UAE | General
Listen and learn from the expert
Managing office politics can be quite a task, but when you are a manager, you have signed up for pretty much everything that comes your way.
- By Huda Tabrez, Community Web Editor
- Published: 22:43 June 27, 2009
Managing office politics can be quite a task, but when you are a manager, you have signed up for pretty much everything that comes your way.
The good news is that you can control the gossip and games, given you are ready to take charge.
The best solution is to stay in touch with your team, according to Hazel Cowling, Partner and Consultant Director at biz-ability.
She said: "If there is office politics being played, managers definitely need to look into what they may, or may not, be doing." She felt that the one of the main causes of office politics was the lack of information from the organisation to its employees. And the best solution is to organise regular team meetings.
Members get a chance to sit together and share ideas or raise any concerns that they may have. But most importantly, as a leader, it gives you direct feedback on any concerns they may have – salaries, promotions or everyday work.
"Quick meetings, even with people just standing together, can give them a regular opportunity to pop any signals they may want to provide," she said.
Considering the global economic situation, the delays in increments and promotions can create fertile grounds for rumour-mongering. "A lot of our clients have reported such issues and the best solution is to ensure better and more efficient communication within the company," she said.
So, even if you lead a team of two, organise a little "huddle" to effectively push political manoeuvrings out of the door. As an employee, Cowling advises people to take note of Stephen Covey's concept of Circle of Influence.
"Issues of increments, grade change or promotions are beyond one's circle of influence, sometimes even beyond your manager's. Worrying about it is not only going to be unproductive, but also de-energising," she said.
Also, trying to one-up your colleague by political trickery is only going to get you labelled as a troublemaker.
Others may just want to vent out their feelings to colleagues due to work-related issues, but Cowling still advises restraint. "The best thing you can do is stop talking about it. Instead focus on the work at hand, because organisations are looking even more closely at those who are on board," Cowling said.
Instead, she advises on using the plurality at the workplace to one's advantage. "May be your colleague likes to look at documents, which you hate. The aim is to see how you can use the value that each member brings to the team."
Latest news
- Man accused of leaking company information
- UAE 'equipped to handle leak from sunken ship'
- Recruiters warned as agencies tried for fraud
- Driver gets 3 months in jail for molesting girl
- Woman submits waiver in murder case
- Jilted lover jailed for attempted murder
- 62% favour three-term school system: minister
- FNC passes law on translators
- Plea to fast-track housing scheme
- Police arrest murder suspects within 24 hours
- Education Council rolls out mobile app
- Dubai to host global food safety conference
- Motorists ignore stop sign on buses
- Price of gas cylinders hiked in Sharjah
- Infrastructure projects help materials suppliers
Community Reports
-
Motorists ignore stop sign on buses
Overtaking school vehicles can put students' lives at risk
-
Safety regulations flouted at Dubai work place
In Al Nahda 2, two workers were seen working on the crane boom at a height of 20m without a full body harness or safety net in violation of rules
-
Closing U-turns creates new risks
Authorities urged to reopen closed U-turns or construct new ones on Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi Road in Sharjah
-
Enforce the speed limit
Some motorists who drive on Al Albaany Road to avoid the toll put pedestrians at risk
