Office politics exist - I'm not naive enough to believe that it doesn't. However, I do believe that managers can single-handedly affect the level of office politics within a team based on their own biases.
It's not enough to want to avoid office politics for your team. Just because a manager doesn't want office politics doesn't mean office politics will be completely ignored. A manager needs to physically set the example and demonstrate that office politics will not be tolerated. Anything that can me construed as gossip and is damaging to a person's character needs to be actively stricken from everyday conversation.
I bring this up because I've gotten into a situation recently where office politics is clearly in play. For me, it's almost become a fascinating study of human nature as I watch things unfold from a somewhat active sideline position. I know one party in question sees things through the lens of needing to play in the game of office politics. That there's even a strategic game to play. From this point of view, there's no way everyone else won't get sucked into the gameplay as well. Everything move is deliberated on, an intricate game of chess where some pawns don't even know they're playing. I'm lucky enough to have been brought into the know so that at least I understand I'm a part of the game.
I personally approach this situation as a course that needs to be studied. I've unintentionally enrolled in a school of manipulation, but I don't regret it. I believe that in order to know how to avoid or at least limit involvement in office politics, it's necessary to understand when it's happening and what the rules are. Otherwise you'll (unknowingly!) be dragged back and forth by the people who are really controlling the situation. Manipulating the puppet strings, if you will. And I refuse to be played like that.
However, I still believe it's best to steer clear of derogatory statements about coworkers no matter how tempting it would be to bitch and complain. I've given into temptation in the past, but I try to remember that I don't often see the full picture, and misunderstandings often occur simply because everyone's approaching the situation with different backgrounds. The key to avoiding office politics is to keep all defamatory opinions away from those not involved. If something really needs to be said, it should be said to the other party directly, a manager, or an HR representative.
Business runs with its own social constructs. If I had gotten into social psychology, this would be where I would focus most of my studies. It's definitely a fascinating area that's really difficult to study because not too many companies would allow a social psychologist within their midst to expose such intimate secrets about company culture and behavior. Maybe this is what I'll focus on when I write my post-retirement book.
And I realize this post is littered with cliché analogies (puppetmaster?? game of chess??) but I felt it was appropriate because these are totally acceptable/expected when writing emails or notes for around the office.
Showing posts with label corporate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate. Show all posts
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 19, 2009
To Err is Human
Office dynamics fascinate me. I feel like Jane Goodall living amongst the chimps. I'm one of them, but at the same time, sometimes I feel like I'm not quite assimilated yet - still watching from the sidelines.
Today's topic is accountability. It seems like a lot of actions are motivated by people pushing responsibility out of their hands. In fact, I recently learned a new acronym for this: CYA (Cover Your Ass). That way, if there is a mistake, hopefully you'll be able to dig through old email chains or other forms of communication and push that mistake onto someone else. And when a mistake does get called out, replies are often littered with "we felt...", which also diffuses responsibility.
Today I was called out for a mistake. I had no one but myself to blame it on. But I wouldn't blame it on anyone else even if I could. I was always taught to own up to my own errors, so much so that it might even be a fault in the business world. So yes, everybody knew it was my mistake.
However, on the call with the client, my manager took ownership of the error. There was no "we screwed up", no finger pointing, not even an attempt to cover it up. Everyone from my company knew that it was my mistake, but no one on the client side knew the difference. Perhaps it is a common business practice that accountability eventually travels up the hierarchy, but I'm certainly not used to having other people take the blame for something I did wrong.
Common business procedures aside, I've taken this as a cue that I should be more honest about my own mistakes. This resolution might end up hurting me in the future, but I don't want to be one of those people who make vague statements about errors without attributing responsibility of those errors to anyone. It's not who I am nor is it someone I would want to become. I'd rather take ownership of my own mistakes because I feel better knowing that I deserve whatever consequences might befall me from those mistakes.
Though on the flip-side, my manager's prospective is to celebrate the acknowledgment of errors. Because once a mistake is acknowledged, it's much easier to learn from it. I've never heard that before, but I can certainly get behind that perspective.
Today's topic is accountability. It seems like a lot of actions are motivated by people pushing responsibility out of their hands. In fact, I recently learned a new acronym for this: CYA (Cover Your Ass). That way, if there is a mistake, hopefully you'll be able to dig through old email chains or other forms of communication and push that mistake onto someone else. And when a mistake does get called out, replies are often littered with "we felt...", which also diffuses responsibility.
Today I was called out for a mistake. I had no one but myself to blame it on. But I wouldn't blame it on anyone else even if I could. I was always taught to own up to my own errors, so much so that it might even be a fault in the business world. So yes, everybody knew it was my mistake.
However, on the call with the client, my manager took ownership of the error. There was no "we screwed up", no finger pointing, not even an attempt to cover it up. Everyone from my company knew that it was my mistake, but no one on the client side knew the difference. Perhaps it is a common business practice that accountability eventually travels up the hierarchy, but I'm certainly not used to having other people take the blame for something I did wrong.
Common business procedures aside, I've taken this as a cue that I should be more honest about my own mistakes. This resolution might end up hurting me in the future, but I don't want to be one of those people who make vague statements about errors without attributing responsibility of those errors to anyone. It's not who I am nor is it someone I would want to become. I'd rather take ownership of my own mistakes because I feel better knowing that I deserve whatever consequences might befall me from those mistakes.
Though on the flip-side, my manager's prospective is to celebrate the acknowledgment of errors. Because once a mistake is acknowledged, it's much easier to learn from it. I've never heard that before, but I can certainly get behind that perspective.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Holiday Politics
This is my first holiday season amongst the ranks of the corporate world. And while my company's flat corporate culture should ease the stress surrounding work holidays, I still haven't been able to grasp the slight politics that I'm sure are lurking somewhere.
Who do I give gifts to?
Should I even be giving gifts? This was one of the first questions I asked, and it turns out in my office, gifts usually come from the top down (or from publishers who send us swag in exchange for more business). That means that I should be waiting for my bosses to show their appreciation. But does it end there? What if I want to give my bosses presents to show my gratitude? How do I do it so that I don't seem like a sycophant? Should I even attempt such a thing? There's no way to keep anything secret from my coworkers when it comes to handing out goods of any kind, so perhaps I should avoid giving things all together.
I did end up with a final solution for this. I handed everyone on my team a holiday card with a candy cane. I'd like to think I was humble for barely mentioning the fact that it was actually I who drew the cards, but really I just couldn't think of a way to tell anyone without sounding like I was bragging or hoping for extra brownie points.
What genre of gift can I buy?
Eventually there does come the exchange of gifts, most often through a Secret Santa or a White Elephant. This year it was a White Elephant. Had I had more time, I would have found some office-appropriate, such as something off http://www.iliketotallyloveit.com/. But of course I end up procrastinating on something like this, and I'm left to my own brick and mortar resources. I settled for purchasing a comedic book - a rather neutral gift. And to avoid being boring and being thought of as run-of-the-mill, I put a twist to the wrapping and covered the book in many many layers of newspaper. I gotta say, watching someone unwrap about 20 layers of newspaper really made my day.
Other good gifts - Chia pets. Massager. Things you'd frugally never get your self but always had hoped to own. Office Space references are too cliche.
What gifts can I accept, and how am I going to repay the favor?
Inevitably there comes a time when someone wants to offer you a gift. Luckily I have not yet been put in a situation that compromised any sort of ethics. Getting treated to lunch now and then seems harmless in my mind, especially if my whole team is going, and especially since I don't decide where the money goes. I can't influence who gets what money, and I don't believe that accepting a gratis lunch now and then is so terrible.
But, there are also times when the gift is so extravagant that it becomes inappropriate. A couple of years ago, one of my coworkers received a $400 watch from a vendor. Clearly something like that cannot be accepted without the receiver feeling obligated to give something back in exchange, whether that's an equally expensive gift or the promise to spend more money in the future.
Since I'm just starting out and barely at a position where I need to be pampered to sweeten business deals, I haven't had to deal with anything of the sort. I just graciously accepted my free lunches and the bottle of Bordeaux from my boss, and then went back to work.
I sure hope I acted appropriately. Actions during the holiday season influence what people think of you well into the new year. I really hope I'm not coming off as just someone ungrateful and full of demands.
Who do I give gifts to?
Should I even be giving gifts? This was one of the first questions I asked, and it turns out in my office, gifts usually come from the top down (or from publishers who send us swag in exchange for more business). That means that I should be waiting for my bosses to show their appreciation. But does it end there? What if I want to give my bosses presents to show my gratitude? How do I do it so that I don't seem like a sycophant? Should I even attempt such a thing? There's no way to keep anything secret from my coworkers when it comes to handing out goods of any kind, so perhaps I should avoid giving things all together.
I did end up with a final solution for this. I handed everyone on my team a holiday card with a candy cane. I'd like to think I was humble for barely mentioning the fact that it was actually I who drew the cards, but really I just couldn't think of a way to tell anyone without sounding like I was bragging or hoping for extra brownie points.
What genre of gift can I buy?
Eventually there does come the exchange of gifts, most often through a Secret Santa or a White Elephant. This year it was a White Elephant. Had I had more time, I would have found some office-appropriate, such as something off http://www.iliketotallyloveit.com/. But of course I end up procrastinating on something like this, and I'm left to my own brick and mortar resources. I settled for purchasing a comedic book - a rather neutral gift. And to avoid being boring and being thought of as run-of-the-mill, I put a twist to the wrapping and covered the book in many many layers of newspaper. I gotta say, watching someone unwrap about 20 layers of newspaper really made my day.
Other good gifts - Chia pets. Massager. Things you'd frugally never get your self but always had hoped to own. Office Space references are too cliche.
What gifts can I accept, and how am I going to repay the favor?
Inevitably there comes a time when someone wants to offer you a gift. Luckily I have not yet been put in a situation that compromised any sort of ethics. Getting treated to lunch now and then seems harmless in my mind, especially if my whole team is going, and especially since I don't decide where the money goes. I can't influence who gets what money, and I don't believe that accepting a gratis lunch now and then is so terrible.
But, there are also times when the gift is so extravagant that it becomes inappropriate. A couple of years ago, one of my coworkers received a $400 watch from a vendor. Clearly something like that cannot be accepted without the receiver feeling obligated to give something back in exchange, whether that's an equally expensive gift or the promise to spend more money in the future.
Since I'm just starting out and barely at a position where I need to be pampered to sweeten business deals, I haven't had to deal with anything of the sort. I just graciously accepted my free lunches and the bottle of Bordeaux from my boss, and then went back to work.
I sure hope I acted appropriately. Actions during the holiday season influence what people think of you well into the new year. I really hope I'm not coming off as just someone ungrateful and full of demands.
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