Work Environment Politics: Negotiating Power & Social Networking - Essay Sample

Introduction

Work environment politics is how well one interact with other workers in case they happen to have an authority or power over them. It is the implementation of social networking and power in an institution or organization to gain changes which in the long run benefits persons working in that organization or the organization as a whole. Some people misuse their leadership role for personal gain without minding the effect their actions pose to the organization as a whole. Thus, when people focus on their own interests, workplace politics become very destructive to the extent of influencing cooperation among workers and the sharing of information among them deteriorate. According to Karl Albrecht, the success of a workplace is associated with the social intelligence of the leaders (Goleman, & Boyatzis 2008). The study will focus on the type of politics present in my workplace and the various strategies employed from Albrecht writings.

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Firstly, in the company that I work for, leaders manipulate their workers. Most of them use their power to obtain whatever they want. For instance, there was a time the company was to promote one worker to manage one of our branches, and one of the applicants decided to give the hiring manager some cash to judge on his favor (Gandz, & Murray 1980). This act of manipulation disgraced other applicants who reported the issue to the general manager until he decided to quit his position.

Leaders manipulate their workers due to fear of losing friendship by saying no to others. Lack of fighting his fears, the hiring manager cost his job. According to Albrecht, fear can make people lose great things and thus need to overcome it. The applicants joined hands and acted bravely by reporting the case to the general manager, who was one of the strategies explained by Albrecht in his book "Social Intelligence" (Goleman, & Boyatzis 2008).

However, there was this time my boss gave my colleague and I a task to work on, and my colleague noticed me making some mistake on it. Instead of correcting me, he let me complete it then approached the boss to report me. He then showed the boss how he had fixed the mess. He indeed gained credit from the boss, but that was not the right thing to do. According to Albrecht, my colleague lacked a good social radar.

There was a time my boss gave me the assignment to be completed in five days. I then decided to tell him that the work may be completed within seven days but promised to do my best and complete it in the stipulated deadline. Within four days, I was through with it and submitted it to him. My boss is one social person who creates a good working environment with his workers. My boss seems to understand the importance of creating a healthy relationship in workplaces since it prevents workers from finding work positions elsewhere.

The company I work for embraces diversity in such a way that different people from different religions are hired to work in it. It is the mandate for everyone to learn each other and try to cope with the other character (Ferris et al., 1996). By doing this, we can develop a good relationship with each other. According to Albrecht, every person should be taken as they are even if their intelligence level is lower than ours.

Gossip is one of the activities that is found in the most workplace. When one thinks the other worker is better than them and poses a threat to them, they may end up ruining his name or reputation by telling lies. Everyone ends up humiliating them, and by doing so, great opportunities may pass them. Jealousy, in most cases, motivates people to act in such manners. According to Albrecht, jealousy makes people devalue others.

It happens that two ladies were in a contest of the same position in the company. In exchange for the job, the boss tells lady A to sleep with him to gain the favor, but she turned the offer down. The boss approaches lady B the same offer which she accepts. The boss grants lady B the job instead. The boss here misused his power to gain what he wanted (Martin, 1978). Greed for position led lady B lower her self-worth and dignity.

Stress is another factor that can lead to workplace politics. To beat away stress, an individual should try as much as possible to work towards their goals and focus on what they want to achieve instead of comparing themselves to others. Confidence in oneself is a crucial tool outlined by Albrecht, which helps fight stress (Goleman, & Boyatzis 2008).

Conclusion

Conclusively, politics decreases a person's output and alters their productivity level in an organization. It is right to conclude that people who practice politics in a work environment perform less in their work since their principal interest is to bring others down. To deal with workplace politics, all persons should be brave enough to confront their fears and be cautious of the people you interact and share information with since some of them are just there to put them down.

References

Ferris, G. R., Frink, D. D., Bhawuk, D. P., Zhou, J., & Gilmore, D. C. (1996). Reactions of diverse groups to politics in the workplace. Journal of Management, 22(1), 23-44. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177%2F014920639602200102

Gandz, J., & Murray, V. V. (1980). The experience of workplace politics. Academy of Management Journal, 23(2), 237-251. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5465/255429

Goleman, D., & Boyatzis, R. (2008). Social intelligence and the biology of leadership. Harvard business review, 86(9), 74-81. Retrieved from http://files-au.clickdimensions.com/aisnsweduau-akudz/files/inteligencia-social-y-biologia-de-un-lider.pdf

Martin, S. E. (1978). Sexual politics in the workplace: The interactional world of policewomen. Symbolic Interaction, 1(2), 44-60. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1525/si.1978.1.2.44