How to Win at Office Politics

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  sethwoodworth07/11/07 Reported as spam
  1

  Great Article!

  I really love the article, it reminds me of a walk through of the 48 laws of power, a great book on basically the same topic. I think that your suggestions are very down to earth, understandable, and fair.
  There was however a typo in the form of a repeated paragraph under bullet #2:
  
  * If: Someone?s blocking you from your goal...
  * Then: Stand up to them ? nicely.
  * Ask your counterpart in that department when and how he would first like to hear about new ideas: Over coffee? In an email? As soon as they come up? Once they?ve gained approval in your department? See if he wants to be included in related meetings. Involving him earlier will increase your chances of gaining support.
  
  Otherwise, it is a great article.
  
  Seth Woodworth
  specialization.isforinsects.com

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  karen.steen@...07/12/07 Report as spam
  2

  Re: Great Article

  Typo has been fixed. Thanks for the catch!
  
  Karen Steen
  senior editor
  BNET

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  alex3422343208/27/07 Report as spam
  3

  Message has been deleted.

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  MCSherwood07/12/07 Report as spam
  4

  Office Politics

  This is one of the best short articles I've seen on this topic and is useful at all levels of the organization.

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  najba07/12/07 Reported as spam
  5

  Article was very concise and extremely helpful

  Article was very concise and extremely helpful

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  javashish07/12/07 Report as spam
  6

  Great Article

  This article gives very neat and concise view of the things one should consider in terms of dealing with day-to-day Office 'Politics'

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  iceblink07/12/07 Report as spam
  7

  office politics

  Great article. I deal with this everyday. Good advice given on different types of situations. Something I needed.

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  seh_jbr307/12/07 Report as spam
  8

  Mars and Venus! Please!

  I truly hope no one follows the advice in Step 2!
  
  It's "old school" stereotyping and won't make you a success at work. Men AND women both exhibit collaborative and competetive communication styles. A winnng approach is taylored to the individual's style that you wish to influence, not their gender!!

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  robert@...07/18/07 Report as spam
  9

  Mars and Venus

  Sorry if you were offended, but anyone with a grasp of people can tell you that this "old school" principle is true, for the most part. Ignore it at your peril. It is as true for a marriage as it is for the workplace.
  
  Understanding human nature is not disrespectful; ignoring it is.

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  camillak07/31/07 Report as spam
  10

  Mars and Venus

  Problem is, you'll probably be working with a few "old school people" as well... Funny how some people seem to do their best to live up to stereotypes...
  
  C:

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  Kelly Dwyer08/06/07 Report as spam
  11

  Venus and Mars

  The intent in this section is not to reinforce negative stereotypes but to remind
  men and women alike that the opposite sex often (not always) processes
  information differently and assigns more or less value to certain aspects of work.
  Recognizing and understanding these *general* differences can be a useful
  political tool.

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  elizabethO08/08/07 Report as spam
  12

  Venus and Mars

  What bothered me about this section was that the female stereotypes were portrayed more negatively, and the advice to females was to change their own behavior, while the male stereotypes were portrayed less negatievely, and the advice to males focused on how to deal with female behavior.
  
  Whether or not stereotypes are "generally true" (and I think we definitely need to recognize that they most certainly are not ALWAYS true), to move toward more equal and progressive workplaces, we need to see traditionally "female" activities like collaboration as positive rather than negative or cumbersome.

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  jredmon@...10/25/07 Report as spam
  13

  You just proved the point

  Amazing, you just proved the whole point here didn't you? You, as a woman looked at this story different than I did as a man. Wow, go figure, men and women actually look at things different? Women tend to fell overlooked, or not taken seriously by men. There are tons of studies to prove this and there is nothing sterotypical about this yet stating it tends to offend people.
  
  I think this was right on the money, this post proves it. We, men, need to be aware that what we say can offend women so we need to be careful...good advice.
  
  Thanks for teaching me this at an early age Mom, your the best.

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  Chandersingh07/12/07 Report as spam
  14

  Office friend and guide

  In today's office, all thats been said in the article is experienced by mostly all of us. But, whats not available is a coach, who can steer you through clearly of the 'dirty' environment that stinks of politics. This article comes very handy as a friend and guide.. Thanks

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  openly black07/12/07 Report as spam
  15

  Great Article

  To me the most important points this article makes are that:
  1) Everyone is political - it's just a matter of degree. Following office etiquette, observing the dress code, awareness of empiric roles and titles are all political acts. The question becomes whether one accepts the reality and is willing to "actively" participate.
  
  2) Office politics aren't inherently "good" or "bad". They are simply the connective tissue of the formal organizational structure; how things get done. How they are used, to what ends, and the values of the user determine which adjective is the best descriptor.

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  dhiman_chowdhury@...07/12/07 Report as spam
  16

  How to Win at Office Politics - A response

  The article discusses a very important subject that we all face one way or other in the workplace. However, there are few circumstances where politics in the workplace becomes overbearing:
  
  1. Ethics of Organizational Behavior (OB): If ethics of OB is violated by politics, the issue becomes difficult to deal with as well it is non productive. Corporation should promote apolitical workplace where possible. While politics in workplace is considered by some as a means of creating a non-coercive, or a democratic work environment, others may find it the alamode for "totalitarian rule". It is important to observe and understand what is considered ?totalitarian rule? as oppose to democratic work environment. For purposes of understanding organizational political behavior, Wilf Ratzburg (2000) suggested that an employee with considerable time invested in industry-specific training is less likely to engage in organizational politics that might jeopardize that investment, than an employee with less time invested. Henceforth, one should need to be watchful of politics in workplace whether or not the outcome is productive and healthy for the organization or the end result undermines ethics of OB. It should be noted, that, actions for an incumbent, stated in the article will be handy. However, those executives who could influence OB significantly, should also ensure that politics in the workplace does not become overbearing and violates ethics of OB. The latter will undermine employee morale.
  
  2. Bipartisanship: One of the nasty outcomes of organizational politics is bipartisanship that will undermine productivity of the organization as less qualified person may get promotion over the qualified person. It is to be understood the politics is the outcome of ego centric mentality; more ego a person has the less productive he or she will be. In today?s global marketplace, where competition is a daily menace, efficiency is the key to success. And efficiency cannot be achieved without collaborative works of all members within an organization and thus paving the way for team work. Politics undermines the spirit of team work.
  
  
  Reference
  
  Wilf H. Ratzburg, 11th Feb, 2000. DEFINING ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS. [online]. Available from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1650/htmlpolitc01.html [cited 12th July, 2007].

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  mcontois@...10/25/07 Report as spam
  17

  Excellent Points

  I could not agree more. We need to be more collaborative. For me, I appreciate people that are able and willing to communicate directly and honestly. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a manager says to me, "To be honest with you..." I cannot help but think so you lie to me unless you say that?? Why?
  It gets to this point when I'm trying to understand what it is they would like me to do. They just don't seem to be able to articulate it. Could this be the result of office politics? I don't see politics as an efficient way to get things done. If I'm involved with office politics then I don't see it. I don't think about it. I'm focused on my job and its part in the organization. I'm willing to help others. I don't see myself in competition with anyone. I never have. I think I have done well. I don't have a me vs. them attitude. I have an attitude of, we are all in this together so let's work together and see what we can accomplish.
  Of course I understand that business rewards do not reflect this mentality and it's too bad. I have worked in environments that did reflect this attitude and people seemed happier and more committed. Maybe an exception? But nothing is absolute.

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  basile07/12/07 Report as spam
  18

  Helpfull

  Great tips and ideas. Need to keep a cool head when participating in office politics.

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  dhiman_chowdhury@...07/12/07 Report as spam
  19

  Organizational Politics: Discussion

  The article discusses a very important subject that we all face one way or other in the workplace. However, there are few circumstances where politics in the workplace becomes overbearing:
  1. Ethics of Organizational Behavior (OB): If ethics of OB is violated by politics, the issue becomes difficult to deal with as well it is non productive. Corporation should promote apolitical workplace where possible. While politics in workplace is considered by some as a means of creating a non-coercive, or a democratic work environment, others may find it the alamode for "totalitarian rule". It is important to observe and understand what is considered ?totalitarian rule? as oppose to democratic work environment. For purposes of understanding organizational political behavior, Wilf Ratzburg (2000) suggested that an employee with considerable time invested in industry-specific training is less likely to engage in organizational politics that might jeopardize that investment, than an employee with less time invested. Henceforth, one should need to be watchful of politics in workplace whether or not the outcome is productive and healthy for the organization or the end result undermines ethics of OB. It should be noted, that, actions for an incumbent, stated in the article will be handy. However, those executives who could influence OB significantly, should also ensure that politics in the workplace does not become overbearing and violates ethics of OB. The latter will undermine employee morale.
  
  2. Bipartisanship: One of the nasty outcomes of organizational politics is bipartisanship that will undermine productivity of the organization as less qualified person may get promotion over the qualified person. It is to be understood the politics is the outcome of ego centric mentality; more ego a person has the less productive he or she will be. In today?s global marketplace, where competition is a daily menace, efficiency is the key to success. And efficiency cannot be achieved without collaborative works of all members within an organization and thus paving the way for team work. Politics undermines the spirit of team work.
  
  
  Reference
  
  Wilf H. Ratzburg, 11th Feb, 2000. DEFINING ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS. [online]. Available from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1650/htmlpolitc01.html [cited 12th July, 2007].

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  garr507/12/07 Report as spam
  20

  Now I understand why people avoid me

  I have a bad relationship with my immediate manager, and everybody in the department seems to know about this tense situation. I work alone and have few interactions with co-workers, so I am surprised when people speak to me.

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  kkish07/12/07 Report as spam
  21

  Excellent resource!

  I have learnt some of the lessons in this article the hard way. I am very grateful for the rest to be presented to me in such easy to read and concise format. I have saved this article as an important resource.
  
  Katalin

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  bbanita0407/12/07 Report as spam
  22

  An Eye Opener

  Appreciate this article very much. I always avoid office politic because it's full of negative intention...this article is really an eye opener! Congrat...

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  kasund07/12/07 Report as spam
  23

  An Exciting article

  This is excellent. this as given me the insights to office politics and how i should deal with it. All this time i was taking this as personal but now i know that it is not.
  
  Would like to read more on this topic.

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  bon_park07/13/07 Report as spam
  24

  Really useful

  I thought that this was great. Ok - the Venus and Mars section may be a little out of date as both sexes at times display these traits, but it was useful information on how to deal with these scenarios shoudl they occur.
  
  More please !!
  
  Bonny Parker

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  hgardner@...07/13/07 Report as spam
  25

  Good Read!

  An interesting and useful article. The Mars/Venus piece reflects some outdated thinking - modern-day office politics must take into account individual differences that shouldn't be split into male vs female camps! Both sexes can display any and all of the traits typically associated with the opposite sex. It's a dangerous game to apply stereotypical thinking to every interaction!
  
  But ootherwise, the article was full of useful advice!

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  x0107/13/07 Report as spam
  26

  Very Revealing Article

  This article gave me a lot of insight to how I was going about office politics (wrongly). As the opening paragraph stated, office politics is a fact that all will participate in, directly or indirectly.
  
  I've been at my company for one (1) year now and I can see where my emotions, sense of justice, and commitment moved some of my superiors to do the things they have done (in defense, perhaps). One disadvantage to this article is that it assumes a crystal clear path of reporting and voicing grievances and the like. But even in a mis-managed organisation there are still the heads and the subordinates. As such, the article reiterates the privilege AND the right of employees to ask questions. Thank you for the added insight as to who, for what, and how to ask questions.
  
  I highly recommend all to read this and all related articles in this series, it will definitely get you to where you want to be wherever you are (if where you are now is unsatisfactory).

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  sanjeevsahgal@...07/14/07 Report as spam
  27

  Did you visit my office?

  Well thats what stuck me when I read through. The beauty of this article is the fact that it is so simply put there and all of us have a view to the solution but we ignore for reasons best known to us. One of the things that I have observed is that, a lot of folks think this is 'dirty', well not completely, I think you got to chhose what you got to get. There is no right or wrong, the question is 'What is your style?' or 'What can you do to get that "something" ?' If you feel good about it then it works for you, otherwise whatever you do will still get you there...maybe a little later in the day!

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  nastacio07/15/07 Report as spam
  28

  The Reputation Capital

  Whenever an article makes me rethink the way I go about my work, it is worth it.
  
  On step 4 (promote yourself, tactfully) I have written an expanded view on what I deemed the "Reputation Capital" and how to maximize it.
  
  Being Thankful and the Reputation Capital

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  amit.mitra@...07/15/07 Report as spam
  29

  Fantastic

  The article helped me take a step back and look at the whole as opposed to looking at the smaller day-to-day tasks/operations. It gives a great perspective on how office politics can be constructive rather than an irritant best left for the incompetent or unprofessional. Thanks for offering a beautiful way to start my day.

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  Mizhan607/16/07 Report as spam
  30

  Relevant as Heck!

  I always find such relevant articles here on BNET and this is no exception. I am dealing with a subordinate at work who harasses not just me but my co-managers, our superior, and all regular level employees. The situation has gotten so out of control and just yesterday I called all the managers together after a company meeting to discuss the situation. It helps to get the management team all on the same page going forward in attempts to deal with this problem. Our next step is to have our direct supervisor address the situation with HR to discover how to get a handle on these issues once and for all. Regular disciplinary channels have not worked so a little bit tougher solution must be found. I shared this article with my coworkers and they very much appreciate it!

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  kakayij07/16/07 Report as spam
  31

  How to win office Politics

  This is a must read for any body looking for career growth.
  
  You just made a grand visit into my career plan, and watch this space for testimonies on how I have improved my career.
  
  Biggup to all for these very enriching lines

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  yuva.raj.cr@...07/17/07 Report as spam
  32

  Excellent Article.

  The office politics article was really superb.
  
  Yuvraj CR

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  sjawada5@...07/17/07 Report as spam
  33

  Excellent article

  Well structured article, helpful, each idea presented with example.
  Everyone must read.

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  mazen.melebari@...07/21/07 Report as spam
  34

  excellent to new manager

  dear all,
  it wonderfull, sincelong time i am seeking about this topics

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  lilyargueta07/24/07 Report as spam
  35

  EXCELLENT...

  Excellent? valuable information for young people, that is trying to built a career.

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  tarcan07/31/07 Report as spam
  36

  great ...

  it is a great article.
  All cases explained in the article are very helpful for business life...thanks...

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  feel1n@...08/01/07 Report as spam
  37

  Very Positive

  Hi,
  I think that this article helped me to see the positive side of competition and politics @ the work place.
  Will be good to follow it with more game plans to beat the negative approaches that go on behind the scenes.
  
  Cheers,
  F

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  jrodmel200708/15/07 Report as spam
  38

  New kid on the block

  I really appreciate the information that I read. I can't say that all of it is new. However, it's served as a great refresher on how to wisely play office politics. Not being out entirely for yourself, although it does play a part. The gist of what I took away from it is to improve your own standing within the organization while also improving the organization itself. If you don't have support within, it will be pretty difficult to accomplish your goals. Furthermore, if there is bad blood for you in organization, it can follow you if you move elsewhere, especially if you remain within the same industry.

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  alex3422343208/28/07 Reported as spam
  39

  Message has been deleted.

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  alex3422343208/27/07 Reported as spam
  40

  Message has been deleted.

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  RRAMBIBAMBI08/30/07 Report as spam
  41

  very useful.

  Like it or not, this is the way things work. Very realistic and helpful.

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  dirt159@...08/30/07 Report as spam
  42

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Good ideas, easy to apply.

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  NRichmond08/31/07 Report as spam
  43

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Great advice...is there a psychology to seating choice in committee meetings? Feedback....

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  Shweta4u09/04/07 Report as spam
  44

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Fantastic article with useful insights and suggestions.
  Kudos!

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  clomack09/05/07 Report as spam
  45

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Great information! I find it very useful for my office.

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  Anusha Iyer09/05/07 Report as spam
  46

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Very Informative

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  annie71209/05/07 Report as spam
  47

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  This Article is very nice was very helpful,one should consider in terms of dealing with day-to-day Office 'Politics'

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  andrew.loveless10/25/07 Report as spam
  48

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  This is an article that is really on the mark for people working in today's global organisations. A couple of comments I would add are:
  
  - the title Figure out why (and if) you want to play is worth commenting on - one of the critical things to be aware of is that choosing 'not to play' simply means you become a pawn in other's games. "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those hwo are dumber." Plato. It is far more effective to be a positive political force - being aware of the dynamics and constructively managing them - the article demonstrates the ways to do this really well.
  
  - an area that isn't mentioned but is worth highlighting is political mapping. This tool, which is very different from the normal org chart, shows much more incisively the dynamics that you need to be aware of and work around. We have found this really valuable when working with clients.

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  charujain10/25/07 Report as spam
  49

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  goor to know and implement.

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  charujain10/26/07 Report as spam
  50

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  good to know and implement.

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  gwedawatta10/26/07 Report as spam
  51

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  creative and imaginative...
  exellent article

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  icering10/29/07 Report as spam
  52

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  constructive

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  joji.aguila@...10/29/07 Report as spam
  53

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  super. although i'm not the type who likes to work it, i do appreciate the tips listed. office politics do exist.
  
  joji aguila

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  jrandom4212/19/07 Report as spam
  54

  Politics is bull****!

  What about us who have no aptitude or inclination for office politics and have been repeatedly burned by political operators? Being a technical person, I hate politics and feel totally like a bad actor who is fumbling his lines on national tv whenever I've tried.
  
  Self-Promotion? I've been replaced by self-promoting idiots who totally ruined the company's infrastructure and cost them millions, yet they "aren't at fault" and are still "good guys" when the company reports losing milions because of their idiocy. Makes me want to choke at seeing politics blinding others to technical incompetence.
  
  I suppose it's a necessary evil, but evil it is, and nothing I've seen in my working career has come close to convincing me otherwise.

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  vodnic12/21/07 Report as spam
  55

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Very good

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  vsuba73@...01/07/08 Report as spam
  56

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Its very helpful and handy not only for work place but can be made applicable to general life also.

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  jivaan01/22/08 Report as spam
  57

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Excellent stuff, really helpfull.
  
  Thanks

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  ricta9903/11/08 Report as spam
  58

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  Great article, but imo it is alot harder to put them into practice...

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  ws.masih@...04/25/08 Report as spam
  59

  Simple yet difficult

  The article was worth a read and also worth implementing. The problem comes that who will break the ice and whether the person on the other end will appreciate.
  There are various problems and its difficult to generalise them. I wish that BD net would answer specific problems so that we can learn and adapt to it.

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  sammu08/06/08 Report as spam
  60

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  really one of those rare article which contains points that could be practically applied.Thank you

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  jayeanna1603/11/09 Report as spam
  61

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  I have heard most of this information before but it is great advise and worth hearing time and time again.

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  askrevelation06/20/09 Report as spam
  62

  RE: How to Win at Office Politics

  An organisation with around 200 employees working in the public sector asked us to develop a coaching program for their senior managers which would accelerate the implementation of their new strategy.
  
  An ambitious 10 year business plan needed strong leadership to guide an underlying culture change, shifting the focus of the business from a public sector mentality to one of business and commercial awareness. The CEO had been in place for only a short time, having been promoted rapidly from company accountant to Finance Director to CEO.
  
  We coached the CEO to develop this strategy, and this evolved into a coaching program for the senior managers, supporting them in implementing the strategy in their own areas of the business.
  
  From the beginning, the CEO avoided key issues during coaching and inconsistencies began to show during conversations between the CEO and the Directors. During a strategy workshop, Directors closed ranks, recited rehearsed statements about the strategy and looked to the CEO for approval.
  
  After just two months into the coaching program, it was clear that some managers' ideas to implement the strategy were being blocked, whilst others were contradicting themselves and avoiding accountability. The CEO was continuing to avoid key issues and was making very little progress overall.
  
  The main issue appeared to be the avoidance of accountability. Staff would avoid work that they were not interested in and their managers would take on extra work rather than make individuals accountable for their actions, so work flowed up the organisational structure rather than down and managers took on a higher workload resulting in longer working hours, greater stress, mistrust and resentment .
  
  We called a meeting with the CEO and told her that we were closing the coaching program.
  
  The fundamental issue was that the CEO was manipulating her managers and the board in order to support her own hidden agenda; her early exit. She knew that she did not have enough experience as a CEO to secure her next position, so the only option was a significant achievement in the form of a merger with another organisation which would give her an instant successor from outside the organisation, enabling her to block succession from within. She had already removed two Directors and had identified a third who she was setting up to fail in key performance areas. She influenced board elections to ensure support from new members and gave the impression that she was protecting her team from the board in order to control communication between them.
  
  This complex system of control and manipulation bred mistrust, avoidance and dishonesty throughout the management team and began to create a barrier to the CEO's own hidden agenda. The business was disintegrating faster than she could orchestrate her exit, and at some point the board would take the exit decision away from her, leaving her with neither the experience nor the achievements to move forwards yet equally unable to move backwards.
  
  At our final meeting, we told the CEO that we had identified all of this, and that we were no longer part of the game. Although she was surprised at our withdrawal from the program, she admitted to everything that we said. She recognised the risk that she faced, and the danger that she was putting the company in. If we had said nothing and continued to coach her, the coaching would have been ineffective because of her manipulation and avoidance. By admitting to her behaviour, she had taken responsibility for it and no longer needed coaching. Either way, our feedback was more valuable than any coaching ever could be.
  
  www.askrevelation.com