Office Politics: Survival of the Savvy
by Patsi Krakoff
Published on this site: March 28th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
There's one skill everybody at work wishes they were better
at, but you won't find it taught in MBA courses: office politics.
Tales of political sabotage, power plays and turf wars are
part of any organization's history. Nonetheless, political
competence is the one skill everyone wishes to have more of-but
no one admits to it.
Political competence is the "ability to understand what
you can and cannot control, when to take action, who is going
to resist your agenda, and whom you need on your side. It's
about knowing how to map the political terrain and get others on your side, as well as lead coalitions," according
to Prof. Samuel B. Bacharach who wrote Getting Them On Your
Side, 2005.
Many individuals have good ideas that, if implemented, could
yield positive results for their companies. Sometimes these
ideas fail because the leaders who propose them cannot gain
support from key people.
Defining Political Savvy
It's naive to suggest that all office politics are destructive
and unethical. If you define politics in such a narrow and
negative way, you overlook the value of political awareness
and skill. When political astuteness is combined with ethics
and integrity, it can produce positive results for you, your
team and your organization.
By avoiding or denying its existence, you underestimate how
political behavior can destroy careers, a company's reputation
and overall performance. If you define politics in only negative
terms, you are naively under-political, which leaves you vulnerable
to overly political, self-serving individuals.
Three Phases of Political Competence
Political competence can be developed in an ethically sound
way with this three-phase process:
- Map Your Political Terrain
First, identify all stakeholders-anyone who has an interest
in, or who would be affected by, your idea-and how they
will react. Some resistance is inevitable. You must anticipate
others' reactions, identify allies and resisters, analyze
their goals, and understand their agendas.
- Get Others on Your Side
Build your coalition-a politically mobilized group committed
to implementing your idea because doing so will generate
valued benefits.
How do you win support? You need to be credible. You communicate
credibility by letting potential allies and resisters know
about your expertise, demonstrating personal integrity,
and showing you have access to important people and information.
Through informal conversations, meetings and office drop-ins,
you need to explain your position.
- Make Things Happen
You must win others' buy-in by making it clear there's a
payoff for supporting your effort and drawbacks for not
joining your coalition. Show how implementing your idea
will ease their workload, increase their visibility within
the organization, or help them cut costs in their unit.
Once you've persuaded people to join your coalition, you've
established a base that will legitimize your idea. Coalition
members will then use their networks to evangelize for you.
Mastering only certain parts of the three identified phases
will not yield success. Some people sabotage themselves by
failing to complete all three phases when attempting to generate
and implement change.
Reducing Risk through Politics
There are risks with any course of action you take. You sometimes
have incomplete or inadequate information when making a decision.
Building a coalition through dialogue with its members pushes
valuable information to the surface.
You are open to criticism and politically vulnerable whenever
you make a decision. Politically competent leaders reduce
risk by getting as many people as possible on their side.
Building a coalition is a search process for the best solution.
Building a coalition, bringing people together and solidifying/expanding
your base will leave you less vulnerable to criticism. It's
more difficult to attack a leader who has built a large base
of support throughout the organization.
Resources on Office Politics
Bacharach, S. 2005. Get Them on Your Side. Adams Media Corp.
Brandon, R. & Seldman, M. 2004. Survival of the Savvy:
High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success.
Free Press.
Kleiner, A. 2003. Who Really Matters : The Core Group Theory
of Power, privilege, and Success:. Doubleday.
Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. writes articles for business
and executive coaches and consultants. She provides articles
on leadership and executive development for sale, and formatted
into customized newsletters. Get Patsi's Secrets of
Successful Ezines 7-Step Mini-Course to learn what you need
to know to publish a successful ezine. http://snipurl.com/Ezine_MiniCourse
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