Office Politics: Inevitable?

American political scientist, Harold Lasswell (1902-1978) most likely had the macro-society in mind when he famously summarised politics as who gets what, when and how. It couldn’t have been more aptly captured. Centuries earlier, Greek philosopher, Aristotle, described man as a political animal. The Greek’s description is encompassing enough: anywhere there are men, there is politics.

At the mention of the word ‘politics’ our minds almost naturally flow to national (e.g PDP vs. APC) or international (e.g America vs. Iraq) politics. But right there in our micro-environment is an exemplar of what politics is about. From family to associations to peer groups, there is politics. Very few people will disagree with that fact.

Office politics may be survival of the smartest, not necessarily the strongest

Of relevance to this platform however is workplace or office politics. This essay looks at the how politics play out in the workplace and collects views of selected workers across the various sectors of Nigerian economy.

What is office politics?

Lasswell’s definition is still relevant: office politics is about who gets what, how and when in the office place.

Manifestations of office politics

Promotion: who gets promoted, who doesn’t. Who is being strategically positioned for a role
Secondment: who is being sent to another entity as representative of the company
Lay-off: who survives lay-off, who is laid off.
Job distribution: who gets what job
Deployment: who is being strategically eased out, who is being positioned for greater responsibilities
Bonus and benefits: who is being given bonuses, especially discretionary bonuses and who is not.
Communication: when to talk in meetings, when to send email, what to put in email, tone of email, etc

Kissing ‘asses’ and eye-service are negative office politicking, but may be inevitable in some settings

Is politics always negative?

To me, not necessarily. Politics can be positive. For example, if you know someone whose competence you trust, positioning him for higher responsibility may not be bad.

Can politics and merit co-exist?

I think they can. It is about creating balance. If politics is inevitable, then deploying it for the greater good may not be bad. It becomes an issue when someone is being victimised or unjustly denied his entitlement.

I asked a couple of people what they think about office politics and they have this to say (I have used their intials to protect their identities):

IA who worked in a big consulting firm:

Politics exists in the office. I have been a victim but I was able to handle the situation by improving my competency level and performance. I agree politics is inevitable in any organization, so you have to position yourself.

AR who works in the financial services industry:

Yes, office politics is real and it exists in my workplace. I have been neutral to it though. I agree politics is inevitable in any organization, but it should be healthy and minimized, otherwise it can be counter-productive and destructive.

BA who works in a bank:

I believe office politics exists. I am more like a victim because I do speak against any act of favouritism over merit. It kills initiatives and deserving staff are not accorded their recognition due to ‘eye-service’ syndrome.

I however agree it is inevitable…..it has eaten deep into every facet of our society.

NS who works in a public sector administrative and regulatory organization:

Yes, workplace politics is real, but it doesn’t affect me in any way. I don’t agree office politics is inevitable because everybody at every stage has a boss who is interested in results and not excuses. If you understand your job, equip yourself with knowledge and have a focus, you will always have a relevant role to play in all office (political) administration.

HA who works in a bank:

I agree it exists, but I don’t agree it is inevitable. It has had neutral effect on me as a person.

SK who works in the telecommunications industry:

Office politics exists and it is inevitable.

Victoria Island – the corporate capital of Nigeria

OB who worked in a multinational financial services outfit:

Office politics is inevitable. Why? Where people gather, they form cliques, and some cliques are more powerful and wield influence better than others. My former workplace has a cabal – friends who had worked and pulled one another into a new firm (my then firm).

So ordinarily, they will protect one another’s interest and look out for one another. They were senior guys who wielded considerable influence.

Some people are gurus in the art

Over to you: Do you believe in office politics? Have you ever been a victim, beneficiary or neutral? Do you believe it is inevitable?

Let’s have your say.

In the next part of this article we will discuss dealing with or surviving office politics.