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Office politics can have advantages that may motivate certain employees and cliques. It can be very productive, as they usually know each other well and can utilize each person’s talent in a team setting. How a supervisor or manger deals with office politics can ultimately lead to his or her success or demise. It can also be the most unproductive and destructive problem in the workplace; which can derail the best laid business plans. It can eventually take down what was once a profitable smooth running business if it is allowed to continue or if upper management is a participant.
Small business owners and management at every level of any company should always be aware and listen closely to what is being said by their employees or associates. An action that undermines or impedes a co-worker’s right to do his or her job is another practice used in office politics to cause problems. It is good for employees to form bonds and friendships, but when cliques are formed in the office and others are bullied or cold shouldered, major complications can occur. Some of these problems can even lead to situations of workplace violence. The following are some of the signs and downfalls of office politics and ways to address situations before they get out of control.
Recognizing Cliques and Office Politics
I have seen office politics at its best, and more often at its worst. After being in the workforce for thirty-six years, from entry level to middle management, I have learned this; no matter what business you are in, if you have more than 3 people, you have an atmosphere for office politics. Two get friendly and one is out in the cold. Before you know it, your business is under attack from within; therefore, being very aware can put you on...
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...e bullying as a serious issue, just as schools do, it will continue to be a costly and sometimes deadly fact of everyone’s daily lives. Using another’s back might get you there, but it can be a slippery slope. “To learn and apply is to raise ones skills; one is upgrading oneself. Learning, self-cultivation and self-improvement is important in the workplace and in doing business.” (Patrick Low, K., & Mohd. Zain, A., 2012)
Works Cited
Management Today, 2013, (5), pg. 14
Bower, P. (2005). 12 MOST COMMON THREATS TO SALES AND OPERATIONS PLANNING PROCESS. Journal Of Business Forecasting, 24(3), 4-14
Patrick Low, K., & Mohd. Zain, A. (2012). Confucius' teachings, good leadership and getting on top of office politics. Educational Research (2141-5161), 3(9), 698-705.
United States Department of Labor, Workplace Violence, 2013, https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/
Politics or politicking is a game that is more ostensible and reserved for the political arena; however, metaphorically, much of the political discourse can also be found within organizations. Politics in organizations, then, is design for groups to reconcile differences between interests, conflicts, and power (Morgan, 2006). The case study to be analyze (Cutting Back at City Hall) is one that illustrates all three aspects of interests, conflicts, and power as the City of Smithville, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the International Association of Firefighters (IAF), and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) deliberate the city’s proposed budget.
One major issue businesses around the world face in today’s society is workplace bullies. In almost every workplace there is a bully. In today’s world there are so many different life styles, and there is usually that one person that believes it is their job to push others around. What is workplace bullying? What makes these people become a bully? Who are the bullies and the victims? How do we prevent bullying? Those are some questions I will answer in this paper.
Team Dynamics - Conflict Resolution Strategies People work in groups or teams every day, whether in their career, education, political organization, church, or any other social setting. Conflict while working in teams or groups is inevitable. When taking people of different backgrounds, personalities, moral and ethical beliefs, and putting them together in a group, conflict will arise. The key to achieving your team goals is to construct and conquer your goals while keeping the greater good of the team in mind. Conflict, as it arises, should be combated and abated through swift and thorough resolution techniques.
Many people enjoy working or participating in a group or team, but when a group of people work together chances are that conflicts will occur. Hazleton describes conflict as the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality and what is seen as ideal (2007). “We enter into conflicts reluctantly, cautiously, angrily, nervously, confidently- and emerge from them battered, exhausted, sad, satisfied, triumphant. And still many of us underestimate or overlook the merits of conflict- the opportunity conflict offers every time it occurs” (Schilling, nd.). Conflict does not have to lead to a hostile environment or to broken relationships. Conflict if resolved effectively can lead to a positive experience for everyone involved. First, there must be an understanding of the reasons why conflicts occur. The conflict must be approached with an open mind. Using specific strategies can lead to a successful resolution for all parties involved. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument states “there are five general approaches to dealing with conflict. The five approaches are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict resolution is situational and no one approach provides the best or right approach for all circumstances” (Thomas, 2000).
Bullying has been around for decades and yet it is still a reoccurring problem, and it is only getting worse. The National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2009, said nearly 1 in 3 students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being bullied in school. Eight years earlier, only 14 percent of that population said they had experienced bullying(Ollove,2014). There are two types of bullying the direct form and indirect form, in the direct form the victim receives physical harm example kicking pushing shoving. In the indirect form the victim receives emotional or mental harm by name-calling, rejection, gossip, threats, or insults(Green,2007). It doesn’t matter which way the victim was bullied it still causes
Wei, R., & Yip, J. (2008). In focus/leadership wisdom: Some sage advice for leaders. Leadership In Action, 28(4), 18-22. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=34870368&site=ehost-live
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
Bullying.. it has been around for who knows how long and it is becoming a big problem in the past couple of years. Professor Louise Arseneault, senior author, also from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's adds: "We need to move away from any perception that bullying is just an inevitable part of growing-up. Teachers, parents and policy-makers should be aware that what happens in the school playground can have long-term repercussions for children. Programmes to stop bullying are extremely important, but we also need to focus our efforts on early intervention to prevent potential problems persisting into adolescence and adulthood." I agree with this this statement 100% we need to stop looking at how this is all can be a learning process and they have to get through this. Bullying is becoming a world problem and needs to be put to a stop.
Sometimes employees, “band together to share fears or complaints. In such cases informal groups work against organizational goals”(323). There have been studies showing that informal groups can have an immense amount of power and influence. Understanding informal groups is crucial for a successful business work environment. Managers who understand informal groups will be able to improve the
As far back as history can be told mankind has struggled between balancing culture, power and politics. Many wars have been fought and many people have placed their lives on the line in order to stand up for what they believe in. The combinations of culture, power and politics have spilled over into the workplace. In today’s business environment individuals have much more to worry about than just completing their assigned tasks. Organizational culture, power and office politics influence day to day operations as well as govern the atmosphere within the organization. The amount of impact that power and politics have in the workplace, directly reflect the organization’s culture formally as well as informally.
Social-learning theory states that “people can learn through observation and direct experience (Robbins & Judge, 2009).” In many organic organizations, learning by “hands-on” is the essential ingredient to a successful organization. Their openness allows this type of training to flourish among the managerial-employee relationship. While social-learning may be applicable and positive for the concept of leadership, there may be a contrasting view in terms of the concept of office politics. In other words, learning by observation and experience from the daily transactions that go on in the organization will bring the best qualities out of leadership, and vice-versa, but it may bring about the worst of the organization in terms of politics.
Bullying has always been a problem within the past century and has become an epidemic. However, because of social media people are becoming more aware of the issues associated with bullying and how it has become a trend in today’s society. You turn on the news and you are hearing about kids being bullied and the end result is suicide. Bullying is occurring worldwide. Not only is it happening in our schools and social networks, but also in the work place. The various types of bullying that exist and the attempt to entirely eliminate them is not achievable because of individual and environmental factors.
Bullying is something that is not something new and is actually something that society continues to face. Over the years, bullying has been looked at as being so ordinary in schools that it is continuously overlooked as an emanate threat to students and has been lowered to a belief that bullying is a part of the developmental stage that most young children will experience then overcome (Allebeck, 2005, p. 129). Not everyone gets over the extreme hurt that can come as an effect from bullying, for both the bully and the victim. Because of this, we now see bullying affecting places such as the workplace, social events and even the home. The issue of bullying is not only experienced in schools, but the school environment is one of the best places
In reality, most employees pretend to be non-assertive, let others make decisions but remain resentful to a resolution reached. Despite allowing the top management makes a vital decision on the conflict most team members remain aggressive. They use their powers to pass a clear stand that the autocratic interventions are non-satisfactory.
Zeiger, S n.d., The Impact of Power and Politics in Organizational Productivity, Choron, viewed 5 April 2014, .