Nurse Leader Insight: Mastering Organizational Politics

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Albert Einstein

A colleague recently confided in me that she is tone deaf when it comes to organizational politics. She was blindsided when an initiative that she had worked on for over a year suddenly was no longer an organizational priority. She acknowledged that “I never saw this abrupt change in direction coming although it didn’t seem to shock others.” Understanding the politics in your organization or unit is an important component to your professional success. Leaders who distance themselves from the politics or refuse to recognize that they exist will have a harder time achieving their goals. No one can fly solo in an organization. Here are five steps to more effectively master the politics in your organization:

1. Observe and Listen

The most important tool for negotiating workplace politics is your own skill of observation. Determine how is you and your department are perceived in the larger organization. Watch how decisions are made. Look at group alliances and social relationships. Identify areas of organizational conflict. Observe for competitiveness and jealousy among staff. Watch how leaders respond to or perhaps even creates organizational politics. Determine who the stakeholders really are in any decision. Identify the key decision makers and who has influence. Sometimes the person with the formal power is not the person with the most influence on a unit. Through observation, you will be able to better identify what the points of resistance might be to ideas that you have and how to negotiate around the blockades.

2. Develop Strong Self-Awareness

Emotionally intelligent leaders are more successful in navigating organizational politics because they have strong self-awareness. Have a clear sense of who you are and how you might feel differently than others in your group. Not everyone will either agree with you. Understanding how you are perceived by others, and how these perceptions can create roadblocks is the key.

3. Build Collaborative Relationships

Brown-nosing, backstabbing, glory-hogging and outright lying are found in some settings. Part of building a successful career is to maintain both a good reputation and your integrity while building relationships. In highly politically charged environments, you need trusted colleagues that you can go through to discuss difficult situations and who will give you honest feedback. It is critical in organizations that you are seen as an individual who can keep confidential information to yourself, otherwise you will not be trusted.

4, Be Tactful in How You Promote Yourself and Your Department

Workplaces are inherently competitive. It is important to do a good job and have a measurable way that others can see this. Self-promotion can be a slippery slope and result in others resenting you and the work you are trying to accomplish. Make sure that others have an opportunity to shine.

5. Help Your Colleagues

By helping others when they need it, you can leverage good will. You will always need allies. Relationships are built on reciprocity. If you have strong allegiances, people will return a favor if you need it to progress in your work.

In organizations where leaders promote transparency, intellectual honesty, teamwork and open debate, organizational political game playing will be lower. You will never be able to totally eliminate the organizational politics in your workplace. What you can do is become savvy in how you both anticipate it and manage it when it does occur.

Read to Lead

Goldstein, M. (2009). Games at work: How to recognize and reduce office politics. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sherman, R.O. (2012). Navigating organizational politics, American Nurse Today. 7(5), 41-42.