If you put two or more individuals together in a room, one way or another, you're going to get politics. Within the context of the office, politics sometimes refers to individuals doing things with a view to advance their career and attain more power. Workplace politics is often viewed in a damaging context, nevertheless, this doesn't need to be the case. Whilst you don’t have to play dirty games/politics to get ahead, there isn't any harm in understanding the political landscape in your organisation. By doing this, you'll be able to avoid getting burnt unnecessarily and in addition use it to your benefit once in a while. Here are a number of factors which will assist:
Know where power lies: It is always good to know which people/teams are in powerful positions, at different points in time. Individuals can have power either in the form of formal designations, or in a more casual nature, which will be due to high performance and/or general popularity.
Strive not to mess with individuals who have power: As far as attainable, attempt not to get in the way of somebody who's in a strong position. There are exceptions to this of course, such as when the person is doing something that can cease you from doing all your job(s) correctly, or directly harm you in some way. One option to take care of such cases is to achieve favour/support from somebody who is even more powerful.
Watch out of taking sides: There will usually be more than one power centre in your organisation and it is good to not take sides because that group might not be powerful in the future.
Use powerful folks in positive ways: For example, you could possibly volunteer to assist a powerful person with a venture or other assignment. By performing the project very well, you not only showcase your abilities but in addition earn some brownie points, which can be used to get favours in the future.
Know which co-employees to believe: There are lots of people who will seem very nice, however, the second you let your guard down they'll use it to harm you. So keep good relations with your peers and develop friendships at work however be very careful of what you say or do, round those that have a repute for playing dirty.
Author Resource:
Amit Puri has over 10 years of career advisory and business management experience. He is the Managing Consultant at Sandbox Advisors, a career, job search, recruitment and HR consulting firm based in Singapore.
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