by Ruth
Many of us work for large organizations. I worked for a huge pharma (~70,000 employees) for over twenty years. If there are people, there will be politics. The larger the number of people, the more complex the politics. Sooner or later you’ll find yourself caught in a power play of some kind whether you want to participate in it.
You may have encountered the following situations:
- You and a colleague were assigned to do a task together. You did most of the work. She did the presentation because the boss favored her. She didn’t even mention your name during her talk.
- Or, your boss presented your work as if it were her own. Again, she failed to acknowledge you.
- Someone pointed out your weakness in a meeting on purpose in a condescending manner.
- You were assigned a difficult task. When you asked for help, nobody responded.
- A trivial matter that could have been resolved easily between you and a colleague in another department. The other person drags his boss and your boss into the matter.
- One of your closest friends became your worst enemy when the prospect of advancement came up. She told others about the negative things you’ve said about the boss.
Perhaps there’s no need for me to go on with more examples. The picture is clear. Office politics exists.
What’s the definition of office politics? There are at least two aspects.
- Power relationships in a specific field: the interrelationships, between the people, groups, or organizations in a particular area of life, especially when they involve power and influence or conflict.
- Calculated advancement: the use of tactics and strategy to gain power in a group or organization.
Accept it. People are in nature political. The Greek philosopher Plato once said, “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.”
