Office Politics
Office Politics
Why it happen, negative and positive tension, practical tips to navigate, and more
We'll discuss:
Why do office politics happen?
Dancing with tension: Negative and positive tension
Nobita, Giant, and Suneo: Politics since we were a kid
Navigating the office politics: Practical tips
Avoid me vs. you
Maybe it's not a fit
Personal note: Hello friends! It’s Budi. I’ve been busy building the new version of Crafters. Hint: available for the English audience. I know a lot of you have been requesting for it. I’ll announce it more soon.
Why do office politics happen?
Office politics.
Probably not your favorite thing. But you can't escape it.
Imagine this. Jake and Kate. They have different goals. Then, the politics happen.
When you hear the word politics, it has a negative connotation. But that's not always the case. There are two types of tensions—the negative and positive tension.
Negative tension
When Jake's actions set back Kate's goals, then we have negative tension. Kate will see Jake as a blocker. As a result, their action could "harm" each other. When you dance with the negative tension, it's not fun. It feels like you have an enemy. You might call this a "conflict".
Positive tension
However, they could be allies even when Jake and Kate have different goals. This happens when their actions help each other reach their goals. This is a positive tension—a productive tension. You might call this a form of "alliance."
Nobita, Suneo, and Giant
If you have ever watched the anime Nobita, you have witnessed a form of politics. Giant (Takeshi) is a big and strong kid. Suneo is a rich and boastful kid who usually gets the latest toys. Nobita is a kind-hearted but lazy boy.
Giant and Suneo often ally. Giant uses his strength to intimidate Nobita. Suneo supports him by flattering and siding with him, which helps Suneo avoid being bullied.
After all, politics is not that complicated.
Common pitfall: me vs you
The common pitfall designers make is adopting this me vs. you mentality. I definitely fell into this trap in the past, too. It's common for me to see tension between a designer and a product manager. The designer on the team will say, "We should do research." But the product manager will say, "We don't have time." So, it creates negative tension.
Here's an example of how to handle that situation.
[Find the common ground] Our goal is to launch a successful game.
[Situation] Since we're designing a unique interface, we are not sure if it's intuitive. [Implication] If users don't know how to use this, the new users might quit and never really use the app. [question] While I understand the timeline is pretty tight, what do you think is the best way to navigate this?
Finding common ground and simply stating the situation creates a better starting point. You can have a discussion without creating any tension because you have the same goal: launch a successful game.
I'm not saying everything will be smooth just by doing this.
Politics is politics. You have to deal with it.
Find the best way to move forward as a team.
Perhaps, not a good fit
The most challenging time is when you can't find the common ground.
Maybe it's not a fit.
Try to re-evaluate your goal.
Try to see the bigger picture.
Question it. Is it ethical?
Listen to the opposing perspective. Listen.
If it's not a good fit, sometimes it's better to quit and find a different group of people.
Good luck.
Budi
If you find this article interesting, check out other articles.
Thank you! More office politics content, please! Maybe expand into topics like how to navigate disagreements between co-founders, especially when the goal is something subjective, such as branding or aesthetic direction.