Office Politics: To Play or Not To Play
June 17, 2005
Contributing Writer: Susan Dunn
Playing too hard is just as bad as refusing to play at all, according to management professors Bob Kreitner and Angelo Kinicki. Office politics is here to stay, and how you play can influence your success, satisfaction and performance at work.
According to their research studies, two of the most common tactics used in office politics are attacking or blaming others, and withholding (information, resources, supplies). The next most popular tactic is "impression management." Impression management means dressing or grooming for success, and also drawing attention to your own success and influence, and taking credit for others' accomplishments. More than half the managers asked to name political tactics mention these three.
How people play the political game, they say, depends upon "need, style, personal values, ethics, and temperament," but there's one thing to keep in mind: people like people who aren't too different from everyone else, i.e., people they can understand. It's the people at either end of the spectrum-too extreme one way or the other-who have trouble in offices.
Use your emotional intelligence at work! People who are either strictly non-political or highly political generally find there's a price to pay for "aberrant" behavior; that is, being different.
Susan Dunn
The Perfect Coach for You
www.susandunn.cc
(Repost; originally posted November 12, 2002.)
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Susan Dunn is a personal and professional development coach, writer and speaker with an international clientele. Go to www.susandunn.cc for FREE Distance Learning course. sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE Ezine.
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