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Do you work in a political organization (and aren’t they all to some extent)? The following advice comes from Working in a Highly Political Organization Thriving in a Toxic Workplace from the Mind Tools Club.

• From Winston Churchill-Politics is almost as exciting as war. In war you can be killed once, but in politics many times.
• Office politics can be defined as the use of often underhanded methods to gain advantages and remember most people have some type of an agenda whether it be a better schedule, leadership position, or other advantages.
  • These different motivations can lead to healthy professional networking and communications, but they may also cause power struggles, competition and alliance-making that upsets everyone
  • Instead of relying on positive relationship building techniques such as persuasion and networking individuals use damaging and unethical actions like manipulation, corruption, backbiting or infighting which can cause people to become frustrated at perceived inequities, damage morale and result in stress and burnout.
• Which of the following is your organization, department or team
  • Minimally political when leaders ensure that rules, expectations and promotional standards are clear and followed. Department camaraderie is strong and very few people engage in underhanded political acts
  • Moderately political when things are generally rules driven and  political activity is low key as people generally engage as a team and few conflicts occur
  • Highly political when powerful individuals (usually informal leaders) manipulate the rules to their advantage, at their own convenience.  As a result who you know is more important than what you know. Cliques are common, and there is usually a clear division between the people who are part of the “inner circle’ and those that are not
  • Pathologically political when the environment is marked by distrust and people achieve goals by circumventing normal channels and procedures by relying on personal connections. People focus less on work and more on protecting themselves. Likely plays out as friction/contentious relationships, deceit or discrediting others to make themselves look better, gossip, functioning in silos, rivalry/jealousy, blame others, and/or power plays to get ahead.
• How to survive in political organizations
  • Set a good example by doing what you say you will and demonstrating positive behavior. Communicate consistently and transparently, encourage teamwork, reward good behavior, give feedback on poor performance, listen and build trust and seek win-win results in all your interactions. Remember as the leader you establish the department/workgroup culture by how you function so if you don't like how your people treat each other first examine your behavior  
  • Avoid gossip as spreading rumors and sharing intimate details about your colleagues lives will rebound on you. You damage your reputation, lose credibility and destroy the trusting relationships you have built. Stop gossip by talking to the individuals involved and always set a good example yourself
  • Combat bullying which is more common in workplaces than one would think so be sensitive to staff that may be the victims and take appropriate action using your HR’s anti-bullying policy.
  • Focus on your goal/objectives so you avoid taking sides when conflicts/opposing viewpoints arise and thus you don't get off track
  • Identify stakeholders (nurses, physicians, patients, other departments, etc.) so you can better understand the challenges from their perspective which gives you insights into how to resolve the challenges
  • Develop allies who you can support, provide you advice and keep you up to date with what is happening. Building relationships is key before you need them to have influence. Think of this as networking and if helpful find a mentor or sponsor to assist you.
  • Keep documented records of your ideas, suggestions, accomplishments, conflicts, especially if you are having trouble with specific individuals as you may need to justify to HR your actions.

Please share how you have effectively handled organizational politics.