People spit out
"OFFICE POLITICS!" Then they sneer and make disparaging comments
about the color of certain people's noses and what might happen if the boss
stopped walking abruptly. These comments are most often a reaction to a person
using their connections for their personal gain. You have all seen people who
present the ideas and work of others as their own. You have all seen people
"yes" a power figure to death. You have all seen a person suck up
because they want a promotion.
This is
office politics gone wrong!
But what if
Office Politics is a good thing that has been inappropriately used by a small
percentage of people? Let's look at what it is and then you can decide if it is
inherently evil, or if it has simply gotten a bum rap.
Definition;
Office Politics is making use of the lines of influence that run throughout and
organization.
You want to
do something, change something. You know that you need to get approval from the
management person(s) who controls the people and budgets necessary for your
idea to proceed. This approval person is usually easy to find on an org chart.
Often, this person is up your chain of command. If you can go straight to this
person, do it! You are making use of your own connections and influence.
However, if you are not directly connected, you need to find an alternate route
to get your idea to the approval person. Think of this as networking for a
defined purpose. How do you find the right people?
Stand back
and observe the people in your organization. You'll see:
Leaders and
the people who work for them
People who
are influential because of their organizational positions
People with
personal influence
People who
have cordial relationships and people who don't like each other
People who
are uniquely positioned because of their knowledge or skill.
These people
all possess forms of power. Power is another term that has gained a negative
connotation. However, it is simply the ability to do something. The people
listed above all have the power to influence someone. When you don't have enough
of your own power and influence to get your message to the right audience, you
have to enroll the people who do allies in your efforts.
How do you
recognize the appropriate person? Pay attention to who is connected to whom and
how.
Who eats
lunch together?
Who are
golfing partners?
Who works
for whom?
Who shares
your ideas for what needs to be done.
Who are the
people who are more interested in moving the company forward and less
interested in polishing their own star? (Although if they are positioned
properly, star-polishers can also be valuable to what you want to accomplish
after you point out WIIFM. -Of course, you must be prepared to have them take
the credit.)
Whose
opinion is valued by the targeted approval figure?
Who is on
the same committees/teams as the approval person?
Map the
connections between and among these people Visualize the connections as the
infrared lines of motion detectors. Think Sean Connery and Katherine Zeta Jones
in Entrapment or the laser fields in Oceans Twelve. Lay this map over the org
chart. You will notice that while the lines of the org chart run north and
south, the connection map crisscrosses in many directions. If you want to get
something done in your organization, don't look at the org chart. Look at your
connection chart. Identify lines that lead to the approval person. Then begin
the task of enrolling the first point of connection. Sometimes your boss is the
right place to start. Other times it might be the administrative assistant to
the VP or someone you identified who is on the XYZ committee with the target
person.
You, my
friend, are now employing office politics.
I'm sure
some of you think that this is a sneaky, underhanded way to get things done.
You're thinking that when you have a fantastic idea, everyone should recognize
its value and take action. You shouldn't have to go find people who appreciate
the genius of your idea. Guess What! Organizations don't work that way. The
people in your world have their own agendas, their own to-do lists and their
own opinion of you and your ideas. So they don't always want to instantly jump
on your bandwagon. You need to find and influence the people who can convince
the decision makers to accept the value that your idea offers to the
organization.
Just like
social media, you need to get your message to like-minded individuals. These
people are pre-disposed to understand it and move it along. The only addition
with organization politics is that you want to use influential people to move
your message in the direction of a specific person. Use your connectivity map
to choose the appropriate pipeline to move the idea to your chosen destination.
Office
politics becomes despicable when someone uses it for personal gain, when they
sucks up to important people to gain benefits that you don't believe they are
entitled to. These types of activities exemplify office politics at its worst.
Used wisely
to improve the organization, office politics is the most effective and most
human way to make progress. When you have an idea to improve your organization,
use office politics to make it happen!
Bob Maitland
applies his experience as a consultant, coach and author to help companies used
untapped energy and resources to improve their competitive advantage. He
assists leaders and developing leaders to gain higher levels of commitment from
their people; align all parts of the company to work together to achieve the
goals; and ensures the work is done efficiently and effectively freeing up
resources. When you add your industry knowledge, you are on your way to
becoming an Elite Company.
Comments
Post a Comment