{"id":4425,"date":"2021-10-04T15:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carolinegourlay.co.uk\/?p=4425"},"modified":"2022-07-26T15:35:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T15:35:19","slug":"how-do-you-navigate-organisational-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carolinegourlay.co.uk\/how-do-you-navigate-organisational-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you navigate organisational politics?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What do you think of when you hear the term ‘organisational politics’? My hunch is it’s back stabbing, pointless rivalries, sucking up to the boss, that kind of thing. I’m not going to pretend that that isn’t a feature of many workplaces. If you work somewhere with really dysfunctional politics, it pays to be alert, to work out who you can trust – and to do what<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the reality is all<\/em> organisations are political. Some of my clients tell me that they’re lucky to work in an organisation with “no politics”. What they mean is little or no dysfunctional politics – or possibly that the dysfunctional bits don’t affect them.\u00a0 Politics can be defined as the activities related to decision making in groups or as power relations between individuals. If you have people trying to work together to get stuff done and allocate resources, there will always<\/em> be politics. It just doesn’t have to be terrible.<\/p>\n

Doing politics ethically<\/h2>\n

A lot of people are sniffy about organisational politics and disdainful or mistrustful of those who are good at handling it. I find this particularly in what you might call the ‘logic professions’ – engineering, finance, IT. They think a good idea will speak for itself. They’re often modest, straightforward people who don’t like to make a fuss about things. I sometimes find myself coaching them when they become frustrated by their lack of influence.<\/p>\n

My clients often start out fearing that if they engage with organisational politics in any way, they’ll become the kind of people they despise – manipulative, egotistical, untrustworthy. I don’t believe this is inevitable. You just need to be sure to act with integrity and not cross the line. Dishonesty is likely to catch you out in the end. Intention also matters. Pushing an idea because you sincerely believe it’s the right thing for the organisation is different\u00a0 from pushing it because it will enhance your career. If you’re lucky the two will align.<\/p>\n

There are a number of passive ways you can get caught up in organisational politics, for example, if someone is trying to involve you in – or exclude you from – their initiative. But the most common active<\/em> way to come up against political dynamics is when you’re trying to get something done or make a change, so that’s what I’ll focus on here.<\/p>\n

If you see yourself as one of the good guys and want to be part of making the right stuff happen in your organisation, then you need some influence. For that you need to understand the political landscape.<\/p>\n

Mapping the political landscape<\/h2>\n

Every organisation’s political landscape is unique. It’s influenced by its history, its size, its ownership structure and the people in it, particularly at the top. Certain ownership structures, such as professional partnerships, employee ownership trusts or co-operatives, create their own dynamics that are different from a traditional hierarchy. Family businesses, of course, have a whole other layer of power dynamics on top. Imagine how different it is getting something done in a mid-sized, multi-generational family business from an NHS trust. The same influencing strategies won’t work for both.<\/p>\n

If you’re trying to put forward an idea, the key things you need to work out are:<\/p>\n