Be courteous but guarded, as they may repeat what you say with a negative "spin." Try to understand their goals, so that you can avoid or counter the impact of their negative politicking. So, get to know the gossips and manipulators better. The expression, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," often applies to office politics. In fact, the opposite can be more effective. Your first instinct may be to keep your distance from people who practice "bad" politics. This is a good way to find out what's most important to the people in your network, and it shows that you value their opinions. So ask for feedback from others who may have a different perspective on your work. This demonstrates your honesty and integrity. It's also crucial to be accountable for your actions. Instead, become known for using "positive political action." Notice whether connections are based on friendship, respect, romance, or something else.įinally, try to decipher how influence flows between the parties, and whether there are any interpersonal conflicts, or examples of bullying.Įxercise caution when you leverage your network in this way – you don't want to get a reputation as a "pest!" Always keep your organization's goals in mind, and don't "badmouth" others, or you'll make more enemies than friends. Look for in-groups, out-groups or cliques. Watch closely (but discreetly and respectfully) to find out who gets along with who, and who finds it more difficult to interact with others. Once you know where the power and influence lie, it's time to examine people's interactions and relationships to understand the informal or social networks. To do this, ask yourself questions like, "Who are the real influencers?," "Who has authority but tends not to exercise it?," "Who is respected?," "Who champions or mentors others?," and "Who is the brains behind the business?" 2. So, sit back and observe for a while, and then map the political power and influence in your organization, rather than people's rank or job title. Office politics often circumvent the formal organizational structure. These seven tips can help you to do this: 1. Then, you need to develop strategies to recognize and understand political behavior and to build a strong and supportive network. It may change over time, as people come and go in your organization, but, chances are, it will never disappear entirely. The foundation for making politics work for you in a positive way is to accept it as a reality. This can lead to teams competing to satisfy their own needs and goals, even when this may go against the "greater good." Seven Survival Tips for Office Politics It's natural to want to use, or increase, our power, but we might do so in a way that takes power away from others.įinally, organizations have limited resources. We can be straightforward or underhand about this.Īlso, remember that some people will always have more power than others, either through hierarchy or some other source – you can explore this with our article, French and Raven's Five Forms of Power. Office politics arise when these differences of personality and opinion become difficult to manage.Īnd we often care deeply about the decisions that we make, or that others make about us, so we seek to influence people's choices. We all want to be successful, but we don't always agree with one another about what this means or how we should achieve it. How Political Is Your Workplace?Īll workplaces are political to some extent, simply because people bring their personal emotions, needs, ambitions, and insecurities into their professional lives. Use office politics to your advantage, without compromising your values.
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