Office Politics 101
U of M Club of New York Workshop
November 6, 2013
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics: A Definition
Office politics describes the ways that power
is shared in an organization or workplace,
and how the organization or workplace is
affected by personal relationships between
employees.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Some Organizational Facts:
 From a group dynamics viewpoint, there is
always a struggle for power and status
within an organization.
 Each organization has a culture. Culture is
defined as the unwritten rules by which an
organization lives and operates.
 Each organizational culture has a distinct
political temperature.
 Knowing the political temperature of your
organization is key to playing the political
game successfully.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Some Observations About Office Politics
 Positive correlation between a lack of
strategy/confusing strategy at an
organization and the level of political
activity at an organization.
 Many New York metro area organizations
have become much more political in the
five years since the collapse of Lehman
Brothers, because of mergers, acquisitions,
and reorganizations.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Some Principles:
1. Always do the right thing.
2. Be prepared for surprises (both positive
and negative)—always have a résumé
ready in case things don’t work out.
3. Use due diligence.
4. Listen carefully—pay attention to both
text and subtext.
5. Calibrate correctly—is my political
move or reaction to someone else’s
political move appropriate or am I
overreacting?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Some Questions to Ask Yourself About
Your Political Comfort Level
 What will your values and ethics allow
you to do comfortably?
 Which people will be affected by the
move(s) you make? What are the risks?
Rewards?
 How aggressive do you want to be?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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How Political Is Your Organization?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
Page 7 of 26
Who Does Well: Sizing Up the Political
Arena
Organizations vary in the degree to which
politics are used to accomplish goals. The
first step is to know which type of political
climate is prevalent in an organization.
There are four types:
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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The minimally politicized organization
where the atmosphere is amicable. Conflicts
are rare and usually don’t last long. There is
a sense of camaraderie—an absence of ingroups and out-groups. One person’s gain is
not necessarily seen as taking place at the
expense of someone else. Unfortunately,
these organizations are more the exception
than the rule.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
Page 9 of 26
Moderately politicized organizations operate
primarily on generally understood, formally
sanctioned rules. Unsanctioned means of
achieving individual and group goals are not
usual, but when these tactics are used, it is
done in such a manner that their existence
can be denied if someone were to complain.
In other words, those who run moderately
politicized organizations prefer to convey
the impression that everything is done by the
rules.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
Page 10 of 26
In the highly politicized organization,
conflict is frequent and often pervasive.
Formally sanctioned rules are only invoked
when convenient, rather than being applied
consistently across situations and people.
In-groups and out-groups are clearly
defined. Lots of topics are taboo and you
need to know what they are if you want to
survive. Who you know is more important
than what you know. Working in such
organizations is highly stressful, especially
for those who haven’t figured out the games
or who belong to one of the out-groups.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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In pathologically politicized organizations,
conflict is both long-lasting and pervasive.
Daily interactions are fractious. Nearly
every goal is achieved by going around the
formal procedures and organization. People
tend to distrust each other. Information
massaging is the only form of
communication. Out of necessity, people
spend a lot of time watching their backs and
covering their backsides.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Political Styles: A Primer
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
Page 13 of 26
The Strongly Apolitical believes in getting
ahead through hard work. He or she
declines to participate in politics, relying
largely on the sanctioned rules to get things
done. Strongly Apoliticals are usually
honest—indeed sometimes naively so. They
firmly believe that getting ahead is a matter
of simply doing your job well. Strongly
Apoliticals trust other people, so they prefer
to work with others who do the same. For
them, work is not about personal
advancement at the expense of others, but
about getting the job done well. In the right
environment,
they
reason,
personal
advancement
follows
from
such
achievement. Behind-the-scenes grappling
for power and prestige is not of interest to
the true Strongly Apolitical.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
Page 14 of 26
The Moderately Political/Team Player
believes that you get ahead by working well
with others and participating primarily in
politics that advance the goals of the group.
He or she declines to put personal career
needs ahead of the group’s needs. The
Moderately Political/Team Player, too,
prefers to operate by sanctioned rules,
although he or she isn’t above trading favors
or engaging in other relatively benign
political games in the service of achieving
team goals. Moderately Politicals/Team
Players are focused on getting the job done
right and on creating conditions for team
member advancement.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
Page 15 of 26
The Street Fighter is an individualist who
believes that the best way to get ahead is
through the use of rough tactics. He or she
is not at all inhibited in the use of politics.
The Street Fighter relies more on subliminal
politics than the Strongly Apolitical and the
Moderately Political/Team Player, but is just
as likely to impose sanctioned rules when
those rules serve personal goals. Street
Fighters watch their backs, push hard to get
personal goals achieved, and are slow to
trust others.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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The
Political
Professional
is
an
individualist, one who believes in getting
ahead by playing political games in a
skillful, unobtrusive manner. He or she is
not at all inhibited about using politics to
advance personal objectives and favored
team objectives, but prefers to do so in
deniable ways. The Political Professional
looks for ulterior motives in others, has little
regard for sanctioned rules, relies largely on
subliminal politics, and is likely to be a
subtler operator than the Street Fighter.
Political Professionals might be called
“smooth operators.” They’re less committed
to hard work than Strongly Apoliticals, and
only operate as Team Players when it suits
their agenda. If people get in the way of a
Political Professional, it is at their own peril.
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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How Political Is Your Company?
What Type of Political Behavior Is
Favored at the Top?
How is the game of office politics played
 By your boss?
 By your peers?
 By the company itself during periods of
volatility and stress?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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What Is Your Political Style?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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What Is Your Boss’s Political Style?
Possible political challenges with your
boss
 Boss who doesn’t give you credit
 Boss who creates a cut-throat
atmosphere
 Control freak
 Boss’s pet syndrome
 Disaffected boss
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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What Are the Political Styles of Your
Peers?
Possible political challenges with peers
 Hypercompetitive peer
 The bully
 The clique
 The credit stealer
 Disaffected former peer
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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What Is Your Company’s Political Style?
The Danger Zones
 Holiday parties, office outings, and other
offsite activities
 Layoffs
 Mergers, acquisitions, and
reorganizations
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Politics, Power, and Symbols
 What are the formal and informal status
symbols in my organization?
 Which symbols are flaunted? Which
symbols are verboten?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Is Your Political Style Aligned with Your
Company’s?
Is Your Political Style Aligned with Your
Boss’s?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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If Not, Do You Want to Change Your
Political Style?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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Action Items
What’s my company’s political style?
What’s my boss’s political style?
What’s my political style?
What dangers and opportunities exist?
What do I need to change?
Paul Bernard & Associates, 2013©
Office Politics 101
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