While the concept may be
intimidating, navigating office politics can help individuals support personal
power and better understand their work system. Business politics primarily
revolves around social dynamics, including how individuals interact with others,
whom they interact with, and when to choose their battles.
Whether or not one enjoys
participating in office politics, they are an unavoidable aspect of work.
However, they do not have to be negative. When responsibly managed, the flow of
information, power, and influence within the workplace can be utilised for
personal and collective benefit. The following examples show how this can be
achieved:
- Maintaining a Positive Outlook: While everyone has bad days,
directors, team leaders, and staff who feel demotivated and unhappy are
not well-received. Working excessive hours can be mentally and physically
exhausting, but complaining in a non-constructive way can be distracting
to others. By keeping a cheerful disposition, individuals can increase
their likability and find collaborating easier with colleagues.
- Developing Soft Skills: Soft skills are essentially
nuanced social skills. They encompass the ability to listen well, operate
effectively as a collaborator, and communicate healthily, which are
crucial skills in the workplace. Enhancing one's emotional intelligence
and other people's skills allows colleagues to navigate office politics
more easily.
- Building Positive Work
Relationships:
Coping with corporate politics becomes easier when individuals establish
solid and positive relationships with their colleagues. Loyalty and
friendship can significantly contribute to success. In social politics,
creating a support network that helps oneself and others ensures that
social connections can be relied on during challenging times.
- Speaking With Confidence: Showing bravery and making one's
voice heard can be challenging. However, the skill to stand up for oneself
and others when faced with unfair treatment is extremely valuable.
Speaking up highlights the strength and spirit of conviction that
discourages office bullies from targeting colleagues.
- Understanding and Building Formal
and Informal Networks:
Business politics can be divided into two main network types: formal and
informal. The formal network encompasses job titles and official positions
of authority, such as directors, team leaders, or interns. On the other
hand, the informal network refers to the subtle yet influential positions
of power that colleagues may hold behind the scenes. Gaining an
understanding of both networks is crucial for effectively navigating each
one.
- Maintaining Professional
Relationships:
While being friendly with colleagues to foster a sense of belonging, it is
equally vital to be professional. Striking a balance between being
sociable and oversharing personal information is critical. Revealing too
much about oneself may leave individuals vulnerable to others potentially
using it against them. Therefore, supporting a friendly yet professional
stance and setting clear boundaries are advisable to prevent colleagues
from taking advantage.
One should strive to
understand the power dynamics within their organisation and learn how to
navigate them positively. By comprehending the political landscape, individuals
can thrive and find it easier to succeed by utilising their knowledge to
support organisational goals and their team.
Regrettably, many
authoritative figures exploit their positions to bully or manipulate others,
resulting in a toxic workplace dynamic. Learning to find and manage negative
office politics is crucial to cultivating a stronger workplace position and
supporting others when needed. The following steps can assist organisations in
dealing with detrimental office politics:
- A Positive Organisational Culture: A positive organisational culture
is the foundation for a functional and content workplace. The development
of such a culture nurtures work motivation and fosters healthy colleague
engagement. Additionally, it instils pride and value in one's role within
the organisation. Organisations can create a positive culture by
proactively expecting and addressing colleagues' needs and supplying equal
growth opportunities. Organisations promote good office politics by
cultivating a positive work environment while safeguarding vulnerable
colleagues from hostile intentions.
- Encouragement of Open Positive
Communication:
Promoting positive and open communication is crucial for supporting
healthy business politics. Clear communication ensures that colleagues
feel treated fairly and with respect. Healthy communication reduces the
likelihood of conflicts arising by diminishing the potential for spreading
misinformation. Furthermore, effective communication helps to build trust,
fostering positive social networks and strong colleague relations.
- Focus on Organisational Goals: Cooperation and teamwork play a
significant role in healthy corporate politics. Promoting team activities
and generating excitement about an organisation's goals helps simultaneously end toxic dynamics and boost workplace morale. While it is crucial to
address immediate concerns, encouraging colleagues to look beyond the
present ignites team spirit and reduces the likelihood of unnecessary
conflicts.
- Assess an Organisation's Structure: An organisation's structure
should be assessed regularly to ensure effectiveness. Organisations may
only sometimes be aware of an unhealthy hierarchy that can make colleagues
feel ignored and controlled. Whether the workplace structure is top-down
or bottom-up, conducting an organisational structure assessment is crucial.
With changes in management approaches due to the arrival and departure of
directors, team leaders and staff, an organisational structure assessment
can lead to necessary adjustments in how an organisation works.
- Reward the Right People: Rewarding colleagues without
involving favourites is essential. When colleagues feel overlooked,
jealousy can arise, leading to discontent. Incentivising productivity
through rewards is a valuable strategy. However, those with the power to
distribute recognition must ensure that personal agendas or emotions do
not influence their judgment. Directors and team leaders should strive to
distribute praise as evenly as possible among colleagues, support a sense
of fairness, and show specific criteria for when rewards are given.
Directors and team leaders
must be aware of their actions in a managerial role to prioritise the technical
aspects of their positions, such as prompt task execution and cultivating
positive relationships with colleagues. This includes effective collaboration,
respectful communication, and supporting a personable demeanour. By doing so,
trust can be fostered among colleagues, ultimately mitigating the negative
impacts of organisational politics.
Directors and team leaders
who use politicism to influence the distribution of resources or status to
further their means within an organisation will always be outed in the long
run, as they unfailingly and arrogantly believe they are invincible to the rules
of natural justice. The only regret is that, in some cases, it takes longer for
an organisation to rid itself of such people than it should. In all cases, arrogance
always trips them up.
Regretfully, directors and
team leaders who choose to use politics to increase the power of their
relationships with others to influence the distribution of resources or status
for their gain often need to remember that their colleagues can easily see and
understand their actions. Even more regrettable is that organisations fail to
rid themselves of such people, as they lack the political will or ability to
take the appropriate actions.
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