The Secret to Organizational Politics as a Tool, Not a Barrier
You can use organizational politics as a tool and not a barrier. You just need to know how.
What comes to mind when you think of organizational politics? Disgust? Annoyance? Frustration? Acceptance that they are just part of the office?
If you have a negative reaction when organizational politics come to mind, you aren't alone. In a 2023 study on office politics by Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School, 59% of respondents reported a negative view of the topic.
I used to be in this camp. Earlier in my career I was easily frustrated by the unwritten rules and relationships that seemed to run any workplace. Then one day, under the guidance of a particularly apt mentor, I decided to flip my assumptions and frustrations on their head and tossed my negative attitude aside in favor of curiosity. What if we could use organizational politics for good, as a tool and not a barrier?
After all, organizational politics came from somewhere and developed for a reason. Academically, the reason is generally cited as a scarcity of resources paired with ambiguity.
Outside of the academic definition, humans who work together over time experience successes and failures together, leading them to have preferences on who to trust and/or engage on various projects. There's also the presence and fragility of the human ego which adds to political complexity.
Some type of politics exists in every organization for a variety of reasons. Tapping into curiosity around the subject allowed me to see the politics as neutral. I stopped taking them personally and started to see them as a critical part of the fabric of an organization.
With a mindset unclouded by ego or emotion, I realized that this fabric was not a barrier, but a tool that exposed the way to get work done within the organization. Through curiosity, I discovered a little-known secret. Successful work requires us to rise above organizational politics while simultaneously navigating within the system they built.
The secret is to rise above the organizational politics while simultaneously navigating within the system they built.
What does this mean? How to do this?
Let's first talk about what NOT to do, followed by the steps you must take to do this successfully.
What NOT to do if you want to rise above and navigate
If you are to rise above organizational politics while navigating the system, you DO NOT succumb to "playing the game" by forming alliances and manipulating others (cue all your memories of the reality show, Survivor). Playing the game means you are still operating from your own ego, fueled by emotion, and trying to "win" for your own gain.
What you CAN do to rise above and navigate
Set aside your ego. Ego isn't welcome to anyone who desires to rise above. Instead of focusing on your own feelings, remember the purpose of an organization is larger than any single player (including you). It is a group of people working together to achieve a common purpose or goal(s).
Take the 10,000-foot view to focus on the goal. This is where general business acumen comes in handy. You understand and can articulate the main purpose/goal that the organization is striving to achieve as well as the challenges, major sources of revenue/expense, and the plan for growth that impacts it. This view allows you to see the organizational purpose/goal as more important than any one area, program, or course. Without ego clouding the picture, you see more clearly how all the players must work together to achieve success and what might be blocking them from getting there.
Survey the landscape for influencers and champions. Now that the higher-level view has your focus, you drill down a level by looking at the organization and its players with a critical eye. Specifically, you are working to identify the influencers and the champions. Note that these people are generally those in formal leadership roles, but they can also be individual contributors. Who are the people that others seem to listen to when they speak? Who are the "go to" resources for various items? What is the decision-making process (including the people who need to be involved)? How do those involved communicate? The answers to all these questions are key as you navigate within the political framework.
Work to understand the influencers. Much like working with specific stakeholders on a project, you work to understand the influencer's role in the path towards the goal and what it means to sit in their seat as they try to play that part. What are their goals, successes, pressures, and challenges?
Come alongside the influencers as a partner. Instead of pushing your own agenda (remember, no ego allowed), you focus on the goals, successes, pressures, and challenges of your influencer. Knowing this person's situation, how might I come alongside them as a partner in helping them reach their goals? How might my skills and expertise help to remove their barriers and clarify the path to the goal?
Work within the system as it is designed. This means you follow the norms for communication and the process for decision making that you identified in steps two and three. You aren't making up your own rules. From time to time, you can gently push and expand the boundaries if you have earned the trust to do so. Your goal is to partner with the organization, using your expertise to equip them with the tools they need to "row the boat" further and faster together, not to try to row in the opposite direction or worse, tip the boat over altogether. You are all on the same team.
These six steps are the keys to rise above organizational politics while simultaneously navigating within the system they built. Use them as a tool and not a barrier.
In the next article I'll share specific strategies to get started navigating organizational politics - particularly helpful if you are new to the organization and/or your role.
