Organization

Politics &

BackstabbingHow does one deal with office politics and backstabbing?

KASBIT MBA (W)By:Shoaib0092-3227971360

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How does one deal with office politics and backstabbing?

At work there are many who side up to the boss and do things that please them. Most of the time achievement of such people is also to showcase others shortcomings (and not their own strengths!) When you know someone is running you down slowly but surely, what can you do?

Every organization should cultivate a climate/environment where backbiting and politics cannot survive. All employees are expected to be mature individuals who are more concerned about productivity and growth (of the organization as well as themselves) rather than indulge in such silly antics.

This is a very common situation in offices. I have been through this and I can understand this situation. Having said that, I was able to come out of this situation by following some basic things:

1. Put in all your efforts to perform your JOB well. Showcase the results to the right people. 2. Talk to the person directly (if the person is receptive). In case the person is obnoxiously arrogant / not open to listening or talking. Move to Step 4. 3. In case the person is willing to talk to you...explain..."I like the way you give your opinion and feedback on various things to the Boss...however, I was just thinking, sometimes your feedback sounds like a severe criticism and might not be constructive...can we be more

Imagine that a colleague is engaging to illegitimate political behavior towards you. What steps might you take to reduce or eliminate this behavior?

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constructive while giving feedback or commenting on each others work...". Try to work out a solution and try to build a working relation.

4. Talk to the people who matter...explain your situation in clear manner ..."I feel, so n so gives good feedback on various activities that we do, however I sometimes feel certain feedback might take the morale of the team down / is not constructive / doesn't focus on solutions. What do you think about it? How do you think we can improve? ..." 5. The outcome of this discussion should be fruitful.

6. Win the confidence of the management, showcase good results, buy in support of the peers and boss.

Alway conduct yourself in a professional manner, they might be siding up to the boss, but the boss will also note who is gossiping and who isn't.

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I think it's a grand illusion that people grow up and begin acting like true adults. Gossippng and back-biting seem just as prevalent among adults as in kids. Not until we learn to respect others and foster a sense of self-worth in ourselves will we stop making ourselves feel important at the expense of others.

Here are some more factors which help in creating grounds for backstabbers and lead to illegitimate political behaviors:

Early—Pretending to be a Manager

Here are some behaviors to help identify these managers early:

Decisions about even minor issues are difficult to get.

Managers are paid to make decisions.  The first warning sign is if it is difficult to get a decision from the manager.   When an unpopular decision is made, passing the responsibility away from himself, is another early indication that this person is not competent.

Success is declared early and by proclamation.

Alternate perspectives are not fairly considered.

Responses are dogmatic and serve to end the discussion. Criticism is often harsh. The criticism often degenerates into a personal attack, particularly when the other person is not in the room.

Speaks differently to subordinates, peers and supervisors.

The difference is in both tone and content.

Encourages secrecy, particularly with like-minded cronies.

This withholding of information allows the manager to distort the situation.

What factors, in addition to those cited, do you believe lead to illegitimate political behaviors such as backstabbing?

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Don't be discouraged by Organizational Politics!Learn how to influence without authority and advance in your career and your organization ...

Benefits of the Political illegitimate political behaviors:

Political illegitimate behaviors provides you 2-3 times* the likelihood for career success indicators such as:

Bonuses Merit Increases

Choice Assignments

Promotions

Career Satisfaction

Using the Political illegitimate behaviors such as backstabbing:

The Political illegitimate behaviors is grounded in the hard facts of today’s business realities. Technical expertise is necessary but often not sufficient for success in business. Fortunately, you don’t have to sell your soul to get ahead. In fact, despite those locked into a negative stereotype of organizational politics, mastering organizational politics is a crucial aspect of leadership. The sad fact is how so many intelligent people don’t understand how acting ethically can actually increase their influence. It provides ‘shark repellent’ to avoid becoming victimized by organizational politics. Political Savvy also works with top leadership levels to turn competitive turf wars into collaborative teamwork. It also provides a way to create a realistic productive culture in ever changing global competitiveness.

Negative organizational politics hampers creativity, productivity, fairness, motivation, teamwork, and a host other critical issues that almost everybody knows but is not allowed to speak about in the official hierarchy.

Do you believe it is ever justifiable to engage in illegitimate political behaviors such as backstabbing? If so, what are some conditions that might justify such behavior?

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When employees feel discriminated against, abused or unappreciated, they may resort to one or more of the following harmful options:

o Defecting to competition

o Resort to sabotaging the company, e.g.,  by sharing confidential information with competitors or the media

o Employees may become emotionally distant and have no interest in the success of the company

o They will display passive-aggressive behaviors, become uncooperative, work less or produce substandard results

Key talent will leave the company. Good honest workers generally don't have the skills or disposition for functioning in a highly political  environment.

Company develops a reputation for being political and an unpleasant place to work, making it more difficult to recruit good talent to compete effectively.

Employees will lose faith and motivation. When the leadership comes up with good initiatives, they are met with skepticism and resistance

The Bottom line: Business performance will suffer.

The worst thing that could happen to a company is the staff loses confidence in the leadership team.

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In addition to the obvious negative effects of illegitimate political behavior on victims, such as those described in the above case, what might be some negative effects on the perpetrators? On the organization as a whole?