When we join a new company, we are all hoping for a fresh start and clean slate. The last thing we want is to get involved in political intrigue, regardless of how insignificant it may seem. Most of us just want to do our job and move throughout our lives. Even if this were so, it is rarely the case, we still have to deal with "political correctness", as defined by society, we must recognize certain protocols in our gestures, language and behavior. Thus, even before starting a new job, we must recognize that there will be some form of policy, like it or not. I remember visiting a manufacturing company in the Midwest, where a vice president told me proudly, "I like this place Tim, there are no politics here at all." And I strongly believe that too. In fact, had a more ferocious than he had ever seen before.
If you are a new employee or a visiting consultant, one of the first things you need to find out a company is its hierarchical order. An organization that makes a useful roadmap in this regard, but it really does not define the power structure in a company. For example, a weak manager can actually draw their strength from a powerful ally. However, it is important to identify the strongholds of the company, the main actors are, and that the allies and adversaries. Without that knowledge, it is inevitable that travel in a political dispute or become unwitting pawn in a power play. The best advice in the early going is to just keep your eyes and ears open, and closes the mouth.
Apart from the power players in an organization, the three most common types of political animals are found Suckup, Radical, and the saboteur. The Suckup (also known as "Brown Noser") essentially has no spine and is the perennial "Yes Man" for the boss. The boss says "Jump" and Suckup says, "How High?" However, the Suckup itself has a political agenda that is usually a progression through the assistance of the chief. Therefore, leans backward to please the boss, at the expense of losing the respect of his colleagues.
The radical represents "a bull in a china shop" or "loose cannon" and is best known for rebelling against the status quo, not quietly but with force, and is not afraid of stepping on toes along the way . In many ways it's like Sherman's march to the sea. Maybe your mission is correct, and maybe not. In any case, this type of person has a small chance to succeed as his detractors are working overtime to undermine it. When it comes to a person who has basically two options: either join him and hope for the best, or get the heck out of your way not to run more.
The Saboteur is perhaps the most viscous of the three and probably can be best characterized as "conniving weasel" or "traitor" who schemes to make the lives of others miserable. It is driven by petty jealousies and wants desperately to be seen as a power broker in the institution. Since it has no real life of your property, the saboteur have fun anyone undermine their barns more attention than him. While Suckup and can be treated politically radical, the saboteur is a pest to be exterminated.
Office politics is about loyalty and trust. At some point, be asked to choose a side and this to me is what makes the ugly office politics. I could understand this in government policy, but not in a company where everyone assumes that the same team. Politics is an inherent part of corporate culture, some companies complain, others thrive on it. I guess it's a question of whether a company took the concept of teamwork or individualism. I found it much less politics and business in the promotion of the first and last. Anyway, my advice to anyone joining a new company, whether a corporation or a nonprofit organization, it is actually quite simple: "En garde!"
