Every organization has its rituals and behavioral patterns. While many of those rituals and patterns indeed have a positive impact on the organization and its people, some of them do more harm than good. One of these patterns you have to worry about is casually called the "cover your ass" or CYA phenomenon. Driven by fear and a toxic work environment, it undermines performance and drives away high performers.
Politics exist in all organizations but it is interesting to consider whether organizational politics can be a blessing or a curse. This blog post draws on scientific evidence to illustrate how politics can be effective for an organization through a) drawing on the political skills of the talent within the firm and b) implementing strategies that curtail ineffective organizational politics.
This blog discusses the importance of being politically skilled within work organizations. Organizational science researchers have highlighted the importance of political skills in being effective in the workplace. There is a body of research to show that those who have strong political skills tend to be better performers and enables the organization to be more effective. This blog describes the behaviors of politically skilled individuals and describes the positive outcomes associated with political skills. The blog also describes how organizations can implement interventions to enable employees to hone political skills.
