The following article will give you a few alternatives to dealing with workplace politics. It will also provide you with some tips on avoiding being the target of negative politics and building meaningful friendships at work. In addition, you will learn about the factors that contribute to workplace politics and some strategies to avoid becoming involved in negative politics. Keep reading for more! Ultimately, you will be a better professional if you know how to dealing with workplace politics healthily.
Active listening:
While most reference materials define empathy as “immersing yourself in other people’s experiences,” Hochwarter finds that it does not work well in office politics. In reality, most office political situations stem from wrong assumptions. By actively listening with intention, you can avoid issues before they happen. It will take practice, but office politics will diminish significantly if you practice this.
Factors that contribute to workplace politics:
The role of ambiguity in organizational decision-making and high employee turnover are two main causes of workplace politics. These factors often result in ambiguous or no agreements among managers and colleagues. Lack of clear accountability, ambiguous performance evaluation measures, and high-performance pressures are other major causes of workplace politics. These factors often undermine the importance of formal organizational roles and processes and can influence employee attitudes and behavior.
Avoiding becoming a target of negative politics:
Avoiding becoming a target of negative workplace political behavior begins with leadership. Leadership must be transparent and collaborative. Identifying stakeholders is a good way to eliminate these influences. Identifying the people who start workplace politics is important. Avoiding supporting these individuals will make you a target as well. In some cases, the influence can lead to a decline in productivity. Keeping a cool head can help you avoid becoming a target of negative workplace politics.
One way to avoid becoming a target of office politics is to avoid engaging in gossip. It’s always better to know the facts about a story than to get drawn into it. If a coworker is gossiping about another employee, it’s likely they’re doing so because they’re bored or want to help you. In either case, try to change the subject and move on to other productive topics. Avoiding negative workplace politics is easy if you stay committed and productive.
Avoiding becoming a target of Machiavellianism:
It is important to recognize when you are dealing with people who demonstrate the traits of Machiavellianism. Such employees can have detrimental effects on the performance and attitudes of employees at all levels. This article will discuss the characteristics of Machiavellianism and how to avoid becoming a target. It also covers the benefits of understanding the differences between these two types of behavior.
