Workplace Politics Pocketbook

The number one cause of stress and its adverse effects costs the economy billions.

Workplace politics has bad press, with the vast majority of people linking it to behaviour without integrity. According to David Bancroft-Turner – managing director of the Academy for Political Intelligence, one of the UK’s leading authorities on organisational politics – it is possible for individuals to develop and apply a set of skills and behaviours that will counter the negative effects of workplace politics and create a positive work environment for the benefit of all concerned.

The 112-page book Workplace Politics Pocketbook explains how this is done. The four main types of political ‘animal’ are identified and explained

• the clever fox

These people have high political intelligence and use it primarily in pursuit of their personal goals

• the wise owl

These people have high political intelligence and typically this is used to align their personal goals with those of the organisation. (They believe time, effort and energy are wasted if goal alignment does not occur.)

• the innocent sheep

These trusting people have low levels of political intelligence and are concerned to meet both the organisation;s goals and their own.

• the determined mule

These individuals have low levels of political intelligence and concentrate their energy into the pursuit of their own goals.

Describing their behaviour patterns and explaining how to develop the essential skills of political astuteness, the author emphasises the importance of understanding how our beliefs about people and the organisation we work for affect the political climate. A reader questionnaire helps put this into perspective. In conclusion, the author looks at the important questions when developing a political intelligence master plan.

Illustrated by Phil Hailstone.