Nearly every organization is rife with office politics. They are the activities performed by individuals to improve their status and advance their personal agenda – sometimes at the expense of others. These self-serving actions are informal or unofficial and could be the reason why politics in the workplace comes with a negative connotation. However, there are good aspects of the activities commonly referred to as office politics. For example, office politics may simply be part of networking and strengthening stakeholder relationships.
The truth is that if you want to succeed in a business environment, then it’s a good idea to develop some political know-how. Developing office politics skills can help prevent someone from taking advantage of you and also help you advance your career. We may fall behind in terms of career advancement if we do not acquire these abilities. The recommendation here is not to become highly political, but rather to at least be aware of your organization’s politics. What Causes Office Politics?
The motives for a person to engage in office politics are things such as the following: to sell their ideas, achieve a targeted objective, influence the organization, or increase their power. To reach these goals, politically-motivated individuals will form alliances, bargain, and negotiate to get what they want for themselves and/or for their group. Furthermore, these individuals frequently lobby their bosses before the bosses make a promotion. In addition, they may do so in order to obtain approval for particular projects or decisions. People or groups within an organization have different interests. And these interests are not always aligned with the interests of others within the organization. Therefore, in order to be successful, some individuals engage in office politics.
Office Politics and Competition
A lack of resources in an organization encourages competition, which frequently results in office politics. For instance, because of limited positions within a firm such as an investment bank, individuals look for various ways to get promoted. When a person wants to control a project, they often seek to get the approval of others, usually their senior co-workers.
The hierarchy of virtually every organization is in the form of a pyramid. This means there are fewer positions to be filled as one climbs up the ranks. Not everyone gets the promotion they’re after, as only a handful of executive positions are available.
An illustration of office politics is the Investment Banking hierarchy. Analysts
For instance, you begin your career as an analyst in investment banking. This is when you spend most of your time learning the ropes. Your main tasks revolve around making analyses, creating presentation materials, and even doing mundane, administrative tasks. If you’re considered a top performing analyst, you may receive an offer to stay for more years.
Associates
After two or three years, you’ll, hopefully, be promoted to the associate level. Some banks may offer you a direct promotion if you performed exceptionally well as an analyst. However, other banks may require you to get your MBA first before going to work as an associate. The work is similar for associates and analysts, with the former having added responsibilities of managing the analysts’ work and acting as a liaison between junior and senior bankers.