How the Poli (really) tics at Workplace?!

R. N. Iyer's column posted by Eternal Rebel, touched or rather emphasised the issue of building and fostering relationships...something which is the heart of any constructive political process within an organisation. The practice of such a process actually requires understanding the dynamics of these relationships at the workplace and then involving oneself into it in a manner, which makes this web of symbiotic relationships work for individual and organisational goals/objectives.

It is not necessary that one needs to get involved in a political process, constructive or otherwise and at the workplace there would be people who would be keeping themselves inert from all these. Like it happens in every case, there is a spectrum, where at one end there are people who are politically inert, those who either don't have the inclination nor do they find it important to actively participate in such a process. At the other extreme lie politically vicious people who would like to perpetuate and propagate a political environment by manipulating people and situations for self-aggrandisement at the cost of organisational goals. In between these two extremes lie the politically aware, who get involved in this political process by exhibiting an ability to influence the actions of the individuals in the web of organisational relationships, in a manner, which enables the individuals involved to achieve their goals in tandem with the organisational goals.

This ability to influence can create a constructive and positive political environment only when the practitioners have the following:

• Competence: The ability to carry out the tasks assumed or allocated efficiently and effectively, which may arise through functional expertise or experience or both. Without competence no one is taken seriously at the workplace
• Confidence: It is not only important to know the task and carry it out well but the consciousness and self-belief that the work can be carried out, which is necessary to assert one's competence at the workplace
• Credibility: This is the currency of the politically aware practitioner. Without credibility the ability to influence does not arise and this credibility gets established not only with competence and confidence but through myriad inter-personal interactions with other individuals involved in this political web of the organisation
• Trust: Finally, competence, confidence and credibility establishes trust

Without the above, the politically aware can't practice the art of constructive politics at the workplace or worse would end up at the politically vicious end of the spectrum.