By Oliver Mills

Politics in organisations
is no different from party politics as we know it. In fact
organisational politics derives its description from politics as an
art and a science which deals with how to acquire and maintain power.

In party politics, there
is the practice of blaming and shaming, devaluing the opponent,
presenting one political movement as more righteous than the other,
massaging the facts to present a positive situation, when the
opposite is the case, and maneuvering and shifting on issues as the
circumstances require.

Politics in organisations
is about putting others in a bad light so that a dim view is taken of
them, to promote distrust. This is particularly noticed where there
is a struggle between individual employees over promotion, or to be
in the good books of those in authority.

Organisational politics is
also evident when employees curry-favour with senior management for
favours. It could be for a scholarship, to attend a conference
overseas, or for extended departmental leave.

But politics in
organisations results in mistrust, and mishaps on the job between
individuals, when the situation gets tense. This means energies
which could be directed towards enhancing productivity, interpersonal
relationships, and contribute to fostering a smarter company, are
frittered away on frivolities.

Organisational politics
has acquired legs through the use of social media, where “alternative
truths” are posted about opponents, to make their presence, and
intentions towards the company seem toxic.

The company authorities
are subtly made aware of this, the intention being to foster
suspicion against those concerned, and cause the officials to become
more guarded in their activities.

There is a revealing case
of company politics shown where a young individual was advised on how
to conduct himself on his job at a newspaper. He was told by
relatives to look sharp, do anything when asked, and volunteer for
tasks. The aim was to make himself useful, so he would seem
committed.

The young man followed
these suggestions, until one day the boss told him he was fired. He
was shocked, since he felt he performed his job well, even going
beyond what was required.

He decided to tell his
friends what happened, and they rocked to and fro with laughter. They
then said to him, “the boss saw you working so hard, that he felt
you wanted his job, so he decided to get rid of you.”

This is organisational
politics at its most practical. When someone in a senior position
even suspects there is a rival, or that a popular, well qualified
junior employee seems to present a threat, he or she acts to get rid
of the potential threat by overt, or covert means.

Politics in organisations
is sometimes more vicious than party politics. This is shown where an
innocent topic is introduced at work, the responses are monitored,
and the relevant authorities are advised if the reactions by some
employees do not appear to be in the interest of the company. The
persons affected suddenly find they are not invited to office events,
or might be transferred.

Again, an individual may
be told she is promoted to a particular post, and asked to visit the
office of the current holder for further instructions. The latter
will quickly respond by indicating that nothing was received
officially, and therefore the business of the office could not be
divulged.

This is often referred to
as “the promotion becoming hitched.”

What happens in such
cases, is that a favourite was recommended, but there was opposition
in certain sectors, and the procedures were deliberately
circumvented. The idea is to delay the promotion as long as possible
to frustrate the concerned individual. This is politics at its most
subtle.

Politics in organisations
is used to protect jobs, and belittle others so they are thought of
in a negative way. It is a protective tool, and a survival strategy.

But
organisational politics could result in a company not achieving its
goals fully, and interfere with new strategies for organisational
change being undermined, because certain interest groups feel
threatened.

What counteracts this is a strong commitment to ethical conduct which benefits the organisation and its members.

ABOUT OLIVER MILLS:

Oliver Mills is a former lecturer in education at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus. He holds an M.Ed degree from Dalhousie University in Canada, an MA from the University of London and a post-graduate diploma in HRM and Training, University of Leicester. He is a past Permanent Secretary in Education with the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands