Office Politics

Office Politics is the group of social rules, behaviors, beliefs, and exchanges that guide the conduct of office activities, including discussions, grading of performance, voting, and so on. The word" Politics" is derived from the Greek work "politikos" (Government) and "kristos" (lord). The etymology goes something like this: "clerosis", an agent (of body or spirit) used by humans to shape their will change, is "kristos", the faculty of government created by humans, and "politikos" the mode or method of government established by humans. So basically, politics is a will to regulate or influence other people, which ultimately becomes the nature of society.

 

The most obvious but important form of office politics is public diplomacy. Public diplomacy (PS) is "the art and practice of creating a favorable public image for government or organization". It is the ability to understand the psychology of what "sticks" and what "likes". PS is a subset of management science, but it has a more central role in organizations than most managers realize. All managers have heard the phrase "the buck stops here," but few know what it means for the organization. For this reason, academic writing on political science and the analysis of culture and communication has been very helpful to managers who are grappling with various forms of political management issues.

 

In an organizational environment, the "winds of change" always tend to affect everyone, but especially those whose energy and attention are best invested elsewhere. Because of this fact, there are many individuals in an office who participate in the political landscape of an organization, without being aware of what is going on, even while feeling insulated and safe. This is why there are so many office gossip columns. No one wants to be accused of having a hand in a rumor that spreads and poisons an otherwise good organization.

 

The existence of Office Politics is a thorn in the side of all organizations, especially small business. Without the element of Office Politics in the workplace, productivity and organizational performance would decline. No one wants to be stuck in a cubicle for long periods of time due to lack of communication with co-workers. This is why organizations address the problem of Office Politics as early as possible in the organizational development process.

 

In fact, Office Politics is a natural growth and expansion of organizational politics that occur when there are no formal procedures to prevent them from occurring or to control them. No formal system exists to ensure that workplace politics do not impact employee performance or output. This is because human beings are naturally social creatures who thrive on interaction and camaraderie. In an office environment, increasing workplace politics will always occur because human nature dictates that we will want to network with people who are like us, share our interests and have similar values.

 

Office Politics creates negative politics because it pits one group against another in an attempt to gain some sort of advantage over the other. Office Politics creates a negative political landscape where group members feel resentment and distaste for their fellow co-workers. It creates animosity toward the individuals who actually started the whole thing in the first place.

 

When this happens, the result is negative outcomes like poor performance, an unhealthy work environment, conflicts, resentment, hostility, acrimony and ill feelings towards the target group. To remedy this situation, an individual needs to recognize the source of Office Politics. Recognizing the source of Office Politics is a process of self-examination that can be done during a casual conversation with a co-worker or a close friend. When an individual finds out or recognizes the source of Office Politics he/she should take measures to avoid the negative repercussions of Office Politics.

 

Removing Office Politics from the workplace is a process wherein individuals need to take into consideration what Office Politics actually is. Office Politics is just like a real-life version of corporate office gossip that can destroy friendships, affect productivity and lead to a plethora of other problems. The best antidote to Office Politics is to simply refrain from starting or fostering them in the first place.