by Steve Hansen, PCC
Political savvy is a vital competence for any executive, but the term “office politics” has received a bad rap. Political competence is the “ability to understand what you can and cannot control, when to take action, who is going to resist your agenda, and whom you need on your side. It’s about knowing how to map the political terrain and get others on your side, as well as lead coalitions,” according to Samuel Bacharach, author of Get Them on Your Side*.
It’s naive to suggest that all office politics are destructive and unethical. If you define politics in such a narrow and negative way, you overlook the value of political awareness and skill. If political astuteness is combined with the right values, it can be an advantage for you, your team and your organization.
Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives. Whether organizational politics are destructive or constructive is determined by two criteria:
- That the targeted objectives reflect the company’s interests or merely one’s self-interest
- That the influence efforts used to achieve these objectives have integrity
- Ignoring its existence is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When political astuteness is combined with ethics and integrity, it can produce positive results for you, your team and your organization.
- By avoiding or denying its existence, you underestimate how political behavior can destroy careers, a company’s reputation and overall performance.
- If you define politics in only negative terms, you are naively under-political, which leaves you vulnerable to overly political, self-serving individuals.