Understanding
the causes of organisational politics aids in the reduction of the adverse or
dysfunctional effects of politicism to support colleagues in engaging in the
more favourable political behaviours that help organisational stakeholders. The
goals of organisational politicism include the following:
- Furtherance of personal goals and aims,.
- The building of powerful allies and networks.
- The need for recognition, usually as the result of personal insecurities.
- Self-interest and protectionism.
- Developing and managing invaluable connections.
- Money and financial rewards.
Organisational politics occur in most, if not all, organisations. These are complex social networks with interconnecting horizontal relationships between teams and vertical connections between directors, team leaders and staff. Defining where a political stance lies, its direction and the overall understanding of the political landscape within an organisation can be challenging.
Colleagues experience the impact of organisational politicism, positive or negative, throughout their working life. Politicism can occur when gathering information for political reasons by engaging in office gossip or joining and acting as part of a group to manipulate others.
In contrast, others will use politics to climb the corporate ladder, to be seen to be productive and efficient and to curry favour with potential partners who have the power to further a person’s personal goals and aspirations. The characteristics of politicism will include some or all of the following:
- Self-Promotion: When people act purely to further their career without regard for its impact on others, including taking credit for the results of others, showing others up publicly as being foolish or unintelligent and putting people down to bolster their self-image or increase their self-worth.
- Office Politics: Occurs when colleagues or groups try to influence other stakeholders through manipulation, persuasion, pressure, or influence. This can positively influence those sceptical of a course of action to get them on board with a project or vision. However, the negative impact is that it can cause disagreements, leading to increased tension if people believe that a change of mind concerning an issue is at the expense of others.
- Territorialism: When colleagues become obstinately attached to a specific role or position within an organisation, in which they undertake the role entirely or all of the tasks associated with a role themselves. Typically, this might be a team leader who will only hand over the reins of a project once it has been completed.
- Factionalism: Seen when a group of people becomes disjointed in their thoughts and beliefs in the way that the goals and aims of the group should be achieved or completed. It becomes difficult to steer and manage tasks when common interests become disjointed. The larger group splits into smaller groups to form alliances in which the aspirations of the splinter groups do not align with the main group's goals and aims. This can increase the innovation and agility of the main group but can have negative consequences where splinter groups commit to achieving the goals and aims of the group in diverse ways.
- Gatekeeping: Colleagues whose position or influence in an organisation gives them a degree of power to block or control access to resources or people who have the authority to preserve and support their power to avoid confrontation and being challenged. This stifles innovation and entrepreneurialism, which stops others from performing at higher levels or at their best.
Sometimes, it may require a few intense moments or difficult conversations to discern the political situation. However, it is essential to remember that such actions often result in conflict. Taking mental note of the support for various projects and initiatives can prove beneficial. Similarly, paying attention to one's ability to show rapport with colleagues can also be helpful, no matter how difficult or dysfunctional other people's views may appear.
This approach, grounded in common sense, may appear straightforward. Nonetheless, complications can quickly arise within a group setting. The more crowded or diverse an office space, the higher the likelihood of unintentional clashes between colleagues. Such clashes may go unnoticed until after the fact.
Conflict can arise when individuals lack access to information, leading to frustration, misunderstanding and anger. Conversely, an excess of information in the workplace can also give rise to conflict, as colleagues become blinded by the excess of high volumes of information and fail to digest it. In such cases, colleagues can experience intense feelings of emotions centred around the following:
- Jealousy: If one colleague perceives another as a favourite or more competent, it can easily foster resentment. This is particularly true when their director or team leader does not try to conceal their favouritism or actively engages in preferential treatment of one person over another. Such dynamics can have a detrimental impact on workplace morale. Favouritism should never be tolerated, especially within an office where collaboration is crucial for success.
- Organisational Change: When new appointments are made at senior management levels, colleagues often try to outshine one another by highlighting their skills or speaking ill of their colleagues. This behaviour can fuel competition, which typically has negative consequences for the organisation.
- Limited Promotion Opportunities: When only a few positions are available for people to seek advancement, with many individuals vying for the limited opportunities, progress and advancement can take time and effort. As a result, colleagues often belittle others to make their contribution, even if ordinary or below standard, seem better than others. This approach may result in more promotions for those who are forward-thinking and seize every opportunity at the expense of better-qualified and suitable candidates, reducing the organisation's performance.
- Laziness: colleagues sometimes look for shortcuts in seeking promotion and advancement without putting in the effort or undertaking the full responsibility of their duties. Organisational politics are a way to grab the limelight or remove people when the authority of directors or team leaders is challenged, their insecurities are exposed, or they are shown as incompetent or lacking in the skills, knowledge or experience required to undertake their role within the organisation.
- Unknown Career Path: If advancement comes for arbitrary reasons, colleagues may need clarification or mentoring to increase their recognition and skills. Not knowing these vital factors can lead to increased anxiety that is unproductive for colleagues and the organisation.
- Stagnant Organisation: When there is no competition, accountability, or leadership in an organisation, its directors, team leaders, and staff will often become lethargic, and colleagues will feel as if they do not need to perform as hard, leading to a lowering of organisational performance. This usually leads to inferior customer service levels, higher costs, loss of organisational direction, innovation, spontaneity, and free-thinking across an organisation to resolve issues and increase customer service.
The lack of motivation can adversely affect productivity on all levels. If directors, team leaders, and staff are unmotivated, everyone else will likely follow suit, resulting in decreased colleague and team efficiency and effectiveness with little or no progression towards their goals. The adverse effects of organisational politics include tension, dissatisfaction, and low morale.
In contrast, the positive effects of organisational politics include improved performance and motivation among directors, team leaders, and staff. The reality is that it can go either way, depending on how an organisation uses this tactic, the common adverse side effects of which might include:
- Increased Stress: Stress comes from the constant fear of the unknown and the threat of directors, team leaders, and staff losing their jobs.
- Decreased Productivity: Directors, team leaders, and staff caught up in organisational politics pay less attention to their work and other commitments.
- Low Concentration Levels: Directors, team leaders, and staff preoccupied with personal agendas are less likely to perform at their best.
- Cynicism: can lead to low morale, lower productivity, and dissatisfaction.
- High Staff Turnover: Directors, team leaders, and staff who excel at what they do but leave an organisation because of its politics may result in a lack of qualified colleagues or a loss of organisational knowledge and experience.
- Demotivated Staff: Undeserving directors, team leaders, and staff succeeding or engaging in toxic work practices could leave the rest of an organisation's colleagues feeling demotivated and demoralised.
- Miscommunication: Organisational politics thrive on manipulation, leading to a prevalence of miscommunication. Directors and team leaders are often provided with edited versions of events. At the same time, colleagues are kept out of the loop.
- Decreased Performance: The organisation's overall performance suffers due to the negativity caused by lousy office politics.
- Resentment: Colleagues become unhappy and resent their directors, team leaders, and the organisation.
Bad office politics occur when people in positions of power and trust use their influence for personal gain. Unfortunately, backstabbing, gaslighting, and the formation of unhealthy cliques are common in office environments. Individuals cannot avoid corporate politics, regardless of their position within the office. It is a reality that must be acknowledged.
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