Bob Weinstein
October 11, 2007
Picture this all-too-common scenario: You just started a new PM job, and you want to make a great impression and fit in. Knowing how important those first couple of months are, you don’t want to make any mistakes. While everyone seems friendly and accepting, you notice that there are definite cliques. You see them in the company cafeteria and in the hallways.
There is probably no intent, but they make you feel like an outsider. And you’ve hardly been with the company a month. Although it may seem like you’re back in high school, what you’re experiencing is real. It’s office politics--a powerful force not to be ignored.
How do you become part of the team, someone your co-workers admire and accept? It’s not by merely doing a great job, but by playing office politics. For many people, the concept of office politics has a negative connotation. What they don’t realize is that there’s a right way to play the office politics game and win. So say Louellen Essex and Mitchell Kusy. Essex is an organization learning and development consultant and a professor at the University of Minnesota, and Kusy is a professor in AntiochUniversity’s Ph.D. program in leadership.
Office politics are not about popularity--they’re about power. In every office, there are organizational leaders: supervisors, managers and senior-level executives. But there are also employee-assigned power brokers. These are people who co-workers follow and look up to because of their skill in leading, mediating and influencing others. These are the company’s potential movers and shakers, the people who can make things happen.
Greek philosopher Aristotle was on the money when he said, “Man is by nature a political animal.” Author George Orwell said, “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’” But the futuristic author also said, “All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”
It’s doubtful that all of these attributes can be applied to office politics. But one thing is certain: organizational politics are real and can make or break you if you don’t respect their awesome power. Getting to know who these informal power brokers are in your company--and becoming one yourself--is more important than ever. It’s because organizations have placed more value on individual leadership and power sharing.
Taking the time to play the politics game well will pay off. Decision-makers will begin to notice you, and you’ll start to attract more support and recognition for your work. As you become more familiar with the power dynamics in the workplace, you’ll also begin to see what makes your organization tick, which makes you even more valuable.
By understanding alliances, you will be able to navigate through them more easily. This skill will also pay off when the time comes for a team effort on a new project that won’t work unless you can win supporters and fend off resisters. Having the respect of power holders has tangible benefits as well, such as helping you get promoted. Here are eight tips from Essex and Kusy that will help you play the office politics game the right way:
Identify the power brokers. Who in your organization do others look up to and why? Knowing who the power brokers are will give you insight into the complex labyrinth of relationships at work, and how you can navigate through them.
Adjust your work style. How do people at your organization measure success? Which is rewarded: risk taking or deliberate, well-planned methods? Do decisions come down from above, or is a collaborative approach to problem-solving encouraged? The better your working style jibes with the senior power brokers, the more influential you will become among your peers.
Become an expert. Try to gain expert power by having valuable knowledge others don’t have. Established credibility will serve you well, especially in times of political upheaval.
Recognize but do not abuse your coercive power. Although you don’t want to abuse this type of power, it’s a fact of life that people in managerial positions have both reward and coercive capabilities. When you can take away from others the things they value (withholding assignments and opportunities, and even firing them), you have power. Use it wisely.
Be a connector. Develop a strong network of relationships that allows you to get things done quickly and thoroughly, and that also gives you access to exclusive information that’s only shared by the organization’s leaders.
Be respected. Called “referent power,” this type of power comes when you are liked and respected and have a reputation as a leader with whom people want to work. Give respect and you will be respected back.
Don’t align too strongly with one faction. If you do, you will alienate other factions, which could work against you if there is political upheaval.
Don’t ignore your blockers. People make the mistake of ignoring their enemies and sidling up to their allies in times of upheaval. Instead, focus on working with and listening to your opponents. If you can win them over, your former enemies will become your staunchest allies. If you can’t, you will at least increase your knowledge of the other party’s view.
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