Karen Dillon - HBR Guide to Office Politics

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dillon, Karen (Editor)

HBR guide to office politics / Karen Dillon.

pages cm. (Harvard business review guides)

ISBN 978-1-62527-532-5 (alk. paper)

1. Office politics. I. Harvard business review. II. Title.

HF5386.5.D55 2014

650.1'3dc23

2014023044

eISBN: 978-1-62527-534-9

The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives Z39.48-1992.

Every organization has its share of political drama: Personalities clash. Agendas compete. Turf wars erupt. It can make you crazy if youre trying to keep your head down and get your job done.

The problem is, you cant just keep your head down. You need to work productively with your colleagueseven the challenging onesfor the good of your organization and your career.

How can you do that without crossing over to the dark side? By acknowledging that power dynamics and unwritten rules existand by constructively navigating them. Politics neednt be a dirty word. You can succeed at work without being a power grabber or a corporate climber, and the expert advice in this guide will help.

Youll get better at:

• Building relationships with difficult people
• Gaining allies and influencing others
• Working through toughbut productiveconversations
• Wrangling the resources you need
• Moving up without ruffling feathers
• Dealing with the bosss pet
• Coping with office bullies and cliques
• Claiming credit when its due
• Avoiding power games and petty rivalries
• Collaborating with competitive peers

Youre not as powerless as you feel.

He basks in the spotlight while you toil in the shadows.

Step out of the ringand collaborate.

How to shake off the shackles.

Get the support you need even if your manager plays favorites.

A checked-out manager can mean opportunity for you.

Rein in the rivalry.

You can change the dynamic.

How to gain influence when the cool kids band together.

Share the work and the accolades.

Youre the boss. Now what?

Forced fun or networking opportunity?

Sculpt a new role for yourself.

When avoidance and wishful thinking no longer work.

Develop a strategy for having hard talks.

You dont have to like them, but you do have to find a way to work with them.

Because the company you keep matters.

Every office is political.

For years, I naively thought I worked at a place that wasnt. I saw our office as more or less fair, more or less healthy, and highly inclusiveperhaps overly soin decision making. People competed with themselves, Id proudly tell prospective recruits, not with one another. And I meant it.

All those good things I believed? They were truebut only to a point, I realize with hindsight. We competed with ourselves, but also with one another. Our bosses had favorites, and we noticed. We grumbled about promotions that didnt seem deserved, assignments that didnt seem fair. People subtly found ways to elbow one another out of pole position for C-suite attention. Our office was political. Of course it was.

In a 2011 survey by the UK-based management-consulting firm Revelation, 95% of respondents said that manipulation and hidden agendas in the workplace had affected them personally. So youre in good company if these issues make you crazy. Maybe youre plagued by an office bully who constantly questions what youre doing and undermines you in meetings. Or a boss who pits you against your peers. Or a clique that wields an inordinate amount of organizational power. Perhaps youve even encountered backstabbing, one-upmanship, or shifting alliances.

You cant escape politicsno matter what your role or function. Thats what Franke James, founder of Office Politics.com, has learned from the professionals around the world sharing their struggles on her website. Its inevitable even if youre self-employed. If youre dealing with clients, James says, youre dealing with their office politics, too. You have to make them look good. You have to understand the dynamics behind the scenes for them.

Does that mean you have to fight fire with fire? Connive and scheme? Get your blows in faster? No. As the experts and consultants cited in this guide argue, you can weatherand even participate inpolitics without selling your soul. They base this observation on research, their work with clients, and abundant personal experience. And its supported by the many examples (real but disguised) Ive included throughout.

So whats the solution? Its about being constructively politicalunderstanding personal dynamics among colleagues, working together for mutual advantage, and ultimately focusing on the good of the enterprise.

What happens if you simply do whats asked of you and mutter about colleagues who curry favor? Executive coach Beth Weissenberger, cofounder of the Handel Group, says youre doing yourself in. Shes seen it happen again and again in her years of coaching: Those who try to stay completely out of the political fray are less likely to meet their job and career goals than those who engage. So she advises her clients to stop getting worked up about the unfairness of it all and build their own positive relationships with colleagues who will help them do their jobs well.