by Pardingtone Nhundu.
Whether you are in a big corporate, medium enterprise or a small start-up that organization has capacity for office politics and it is there obviously. Office politics are loosely defined as the strategies that people play to gain advantage, personally or for a cause, they support. The term office politics is loosely or negatively associated to unethical means to take advantage of others for personal gain. But it can also be used for the greater good.
Harold Laswell a political writer simply defined politics as, “Who gets what, when and how?” This is the panacea of politics in any environment because in most cases every person wants to be in control and determine who gets what, when and how. And when that happens politics at any level is taking place. Hence politicians famously say that, politics is ubiquitous, meaning that politics is everywhere!
When you ask successful people how they have done it in their organizations they never mention office politics but rather they give more attention to goal setting, good customer care, and strategic planning and market analysis. A few people really mention how they tactfully used office politics for the greater good. Those who mention it most times are the ones who have been taken advantage of and failed to meet their preferred work or career goals.
Contemporary workplaces now have a high regard to office politics and how co-workers need it. Office politics is rarely taught at Universities or Colleges it’s a lesson you have to master on your own. Be that may, you need to be politically savvy in the office. Office politics has about 70% power force to channel your career path. Your health is pretty much determined on how you manage office politics as well. Political competence is not only privy to ‘politicians’ in parliament you need it and you so need it badly than you ever realized.
So in this Navigating Office Politics Series we will talk about the Nature of Office Politics, How to manage Office Politics, How to get political competence and importantly How to use Office Politics for Career Transcendence.
