Office politics isn’t just for those who keep their own interests above everybody else’s - it can be an effective means for bringing about change. As a leader, by choosing to participate and play fairly, you can chalk up more win-win outcomes for all.
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If you’re familiar with the movie Airlift, starring Akshay Kumar (as Ranjit Katyal), you would recall how he works with others for the collective well-being of millions of Indians in Kuwait. Katyal’s sphere of influence was large. He had contacts in the Embassy, Government and neighbouring countries. When he built those relationships, there was no problem in the near and immediate future. However, those ‘active and ongoing relationships’ did help when the need arose.
If Katyal hadn’t made those efforts earlier, he would have found himself frustrated and unable to influence any outcome. He even befriended an opportunistic and seemingly obnoxious Iraqi Major. Does Katyal like or respect the Iraqi Major? No. But he recognizes a relationship with the Major as a means to an end and therefore plays his part in maintaining the relationship.
Image Source: Airlift Review via Indianexpress.com
Ask yourself this: As a leader, are you open to working with people you dislike or disrespect, for the greater good? If not, you may be letting your stakeholders and yourself down. Don’t think of office politics as the big bad wolf and yourself as little red riding hood. Change your perception. Office politics is just one more means of influencing others to get things done. By avoiding it, you will be giving up valuable opportunities to build strong, what Annie McKee and co-authors refer to as positive ‘resonant relationships’.
According to Michael Jarrett, depending on the context (individual/organisational) and source of power (informal/power) we can discern four types of office politics. Jarrett uses metaphors of terrain to describes each quadrant of the resulting matrix:
The main characteristics of each type of organizational politics and strategies for dealing with the potential dysfunctions it may give rise to are summarised below:
The weeds
Here informal networks and personal influences play a great role. Such a dense network can prevent other voices from being heard. Therefore, they have the ability to oppose and thwart the execution of ideas which might disadvantage them but benefit the organization. To deal with them, identify key influencers and gaps. Then you can chose to form alliances or isolate key influencers by using counter-narratives and strengthening bonds with other networks.
The rocks
In this terrain, formal authority sources reign supreme. Instead of fighting against them, the wiser thing to do here is to use their power. You could redirect their dysfunctional energy elsewhere to get a foot in the door. Appealing to their interests and showing them their irrationality will help them see things your way.
The high ground
The high ground presents a powerful cocktail of formal authority and organisational systems. Stating your case with client/end-user feedback can help get your point across. Setting up an autonomous task force or pilot projects can help risk-averse organizations to see the benefits and improvements before making a formal switch.
The woods
Informal structures and processes are commonplace in the woods. Feedback from a fresh pair of eyes (such as a recent hire, or new client) and benchmark surveys can bring deficiencies in organizational behaviours to the forefront. You can then step in to ask if the employees feel those behaviours help or hamper the organization and get the ball rolling.
Conventional wisdom may suggest avoiding all office politics, but leaders who choose to participate and play fairly are likely to achieve more win-win outcomes for all. Politics isn’t just for those who keep their interests above everybody else’s but also for those who want to bring about change. By gaining insights into organisational political landscapes, managers will understand how to navigate and leverage it. Linda Hill and Kent Lineback offer some useful guidelines to help find your footing in the big, bad world of organizational politics without getting your hands dirty.
Strive for win-win outcomes. Don’t burn the bridge after you’ve crossed.
Keep organizational well-being as your primary objective.
Do not get personal.
Know your values and abide by them regardless of others’ conduct.
View every relationship as an asset, even with those you don’t like.
If you want to be an influencer for important organizational decisions, you need to be like Ranjit Katyal. Build active relationships with every key player, indiscriminately. You might feel like you are taking the righteous decision by staying away from politics and political beings in your organization. In reality, you are losing out on chances to help your organization.
Like most things in life, office politics has both positive and negative sides to it. Don’t judge the people or their actions. Instead, focus on understanding the reasons and driving forces. Your organizational goals and vision will enjoy greater acceptance and execution in no time.
