The truth is – you cannot escape office politics. It is part of every organisation.
It is no different in the field of communications. The very nature of communications is laced with opportunities for interactions and politics at work. Whether it is managing perceptions, drawing up narratives, or, influencing stakeholders, communicators often find themselves in the midst of organisational power dynamics.
People get promoted because of it. People even get laid off because of it. Sounds familiar does it not? Whether you choose to believe it or not, you cannot ignore the dynamics that exist at your workplace. Those power dynamics could be very on the face or could be covert or, even informal lobbying!
Networking, alliance building, back stabbing, stealing credit for work done by someone else…all of this gets done to manoeuvre promotions and resources.
When you join a new organisation, nothing prepares you for the kind of dynamics that exist therein. It has to be explored and experienced. You may realise you do not have the stomach for it at all! You may argue that you have joined the company to work and not play politics. But, it does not work that way. Suddenly one day you may find yourself being laid off and not because you were not performing or had not met your goals. It could be simply under the guise of ‘budget cuts’, with the real reason being you had neglected to forge critical relationships with people who had the power to advocate for you. You did not want to play office politics.
What is office politics really? If you were to separate the wheat from the chaff, i.e., delete the negative vocabulary associated with office politics (toxic, dangerous, etc.), you will find that most of it is behind the scenes informal get-to-know one another techniques.
If you think by changing jobs you can escape office politics, you are mistaken. There is never going to be an office where there is not going to be an interplay of interpersonal relationships. In their book ‘Reframing organisations: artistry, choice, and leadership”, authors Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal state, “the question is not whether organisations will have politics but rather what kind of politics they will have.”
To really succeed and blend at a workplace, you need to be politically savvy and intelligent. This does not mean you give up on your inherent goodness or kindness.
Take for example a situation wherein you have to develop the communication strategy for your company. If you are politically savvy at work, you will meet your key stakeholders much prior to working on a blueprint and get to know their priorities and concerns. By knowing their perspectives, you can be almost sure of presenting a winning idea.
Navigating office politics
The only way to survive office politics is to intelligently use it to your advantage.
* Build strong relationships
Relationships are the currency of office politics. In communications, where collaboration with multiple departments is essential, building and maintaining strong relationships can be a powerful strategy.
* Learn to position your work
Your work cannot speak for you. You have to speak about your work. Often, we present a laundry list of work/items that we have completed. We are happy when we have achieved our goals and talk of them with pride. The workplace is no school where when you complete your homework you get full marks! You will need to frame what you are doing in terms of the impact it’s having on the organisation and why it matters. Make this the central point of your performance appraisal.
* Cultivate allies
Invest in strategic relationships. Give your time to it. Build a network of colleagues who can support you, advocate for you, and help you navigate the complex dynamics of the workplace. Get yourself a mentor. And if possible, also be open to be coached when faced with challenging situations.
Over and above, stay true to your own self. Do office politics on your own terms without compromising on your ethics and integrity.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Senior Practitioner (Mentoring) from the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (EMCC), Sarita specializes in career transition, inner engineering and life issues. Sarita enjoys writing and is passionate about animals, books, and movies.
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