OFFICE POLITIC EVERY WHERE, FIND WIN WIN SOLUTION

Office politics is something most people recognize when they see it in action, but find difficult to define. 

May see in clearly or just see it in mind that in any work places unable to run away, unable to avoid. According to a study by Accountemps. "Eighteen percent of an administrator's time — more than nine weeks out of every year — is spent resolving conflicts among employees" ("Surviving Office Politics." Talent Scout. April 16, 1998)

Besides causing problems for the individuals who work together, the end result can be far more devastating. Employees and managers who must concentrate on the political aspects of work may have less time to pay attention their jobs. This translates into financial loss which may in turn translate into job loss. Office Politics defines it as "...the use and misuse of power in the workplace"

In Government sector, parliament, Judicial, Companies belong to The Government, office politics sharper than private sector. Once the President took power then the ruling party will take advantage to replace key and strategic positions for their own party members, make office politics in the work place hotter. At least this happened in my country, Indonesia, in South East Asia.

In any game, in order to succeed you must know the rules. Office politics can be the most competitive game of all. The stakes are quite high — succeed and you get to keep your job or get promoted — lose and you may say good bye, looking for a new job. 

Office politics – a taboo word for some people.  In it’s simplest form, office politics is simply about the differences between people at work; differences in opinions, conflicts of interests are often manifested as office politics. It all goes down to human communications and relationships.There is no need to be afraid of office politics

The way to mitigate this conflicts without looking like you’re fighting to be a winner is to focus on the business objectives. In the light of what’s best for the business, discuss the pros and cons of each option. Eventually, everyone wants the business to be successful; if the business don’t win, then nobody in the organization wins. It’s much easier for one to eat the apple pie and back off when they realize the chosen approach is best for the business.

Instead of feeling victimized and angry about the situation, focus on the things that you can do to influence the situation – your circle of influence. This is a very empowering technique to overcome the feeling of helplessness. It removes the victimized feeling and also allows others to see you as someone who knows how to operate within given constraints. You may not be able to change or decide on the eventual outcome, but you can walk away knowing that you have done the best within the given circumstances.

In cases you are in the middle of two sides, stay focus on the business objectives and don’t take side with either of them – even if you like one better than the other. Place them on a common communication platform and ensure open communications among all parties so that no one can claim “I didn’t say that”.

To win in the office, you’ll want to build a network of allies which you can tap into. Another reason to hold . back your temper is your career advancement.
Even if you are a star performer, your boss will have to fight a  if other managers or peers see you as someone who is difficult to work with. The last thing you’ll want is to make it difficult for your boss to champion you for a promotion.

Surprisingly, seeking to understand is a very disarming technique. Once the other party feels that you understand where he/she is coming from, they will feel less defensive and be open to understand you in return. This sets the stage for open communications to arrive at a solution that both parties can accept.

As mentioned upfront, political conflicts happen because of conflicting interests. Perhaps due to our schooling, we are taught that to win, someone else needs to lose. Conversely, we are afraid to let someone else win, because it implies losing for us.In business and work, that doesn’t have to be the case.

People simply don’t like to lose. You may get away with win-lose tactics once or twice, but very soon, you’ll find yourself without allies in the workplace. Thinking win-win is an enduring strategy that builds allies and help you win in the long term.