Identifying The Use of Politics
Conflict may emerge when individuals face a shortage of information, resulting in frustration, confusion, and anger. Conversely, an overabundance of information within the workplace can also breed conflict, as staff may become overwhelmed by the sheer volume and struggle to process it effectively. In such instances, staff members may undergo intense emotional experiences centred on the following aspects:
- Jealousy: If a colleague views another as a preferred or more skilled individual, it may lead to feelings of bitterness. This becomes especially evident when their director or team manager openly displays favouritism or shows preferential treatment towards one individual. These interactions can significantly harm the overall morale in the workplace. Favouritism must not be accepted, particularly in a work environment that relies on teamwork for achievement.
- Organisational Change: When new appointments are made to senior management positions, staff frequently compete to showcase their skills or criticise their peers. This conduct can intensify rivalry, leading to detrimental outcomes for the organisation.
- Limited Promotion Opportunities: When there are only a limited number of positions available for individuals to pursue career growth and high competition among many people, achieving progress and advancement can be time-consuming and challenging. Consequently, staff often belittle others to make their contributions appear superior, even if they are average or below standard. This strategy may lead to more promotions for those who are proactive and seize every opportunity, but it comes at the expense of more qualified and suitable candidates, ultimately diminishing the organisation's overall performance.
- Laziness: Staff may occasionally attempt to find quick ways to advance in their careers without dedicating themselves fully to their responsibilities. Engaging in organisational politics can be a means to gain attention or eliminate individuals who threaten the authority of directors or team leaders. This often reveals their insecurities or highlights their perceived incompetence or lack of necessary skills, knowledge, or experience for their organisational roles.
- Unknown Career Path: If corporate progress or promotion occurs without clear justification, staff may require additional guidance or training to enhance their understanding and abilities. Lack of awareness regarding these crucial elements could result in heightened stress levels detrimental to staff and the organisation.
- Stagnant Organisation: Without competition, accountability, or effective leadership, the directors, team leaders, and staff often succumb to lethargy, resulting in a lack of motivation to perform at their best. Consequently, staff may perceive a reduced need to exert themselves, ultimately leading to a decline in overall organisational performance. This downward spiral typically manifests through subpar customer service, increased expenses, a loss of organisational vision, limited innovation, spontaneity, and a shortage of independent thinking when it comes to problem-solving and enhancing customer satisfaction.
A deficiency in drive and determination can have a detrimental impact on productivity across the board. When those in leadership roles, such as directors or team leaders, lack motivation, a negative tone can permeate the entire organisation. This can lead to a decrease in both individual and team performance, hindering progress towards achieving set objectives.
The negative consequences of organisational politics can manifest in various ways, including increased tension, decreased job satisfaction, and low staff morale. When individuals within the organisation focus more on personal agendas and power struggles, it can create a toxic work environment that hampers collaboration and overall effectiveness. Addressing these issues and fostering a culture of motivation and teamwork is crucial for maintaining a positive and productive workplace.
Overcoming Organisational Politics
Regrettably, many authoritative figures exploit their positions to bully or manipulate others, resulting in a toxic workplace dynamic. Learning to find and manage negative office politics is crucial to cultivating a stronger workplace position and supporting others when needed. The following steps can assist organisations in dealing with detrimental office politics:
- A Positive Organisational Culture: A positive organisational culture is the foundation for a functional and content workplace. The development of such a culture nurtures work motivation and fosters healthy staff engagement. Additionally, it instils pride and value in one's role within the organisation. Organisations can create a positive culture by proactively expecting and addressing staff needs and supplying equal growth opportunities. Organisations promote good office politics by cultivating a positive work environment while safeguarding vulnerable staff from hostile intentions.
- Encouragement of Open Positive Communication: Promoting positive and open communication is crucial for supporting healthy organisational politics. Clear communication ensures that staff feel treated fairly and with respect. Healthy communication reduces the likelihood of conflicts arising by diminishing the potential for spreading misinformation. Furthermore, effective communication helps to build trust, foster positive social networks, and create strong director, team leader, and staff relations.
- Focus On Organisational Goals: Cooperation and teamwork play a significant role in healthy corporate politics. Promoting team activities and generating excitement about an organisation's goals helps simultaneously end toxic dynamics and boost workplace morale. While it is crucial to address immediate concerns, encouraging staff to look beyond the present ignites team spirit and reduces the likelihood of unnecessary conflicts.
- Assess An Organisation's Structure: An organisation's structure should be assessed regularly to ensure effectiveness. Organisations may only sometimes be aware of an unhealthy hierarchy that can make staff feel ignored and controlled. Whether the workplace structure is top-down or bottom-up, conducting an organisational structure assessment is crucial. With changes in management approaches due to the arrival and departure of directors, team leaders and staff, an organisational structure assessment can lead to necessary adjustments in how an organisation works.
- Reward the Right People: Rewarding staff without involving favourites is essential. When staff feel overlooked, jealousy can arise, leading to discontent. Incentivising productivity through rewards is a valuable strategy. However, those with the power to distribute recognition must ensure that personal agendas or emotions do not influence their judgment. Directors and team leaders should strive to distribute praise as evenly as possible among staff, support a sense of fairness, and show specific criteria for when rewards are given.
Directors and team leaders must be aware of their actions in a managerial role to prioritise the technical aspects of their positions, such as prompt task execution and cultivating positive relationships with staff. This includes effective collaboration, respectful communication, and supporting a personable demeanour. By doing so, trust can be fostered among staff, ultimately mitigating the negative impacts of organisational politics.
Overcoming the Negative Side Of Politics
While the concept may be intimidating, navigating office politics can help individuals support personal power and better understand their work system. Organisational politics primarily revolves around social dynamics, including how individuals interact with others, whom they interact with, and when to choose their battles.
Whether or not one enjoys participating in office politics, they are an unavoidable aspect of work. However, they do not have to be negative. When responsibly managed, the flow of information, power, and influence within the workplace can be utilised for personal and collective benefit. The following examples show how this can be achieved:
- Maintaining a Positive Outlook: While everyone has bad days, directors, team leaders, and staff who feel demotivated and unhappy are not well-received. Working excessive hours can be mentally and physically exhausting, but complaining in a non-constructive way can be distracting to others. By keeping a cheerful disposition, individuals can increase their likeability and find collaborating easier with staff.
- Developing Soft Skills: Soft skills are essentially nuanced social skills. They encompass the ability to listen well, operate effectively as a collaborator, and communicate healthily, which are crucial skills in the workplace. Enhancing one's emotional intelligence and other people's skills allows staff to navigate office politics more easily.
- Building Positive Work Relationships: Coping with corporate politics becomes easier when individuals establish solid and positive relationships with their staff. Loyalty and friendship can significantly contribute to success. In social politics, creating a support network that helps oneself and others ensures that social connections can be relied on during challenging times.
- Speaking With Confidence: Showing bravery and making one's voice heard can be challenging. However, the skill of standing up for oneself and others when faced with unfair treatment is extremely valuable. Speaking up highlights the strength and spirit of conviction that discourages office bullies from targeting staff.
- Understanding and Building Formal and Informal Networks: Organisational politics can be divided into two main network types: formal and informal. The formal network encompasses job titles and official positions of authority, such as directors, team leaders, or interns. On the other hand, the informal network refers to the subtle yet influential positions of power that staff may hold behind the scenes. Gaining an understanding of both networks is crucial for effectively navigating each one.
- Maintaining Professional Relationships: While being friendly with staff to foster a sense of belonging, it is equally vital to be professional. Striking a balance between being sociable and oversharing personal information is critical. Revealing too much about oneself may leave individuals vulnerable to others potentially using it against them. Therefore, supporting a friendly yet professional stance and setting clear boundaries is advisable to prevent staff from taking advantage.
Directors, team leaders and staff should strive to understand the power dynamics within their organisation and learn how to navigate them positively. By comprehending the political landscape, individuals can thrive and find it easier to succeed by utilising their knowledge to support organisational goals and their team.
Directors and team leaders who use politicism to influence the distribution of resources or status to further their means within an organisation will always be outed in the long run, as they invariably and arrogantly believe they are invincible to the rules of natural justice. The only regret is that, in some cases, it takes longer for an organisation to rid itself of such people than it should. In all cases, it is that arrogance that always trips them up.
Regretfully, directors and team leaders who choose to use politics to increase the power of their relationships with others to influence the distribution of resources or status for their gain often need to remember that their staff can easily see and understand their actions. Even more regrettable that organisations fail to rid themselves of such people, as they lack the political will or ability to take the appropriate actions.
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