Ethical Office Politics

The causes of office politics may be hidden from you at first but you will likely start to sense a change in the "air."

Once you sense that change is happening take time to gather your bearings to avoid being disorientated inadvertently.

Recognising the first signs of fear in Body, Word and Deed

1. Stress Management

a. Ball Tossing - Suggest experimenting with tossing a ball from hand to hand whilst adding additional activities. This builds comfort with managing multiple tasks and can distract from or calm down unhelpful thought patterns.

b. Juggling - Consider building on the above technique by having fun learning to juggle - it provides a metaphorical connection to "juggling a lot of mental activities." Google "Learn to juggle"

c. Chimp Paradox - reflect on what it is you see and hear that triggers your fears. Spend a few minutes ranting about those factors until they are "out of your system." Then consider the evidence and allow the higher rational mind to develop a less emotional response and with practice allow that to become your conditioned behaviour acting from the Computer brain - see graphics attached.

Google "The Chimp Paradox"

d. Burn Off Adrenaline prior to stressful activities. Suggest simple squats or a brisk walk to tell the body "the fight is over" so that it can calm down. Adrenaline can adversely affect peripheral vision so burning it off makes it easier to see a bigger picture and notice the behaviours of others around you.

e. Exercise - regular moderate exercise has been shown to help relieve stress. Seek advice on what would be appropriate your circumstances.

f. Diaphragmatic Breathing - this helps with excess adrenaline and creates a sensation of calm and balance. Consider googling diaphragmatic breathing.

g. Basic Meditation - lie flat on a hard floor and allow your muscles to relax to the point where you feel as if you are lying on a sponge mattress. Allow thoughts to come into your head and then float away like bubbles. Eventually try to avoid any thoughts for 10 seconds. Do this prior to stressful work situations. An alternative is to half close your eyes whilst seated and stare at an object 4 feet away and observe thoughts coming and going until you can briefly stop all thoughts for 10 seconds.

h. Relieve muscle tension - consider light stretching periodically to reverse the effects of stress on the body before key work events.

i. Relaxation Sounds - google relaxing sounds or search on Youtube until you find a sound or frequency that helps you relax before and during work activities if you can wear headphones in the workplace. Experiment until you discover what works for you.

j. Metaphor for being relaxed - consider how you are when you are at your most relaxed and create a mental image or create a metaphor for that experience either as an image or feeling or recollection of sounds and smells and hold your attention on that idea before a key work activity.

k. HALT Checklist - if you sense a build-up of stress consider scanning yourself and recent activities to see if you have become Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired. Try to correct any of these known stressors by eating, letting resentments go, talking to somebody or finding time to recover. Try to get into the habit of checking for the signs to HALT and reset for the day.

l. Diet - consider if certain foods make you more stressed than necessary for your job and avoid them before key events or tasks. Processed sugar and caffeine are regularly cited as unhelpful stress agents.

m. Relaxing fragrances - some people respond well to specific fragrances which have reputed relaxing characteristic. Some people relax with the smell of lavender in the air. Consider if certain smells connect you with a relaxed frame of mind and work out if you could use them in your immediate working environment.

o. Build a Timeline - create a simple storyboard around the key events and triggers which build up prior to stressful work activity. Keep asking "then what happens?" and try to be very precise about all the steps in the build up. Also ask "what happens next?" and "what would I like to have happen next?" Try to adapt the story to better suit your needs.

Sleep Hygiene.

Try to block light from your sleeping area.

Keep the temperature to 18°C to 2O°C.

Use a fan to keep the air clean and cool.

Keep ambient noise low and use wax earplugs if appropriate.

Use 1 pillow for your head, 1 for between your knees and 1 to hold onto.

Keep lavendar scent in your sleeping area.

Consider using a weighted blanket.

Place support under your lumbar region.

Avoid electronic devices before sleeping.

Listen to relaxing sounds prior to sleeping.

Milky drinks and herbal teas are believed to aid sleep.

Establish a regular bed-time.

Consider use of SAD lamps on waking.

Consider use of coffee etc. and their effect on quality of sleep.

Listen carefully to the symbols and metaphors used to frame office culture.

Are you hearing words which conjure images of warfare or something more harmonious like an orchestra?

If you were to think of a metaphor to describe the culture you would like to work in, what would that be like?

You may be experiencing a stress reaction (fight, flight or freeze) but not yet be consciously aware of it.

Take some time out to determine if what you are actually doing is a natural response to office life or a fear based reaction.

Over time the stress reactions will drain you of energy and good physical and mental health.

Create a mental image or imagine what the experience of you being at your best in the best working environment for you.

Make this your goal and set boundaries out it - if the image is violated consider your response.

Be as specific as possible in answering the question What Would You Like to Have Happen?

Think back into prior examples of positive experiences to build a vivid image of what you would like to have happen especially in your work life. Keep the destination in mind rather than any problems at work.

Relax and allow yourself to muse on your reasonable expectations.

Where are the boundaries in your life?

What's it like if they are infringed?

What is totally unacceptable to you and what would it be like in such a circumstance.

Get in touch with the definitions that govern your boundaries and describe them using metaphor.

Take the metaphors literally and use them and associated imagery to give yourself and "early warning system" to tell if the office is becoming dysfunctional given your boundaries and measures.

Regularly check with yourself and others that you understand and are consistently meeting the needs of others.

Checking  for disparities in the responses will act as an early warning sign that an office may be "off track" and need to realign.

This can help prevent office politics from becoming problematic.

Listen to the metaphors used to talk about office culture.

If you are not hearing metaphors which mirror alignment and cohesion then you may be approaching "troubled waters."

An agreement to adopt metaphors of shared goals can actually prevent misunderstanding and disagreement.

Knowledge is Power.

Quality of Life is Quality of Communication.

Networked groups survive by sharing information.

The most valued group members share information which is Relevant Informative Timely and Actionable.

Groups that communicate effectively are less likely to experience office politics.

Teams that know where they are, where they are going and how to get there tend to avoid political disputes.

Use appropriate measures and timelines and keep the plan simple.

A simplified example of sharing information to establish reciprocal relationships.

Mutually supportive networks are more likely to avoid political disputes by collectively addressing change and challenges in the environment.

Simple tips for ensuring communication is understood.
Keep it Simple
Summarise
Gain Agreement

Paint pictures with words. Use symbols and metaphors to establish shared meaning at a deeper level based on common shared experience.

Initiate feedback with a clear image in mind of what your reasonable expectations are like and establish that your intention is to help get the team back to normality rather than being confrontational from the outset.

Direct attention to what is positive about the desired outcome state you are more likely to gather support for your feedback and efforts to restore harmony or avoid a challenge ahead.

Begin feedback with a specific description of initial reasonable expectations.
State that the desired outcome was once the established norm and not an impossible dream state.
Use a blend of hard fact and metaphor to get the point across.

Take the initiative.
Set the agenda to control the outcome.
Avoid creating the conditions for conflict.

Know your limits.
Be prepared to walk away.
Get the views of all parties involved.

If you want a hamster ask for a pony - set goals just beyond your expectation to give wiggle room in negotiation.

Active listening will help you to determine how changes in the environment might need to be factored into a new consensual agreement around reasonable expectations.

The Sandwich Metaphor is a simple way to remember the procedures and techniques used in the type of regular office feedback process suggested above. Soft Hard Soft - palatable.

In some circumstances you may meet people who are not open to honest feedback and shared consensual change. Listen out for the techniques they may use to influence you in selfish ways.

Be prepared for clever political operators and use proven techniques to disarm them.
Knowledge is Power so demand the supporting hard facts and evidence.

If a picture is painted of impending doom which requires a dilution of your reasonable expectations do not cave in at once - seek facts and a dispassionate assessment of the future risks.

Always ensure you are working with credible data sources.

We are hard-wired to obey the leader - pause and reflect before agreeing to orders given from on high.

Any attempt to find a perceived contradiction or inconsistency in your case can be used to twist your words and opinions.

This is a malicious brainwashing technique.
Stay ultra focussed on the essence of your demands to have your reasonable expectations met.

Networks are built on reciprocal favours so be vigilant if your are being asked to alter your expectations based on appeals to "you owe us one."
You have most likely earned your current position and should base any deviation from it on facts not emotional blackmail.

Brazen lying does happen and some people argue that it can be justified if there are benefits to the common good.
This is mischievous and very dangerous because once the truth can not be established or relied upon the whole system will fail.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Initial contact may seem friendly and empathetic - you need objective facts at all times however pleasant the person is with whom you are negotiating change.

We are driven by fundamental fears regarding our survival.
Group behaviour evolved to help mitigate those fears.
Changes in the balance of power within a group occur alongside changes in the environment = politics.
We can react or respond. Responding requires Communication, Boundaries, Measures, feedback and Consensus building.

Reacting creates fear-based conditions which can lead to aggression and conflict.

If the feedback suggested above is not preventing office politics and suggestions are being met with objections then hard feedback with consequences may be required.

The book Crucial Conversations describes the structure and mindset required for negotiations when the stakes are much higher.

Re-negotiate in parallel not serially - get the balance right.

Reset the Hoshin Plan and Reasonable Expectations - use symbols and metaphors to manage a change process.

Use AND and not OR statements to create avoid false dilemmas and create a vision of your improved outcomes.

Options after serious breaches of your reasonable  expectations - HIGH STAKES.

Have options just in case you need them.

Very deliberate set up with eyes open that the consequences could be serious.
Be specific and back up your position with hard facts.
Describe the desired outcome in detail.

Recommend "Crucial Conversations" with examples.

Describe the facts and their impact on thoughts feelings and future actions.
Get the facts and perspective from the other side. Pancakes have two sides.

After resolution set measurable goals and timely and agreed points of review.

Create a revised Hoshin Plan with a vision of the Desired Outcome.

A small number of businesses create shared metaphors for a well managed culture - very efficient for capturing early signs of politics and communicating about them effortlessly.

Fear of loss or denial of the basic needs of a group accompanies change.
Change is inevitable.
Respond rather than React to change.
Set Boundaries
Have a plan.
Communicate.
Share Information.
Give Feedback.
Avoid being manipulated.