, owner’s pride and commanding a premium price. And these attributes as they apply to products also apply to personal brand. In a world of uncertainty and pink slips, personal brand pays and protects. Office politics often does not hurt those with a good brand reputation at work. You build this by the power of your knowledge, contribution and visibility in professional forums and community.
Build positive relationship with your boss: Managing the boss is a critical skill that needs no overemphasis. This does not mean that you suck up. However, this does mean that you recognise his/her ego, idiosyncrasies and insecurity and manage the same effectively. Never say or do anything that makes him insecure. Unpleasant surprises are a strict no-no. Become dependable by delivering on your commitments on time. Seek guidance when you need it. Do not indulge in boss-bashing even for the sake of fun. People carry these things to the boss real time with their own bells and whistles!
Make friends in the organisation: Pay attention to building a good rapport with your colleagues. Never give them an impression that you are all for yourself. It pays to build a reputation as someone who is easy to relate to, pleasant to work with, nice to seek out for help and trust worthy. Try not to second-guess people but start on a note of trusting them on their face value. This may sound counter-intuitive, but organisations are not so bad that we must suspect and second-guess every colleague we work with.
Stay closely in the ‘loop’: Understand the unwritten rules of the game by observing the meeting dynamics. Learn the lingo and nuances both spoken and unspoken. Be discreet with confidential information that you handle. Remember when it comes to keeping confidential information, there is no substitute to building a reputation as being tight-lipped.
Keep away from gossip mongers: It is not difficult to recognise those amongst our colleagues who seem to have an irresistible appetite for gossip and gripe. At all costs, keep out of their circuit and avoid feeding to their insatiable hunger for information. Sometimes a simple smile would do rather than any explicit yes or no response to their cryptic demand for information.
Handling office politics is not necessarily difficult. You do not need to be involved in it to survive. But you need to be smart enough to read what is going on in order to protect yourself. Small and big fishes can survive in the same sea provided you recognise the sharks doing rounds and keep yourself out of the way. In the end, remember the following words of wisdom when it comes to office politics: “Hindsight is good, foresight is better, but insight is the best of all!”
(The author is an Executive Coach and HR Advisor.)