4 ms·

I'm extremely skeptical if my anecdote has any value since I'm very young and only worked in a couple companies. But in the current company I'm working (which I

I'm extremely skeptical if my anecdote has any value since I'm very young and only worked in a couple companies. But in the current company I'm working (which I've been working the last 7 months) we really don't have office politics. So, I suppose the answer to title is yes?

idunno246 8y ago
But the articles definition is any time a decision is made that applies to a group is politics. So unless every individual is working entirely independently and never talking to anyone else, there’s politics. Now in your case these sound like healthy politics - everyone respects everyone, and there’s none of the negative connotation. But being able to convince someone else your design is right is still politics.
klodolph 8y ago
Did you catch the definition for "politics" that the article uses? > Politics is the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group. So if you have a group of people, and that people makes decisions using some process, then you have politics. My general experience with mentoring young employees relatively new to the workforce (say, 5 years or less) is that many of these employees think that they can just do good work and keep their head out of office politics. But in a very real sense, the only reason that this can possibly work is because someone else on the team is actively looking out for these people, and if you ignore politics indefinitely, you will eventually be in a position of seniority where it is your job to look out for the new employees. If you believe that your office doesn't really have office politics, my prediction is that if you end in any kind of leadership position, you will have either changed your mind by that point about whether you have politics, or you will suffer from some avoidable failures.
throwaway2048 8y ago
Politics you agree with are often invisible, politics you don't agree with have a way of being very in your face.
maxxxxx 8y ago
It's 100% guaranteed that there is office politics happening in your company. Either you don't see it or things are working for your benefit so you don't define them as "politics".
mcguire 8y ago
Hold off concluding that until you have a situation where you think you absolutely know the right answer and someone else also thinks they have the right answer, and your answers don't match.

idunno246 8y ago

But the articles definition is any time a decision is made that applies to a group is politics. So unless every individual is working entirely independently and never talking to anyone else, there’s politics. Now in your case these sound like healthy politics - everyone respects everyone, and there’s none of the negative connotation. But being able to convince someone else your design is right is still politics.

klodolph 8y ago

Did you catch the definition for "politics" that the article uses? > Politics is the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group. So if you have a group of people, and that people makes decisions using some process, then you have politics. My general experience with mentoring young employees relatively new to the workforce (say, 5 years or less) is that many of these employees think that they can just do good work and keep their head out of office politics. But in a very real sense, the only reason that this can possibly work is because someone else on the team is actively looking out for these people, and if you ignore politics indefinitely, you will eventually be in a position of seniority where it is your job to look out for the new employees. If you believe that your office doesn't really have office politics, my prediction is that if you end in any kind of leadership position, you will have either changed your mind by that point about whether you have politics, or you will suffer from some avoidable failures.

throwaway2048 8y ago

Politics you agree with are often invisible, politics you don't agree with have a way of being very in your face.

maxxxxx 8y ago

It's 100% guaranteed that there is office politics happening in your company. Either you don't see it or things are working for your benefit so you don't define them as "politics".

mcguire 8y ago

Hold off concluding that until you have a situation where you think you absolutely know the right answer and someone else also thinks they have the right answer, and your answers don't match.