Avoiding the Knife in Your Back

The challenge: Identify the politics in your company and their dangers, then act within the structure that exists.

Your company is a progressive, well-led organization. Top management is constantly striving to improve relationships with its employees; creative, ambitious people are nurtured. At least, that's what you were told when you were hired and that's what it says in the annual report.

The truth might be very different. Behind the facade of enlightened management, scenes of political intrigue may be played out daily. Real motives reveal themselves in actions, not lip service. And truly creative people may be punished, rather than rewarded.

The amount of political conflict varies from organization to organization, but its existence is universal. Your challenge is to identify the political activities in your company, become aware of their dangers, and decide how to act within the structure that exists.

The struggle for power and influence takes many forms in corporate life, including: instigating individual rivalry; fomenting departmental or divisional rivalry; maintaining a high profile in meetings; and competing for work and increased budgets. Dealing with each of these situations demands the application of particular rules of etiquette.

Individual rivalry.

Problem: A newly appointed manager of another department has adopted a very aggressive stance toward you. Your department works closely with the other department, and you realize that relationships will be strained unless you resolve the problem. However, when you try to communicate directly with the other manager, all you get is hostility.

Solution: Defuse the situation by making the relationship more personal. Invite the other manager to lunch. Avoid confrontations during the meal. Instead talk generally about personal topics rather than business problems. Establish the idea that you're willing to be an ally and that you are not a threat to the other person. If the manager is facing a particular problem of which you are aware, offer to help, or add your support to a worthwhile idea the manager proposes during a meeting.

Establish rapport and avoid being pulled into the political game. If you behave in the same aggressive way as your would-be competitor, you will only convince him of the need for the rivalry and you will worsen the problem. But a sincere, well-motivated response will elicit a sense of trust and cooperation.

Departmental rivalry.

Problem: You are the manager of an administrative department. Word comes to you that the manager of a marketing department on the same floor has warned his employees that your area is the "enemy camp." As a result, the employees at the west end of the floor will have nothing to do with those on the east end.

Solution: Meet the marketing manager and look for common ground, either work-related or personal. Ease into a discussion of the current situation, and look for ways to eliminate the mistrust. The more you communicate in this way, the more you ease tensions.

You may discover that there are good reasons for the bad feeling and that the difficulty can be resolved simply. For example, an accounting department may have held up salespeople' reimbursement checks for procedural reasons; it may be in both departments' best interests to make an exception to the rules and rush though the checks. In this respect, the rule of etiquette should be: Suspend the rules of procedure to improve the relationship.

Meetings.

Problem: You have a recommendation to offer at a weekly staff meeting. Before the meeting, you met with other managers, explained your idea to them, and lined up support for your idea. During the preliminary discussions, several managers offered suggestions to round out your idea. You go into the meeting in the belief that you have the support you need. However, when you make your recommendation, one of those managers expresses his disagreement.

Solution: You may speculate about the other manager's motives, but that does not solve the problem. Accept the reality that he is not following rules of etiquette. In the future, you will have to proceed cautiously and assume that the other manager simply cannot be trusted to deal honestly with you.
Maintain your professional stance and don't confront the other manager. Accept his shortcomings, but remember them in the future and prepare accordingly.

Budgets.

Problem: During a budget review process, your department's budget was cut, but another department's was raised. You were aware that during the review process, the other manager fought for a larger budget and got it; you, in comparison, were not as vocal.

Solution: Do not allow yourself to become a player in the budget game. That only makes you part of the recurring budgetary problem that management faces every year. Instead, work to stay within your budget. If you do need an increase next year, be prepared to support your request. Demonstrate that profitability in your department will exceed that for the prior period, even with a larger budget, or that increases are necessary to maintain an acceptable level of quality and service.

Play the game according to the profit-motivated realities of the numbers. Don't compete on a political level. Ignore the fact that others may gain temporary advantage by being more vocal, and concentrate instead on doing your job to the best of your ability.

It can be difficult to place yourself above the rivalry and anxiety that characterize corporate politics. The fear persists that if you do not take part in the game, you will become the invisible manager who gets the job done competently but without enough splash to ensure that the president remembers your name. This is a reasonable concern. In reality, though, the leadership and success you demonstrate will come to the attention of an intelligent and well-informed management team if you work for a company that is led by such people.

Political maneuvering is most pervasive in companies whose top management responds to negative politics—satisfying the requests of the loudest and most troublesome people, for example. From this maneuvering several corporate status symbols may emerge, including:

Power offices. It's widely accepted that corner offices have greater status than mid-block ones. And managers with more square feet in their offices are presumed to have more influence than peers with smaller rooms.

Staff power. Another "rule" is that managers who increase their staffs beyond the size of those of their peers have greater influence, even if only in budgetary terms.

• Budgets. If your department's budget is increased while others are forced to cut back, people will assume that your influence is on the rise.

• Meeting attendance. Being invited to the right meetings can be a sign of prestige in the corporate family. Great significance may be attached to the seating arrangement.

The rule of etiquette to keep in mind concerning status symbols is: Don't place too much significance on the location or appearance of things. Put your emphasis and energy into leading people well, getting the job done with an eye to quality, and communicating well with everyone. The less time you spend on questions about the appearance of influence, the better you demonstrate a professional attitude.

Just as corporate status symbols become significant in peoples' minds, perceptions of influence play a big part in corporate belief systems. A good rule to follow is: Emphasize performance, not appearance. Managers concerned that others hold more influence than they may be diverted from the idea that performance counts and find themselves seeking more influence—sometimes in ways that could harm their department as well as their reputations.

For example, one manager became alarmed when she discovered that memos from the president were being sent to the manager of another department. Her question was, "Why am I left off the distribution list?" The implication was that the second manager somehow held greater influence than the first. The manager was tempted to ask that her name be added to the list but decided, rightly, against this course of action. She simply assumed that there were sound reasons for including the other manager.

The rule of etiquette in this case is: Don't react to the appearance of influence by going out of your way to match what someone else seems to have. That takes away from your professionalism and only adds to the irritations that plague the lives of your company's executives. Grant management the courtesy of not playing the influence game.

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