Office politics can refer to the interrelationships or exercise of power in the workplace. Experts debate whether it can be eliminated or if it’s an inevitable part of human nature. Negative office politics can lead to an unpleasant workplace culture, but positive politics can exist when self-interest aligns with company goals and the culture is positive.
In the term office politics, the word politics has a specific – albeit variously interpreted – meaning. For some, office politics is simply the play of interrelationships within office environments. Just like in society, people have different needs, goals and approaches, also in the office. For others, it refers specifically to the exercise of power in the office environment. Any assignment of authority, title, or function creates power; therefore, those who take this view would likely believe that the environment is unavoidable, as offices by definition assign multiple powers to multiple employees.
Experts differ on the most fundamental aspect of this concept. Some intend to remove him from the game, seeking to create an office in which there is no “office politics”. Other experts – those who believe that politics, by any definition, are inextricably part of the human condition and the office – argue for a different approach. The recommended approach, however, may be playing fair on the one hand or winning on the other hand.
Negative views of these relationships mirror aspects of office life that can be unpleasant, unfair, and demeaning. This includes office gossip, hypocrisy, toadying, and seeking advantage at the expense of others. Defined this way, it’s clear why the goal would be to eliminate office politics. Another way to look at an office with these issues is not one that “has” office policies – as opposed to one that doesn’t – but an office with a negative workplace culture.
Experts who don’t condemn these environments out of hand might point out that in politics outside the office as well as inside, people can be diplomatic, honest, friendly without being subservient, loyal, and self-interested. When employees’ self-interest and employer interest coincide and company policies are built to recognize this, and when the company culture is positive, people are less likely to feel that everyone is doing their best and getting credit for it. this is a problem. A company in which the environment is competitive, excluding the conception of the workforce as a team, or in which the good of the employees must be subordinated or ignored for the good of the company to be realized is more likely to have a negative culture and office politics negative.
Asset Smart.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
