Political Scientists have defined politics as the art of the possible. Employees often find it coping with office politics to be an impossible art.

Don’t make the mistake of believing that you can ignore office politics. You can’t. Whether you like playing office politics or not, it is part of the work reality. Your success in your workplace depends upon how skilfully you play. The following strategies will help you win at office politics while still allowing you to maintain your integrity;

1. Be Nice To Everyone: Don’t believe the “nice guys finish last” stuff. In office politics, nice guys build supportive relationships with other people. Bulldozers and sharks make your life miserable by resisting and sabotaging you. Be sincerely nice to everyone, not just the people you think can help you.

2. Be A Team Player: A team player is someone who helps the team achieve its goals and helps other people achieve their goals. Be a star, buy making other people look good, rather than taking credit for other people’s achievements.

3. Don’t whine and complain; Develop a reputation for being a problem solver. Anybody can complain about a problem. The really valuable employees are those that prevent or solve problems.

4. Be Visible: You can’t win office politics by hiding. You must be involved and others need to perceive you as a valuable contributor at work. Get involved solving important and highly visible problems at work. In this age of downsizing, economic melt-down, etc, many employees are shocked to learn that they lost their jobs because upper management didn’t know what they were contributing to their organisation. You not only to do good work, others must give you credit for your good work and perceive you as a good worker.

5. Help Your Boss Succeed: It is also a smart strategy because your boss is a major player in your promotability and in how upper management perceives you and your work. If you have a positive relationship with your boss, your boss is more likely to support your career and help you advance. Now some employees are reeling in disgust because they hate their boss. Well, get over it. You will have a more difficult time winning office politics, if you declare war on your boss or antagonizing your boss. You must nurture your relationship with your boss. 

6. Be Loyal: Avoid backbiting and backstabbing. Co-workers will support you if they believe that you will be there to support them. To get loyalty, show your loyalty.

7. Be Good At What you Do: Develop your expertise and competence. Show up on time and work hard for your full shift. To survive in the workplace, you need to do good work. If others perceive you as a slacker of poor worker, they will not support you. They will also resent your getting promoted before them.

8. Mind Your Manners: Be polite and courteous. Avoid being sarcastic or putting other people down.

9. Make Other People Look Good: People will support you when you make them look good. Give credit to others, sincerely compliment others.

Above all, Office Politics may not always be fun, but you will be more successful playing it, if you follow these nine strategies.

Cheers.

nice tips. . .

All the points mentioned are very true and good. Nos 1 and 5 are especially very important.

But I think this should be in careers section.

Hi, thanks for the sharing.
I quite agree with your points.
It's true that we have to be good to everyone so that
they treat us the same way.

My question is, if there are two group of colleagues asking
you to join either side, how should we deal with it?

If we join one side, we'll offend another one,
if we don't join any, no one will get happy either.

Any comments?

davidobire:

5. Help Your Boss Succeed: It is also a smart strategy because your boss is a major player in your promotability and in how upper management perceives you and your work. If you have a positive relationship with your boss, your boss is more likely to support your career and help you advance. Now some employees are reeling in disgust because they hate their boss. Well, get over it. You will have a more difficult time winning office politics, if you declare war on your boss or antagonizing your boss. You must nurture your relationship with your boss.

This is the ultimate law. Nothing and nobody else matters. A key exhortation in Robert Greene's master classic, the 48 Laws of Power, says "Favour Intensity over Extensity". You may waste your whole time being nice to colleagues, gatemen and gardners; but if your boss doesn't like you, then you're a dead man walking! It's always best to focus one's 'charms' on the one consequential big fish rather than cast one's pearls before swines by sucking up to several inconsequential small fishes. But it is a delicate art, one must ensure a fine balance.