ALT-2 How to Handle Office Politics
Office politics are a fairly constant factor in today's modern organization. The definition of "office politics" may have different meanings to various people, but in general terms it refers to the relationships between individuals as it relates to work, power struggles, decision-making, and personalities. People can approach work with very different attitudes and this can create some interesting dynamics. Some people simply want to go to work, earn a paycheck, and then go home. Other individuals have ambition to "climb" the corporate ladder or get ahead in their particular career. How people get ahead can vary greatly, as some people rely on hard work, while others are willing to pursue more "devious" means. It can be difficult to completely escape office politics, but there are ways to handle it so that relationships do not become a distraction.
Integrity
A main issue with office politics is personal lifestyle. In other words, if people work hard, produce quality output, and avoid conflict with others, they will be a step ahead of the process. A person that lives a life of professional integrity may avoid certain political situations. Granted, no one lives a perfect life and sometimes it is difficult to completely avoid conflict. People still need to fight for what they know is right, which can cause individuals to get involved in areas that they would like to avoid. However, a person's personal behavior is a good place to start if people want to handle office politics.
The high road
Another way to handle office politics is to take the "high road" in certain situations. Taking the high road often includes avoiding gossip sessions or spreading rumors about individuals if they are unsubstantiated or unproductive. Oftentimes office politics can start around the literal or figurative water cooler as people like to talk about other co-workers. Some of this stems from people's insecurity and in other situations it comes from people just being bored. Avoiding these sorts of situations may be a good way to stay away from certain aspects of office politics.
Relationships
Finally, handling office politics often has to do with relationships. As mentioned, there are many different discussions that happen throughout the day. Some are more social while others get into the operations of the organization. There are certainly some relationships that cannot be avoided from a functional standpoint, but sometimes people will do best to stay away from particular individuals. It typically is not difficult to identify those who have political ambition. If people do not want to be a part of their circle of influence, they will do their best to restrict their interactions to business and not get into politically-oriented discussions.
