What’s Your Take on Office Politics and Dynamics?

People naturally shy away from talking about the politics and dynamics that go on in different office spaces, but I think it is worth discussing as it is an inevitable part of any organisation. The festering of negative office politics will definitely see the doom of any organisation mindless of the laid down structures.

What is office politics?
Office politics refers to the complex social structure of a workplace. It involves employees using their authority, power, and delegation for their personal agenda. It is informal, often subtle strategies and tactics used to gain power, influence, or advantage within a workplace. It involves navigating the social dynamics, relationships, and hierarchies to achieve personal or professional goals. Office politics can be positive or negative depending on the intentions and methods used.

What is office dynamics?
Office dynamics refers to the interactions, relationships, and underlying forces that shape the behaviour and culture of a workplace. It encompasses the complex web of personalities, roles, and influences that affect how individuals and teams collaborate, communicate, and achieve their goals.

Within the structure of any organisation, everyone plays a role in the politics and dynamics of the office, whether he/she realises it or not; and these acted scripts determine who has power and influence regardless of the hierarchical ranking in the office. However, despite all the negative connotations associated with office politics/dynamics, it is not inherently evil. It can be the range of informal, unendorsed, and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts that happen in all organisations as people position themselves, their interests, their teams, and their priorities to get things done.

For example, let’s say you have a huge summit coming up where stakeholders at your company are going to decide which projects to invest in — including yours. If you are savvy at politics, you know that to get your project approved, you first need to understand the priorities and perspectives of those stakeholders. You need to engage with them beforehand and learn what they are looking for so that you can more persuasively present your idea.

Nonetheless, there are destructive and negative politics and dynamics within office spaces. I remember vividly an incident at Afriland where a new staff sent an email to her colleague with the MD blind copied to subtly indict the colleague of being responsible for a pending delay of a task. The MD quickly fended off the act by responding to the mail. Lol

Ultimately, positive office politics and dynamics hold together a workforce. All organisations need structure, and office politics/dynamics can provide it healthily and sustainably. It can push the company forward with social capital.

Here are some of the tips to get better at office politics and dynamics:

1. Understand formal and informal networks: There are two main network subdivisions in business politics and dynamics which are formal and informal.
The formal network refers to the job title or official position of authority such as CEO, Manager, Analyst or Intern.

The informal network is the subtle but relevant positions of power employees may hold behind the scenes.

Acknowledging and understanding both in an office environment will help you learn how to handle each network.

2. Build positive work relationships: You can easily cope with corporate politics and dynamics when you have a sturdy positive relationship with your colleagues. Loyalty and friendship can take you far.

In the game of social politics and dynamics, you will need to build up a support network that benefits both yourself and others within it. That way, you can relax in the knowledge that you have social strings to pull on if you need a colleague to go the extra mile to achieve a task.

3. Keep it professional: You must be friendly with your colleagues to build a sense of belonging at work, but there should be a fine line between being sociable and oversharing. Giving away too much information about yourself may give others the advantage to use them against you in the future.

4. Speak up for yourself: It can be demanding to be brave and make your voice heard but knowing when and how to stand up for yourself is an excellent skill to have. Speaking up when you or someone you know is being unfairly treated will show your strength and obviously repulse office bullies.

5. Maintain a positive outlook: Avoid being an office downer. Maintain a positive disposition. These will increase your likeability and accessibility.