W hen you work in an organization, you meet people with different personalities. You may not always get along with them, however, because you’re part of the same office, you have to play nice. Disagreements befall every company’s employees since everyone thinks differently. Acquainting yourself with how to deal with office politics can work in your favor.
Office politics is using one’s allotted power in their organization to obtain benefits outside their appropriate authority. Usually in terms of either monetary or emotional profits. People who are the most involved in office politics tend to have a desire for power and often intend to dance around morals and integrity to achieve their agenda. Being aware of how to deal with office politics positively is essential to surviving in the harsh industry with every man out for himself. Keep reading to find ways on how to deal with office politics.
A common response to office politics is either flee or fight. It’s a standard reaction humans have as it's based on the theory of the survival of the fittest. This dates back to ancient human civilization when the world was just forming societies. One can argue that the office is the jungle of modern times.
However, simply being intuitive is not enough to survive politically. Your intuition will tell you to flee office politics, which might end up with you being labeled as a soft person who can be taken advantage of. On the other hand, if you fight back you’ll be met with more resistance to your goals as well as risk spoiling your reputation. Neither appeals for thriving career development. At the end of the day, you need to be conscious of the fact that you have a choice on how to react and feel about office politics.
During a conflict, it’s extremely easy to lose sight of your goals and vision and focus on the current events taking place. This can affect your aims without you realizing it. By focusing more on office politics and trying to get involved in different people’s points of view or their ranks can hurt your job performance. What you can do is be vigilant of your organization's objectives, and what’s the best decision you can take regarding the clash. Your managers will acknowledge your decision to do what’s best for the organization rather than the office politics with other employees. They’ll come to know you as someone who can be relied upon with higher duties.
Whenever you find yourself stuck in office politics, avoid taking sides between two authority figures. Instead, try your best to be diplomatic and ensure that your opinions are factual. This way no one can blame you if things escalate and you’re not stuck in a position where you have to explain yourself to the boss. Not taking a side means that you’re not going to be blamed for anything that might be said in the heat of the moment. It can prove to be a positive thing for you as you not being in the limelight of office politics means that you’re a responsible employee who can be trusted.
Many times disagreements occur within a workplace are often because someone understood something differently. Human beings are automatically more concerned with trying to get people to understand them but don’t want to reciprocate understanding. Your management will always want to first have their opinions known and expect you to understand without knowing that your opinion might differ. Once others figure out that you’re trying to see from your point of view, they’ll lower their defenses and extend consideration. This opens the road to communication for solutions that are acceptable to all parties involved.
The conclusion is that workplaces are full of politics of all different kinds. It’s very easy to get distracted by the recurring conflicts and lose sight of your targets. Remember you’re here to achieve your goals, not get involved in never-ending disagreements. Learning how to deal with office politics is essential to your career. It’s unavoidable. You don’t want to make enemies in the workplace. Learn to be cordial even if you don’t agree with other people. This guide should help guide on how to deal with office politics.
