The Office Politics Vortex
January 5, 2025
Companies that struggle are often feeding grounds – actually – playgrounds – for a mix of personalities. At times, it can seem like the resulting drama can run focus and results way off the rails.
Unnecessary office gossip and politics can do significant damage to company culture. The culture of a company is largely shaped by the behaviors, attitudes, and values of its employees and how they view, see and related with each other. Our QORVAL founder Jim Malone famously said, “Culture is determined by the worst behavior that the organization tolerates.”
When political maneuvering becomes pervasive, the concomitant gatekeeping and manipulation can erode trust, collaboration, and morale, which are critical components of a healthy and productive work environment.
And, if the CEO or senior management team, or ownership group is part of the overall problem, or the cause of negative culture, well, it typically doesn’t get better.
Why Office Politics Damages Company Culture
- Erosion of Trust: Trust is foundationalto any successful team. When employees engage in gossip or politics, it can create an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. People may start questioning the intentions of their colleagues, second-guessing motives, and wondering if what’s being said behind their backs is true.Transparency suffers. If information is being filtered or distorted through gossip or political games, employees might feel left out of important conversations, leading to confusion and disconnection between teams and management.
- Undermines Teamwork and Collaboration: Office politics and gossip can foster an “us vs. them” mentality. Employees may split into factions, competing with one another for power, resources, or recognition, rather than working together toward common goals.The focus shifts from collaborative problem-solvingto self-preservation and image management. When team members are more concerned with playing the political game than sharing knowledge or supporting one another, productivity and innovation often suffer.
- Toxic Work Environment: Gossip and political games create a toxic culturethat can spread like a virus. Employees become more concerned with perception management than actually doing their jobs well. They may feel the need to engage in negative behavior simply to survive, or worse, to thrive in the environment.A negative atmosphere can quickly snowball, leading to lower morale, higher stress levels, and increased turnover. People become more concerned with navigating the social landscape than with achieving the company’s business objectives.
- Decreased Employee Engagement and Well-being: When employees see that gossip and office politics are rewarded (or tolerated), they may disengage. They may feel that hard work, merit, and collaborationare secondary to who you know and how well you play the game.The stress of trying to stay above the fray or constantly worrying about being the subject of gossip can lead to burnout and lower job satisfaction. Over time, this creates a workforce that is less motivated, creative, and loyal.
- Bias and Favoritism: Office politics often lead to favoritism, where certain individuals or groups receive special treatment or opportunities not based on merit, but on social alliances or influence. This can create resentment among employees who feel their efforts are going unrecognized or unrewarded.Unequal distribution of resources, such as promotions, raises, or high-visibility projects, further deepens the divide between employees, fostering discontentand a sense of injustice.
- Impact on Leadership: When leaders engage in or condone office politics, they set a bad example for the rest of the organization. It can send a message that manipulative behavioris acceptable, leading others to mimic those behaviors.Managers may also become distracted by managing internal drama, leaving little time or energy to focus on strategic goals or supporting their teams.
“Culture is determined by the worst behavior that the organization tolerates.” – James R. “Jim” Malone (1942-2021), Six-Time Fortune 500 CEO and founder of QORVAL
Drama- and Negativity- Fueled Personalities
Certain personality traits or circumstances make some employees more susceptible to getting involved in office gossip and politics. Here are some common personality types that tend to get pulled into the vortex of negativity and drama:
- The Insecure: Those Driven by Anxiety
- Insecurityis one of the leading drivers of gossip and office politics. Employees who feel uncertain about their job security, role, or how they’re perceived by others may engage in gossip to gain social leverage or control over their situation. Insecurity is often present in the executive suite and at the board level.
- Anxietyabout fitting in or being left out can lead them to focus on social dynamics within the workplace. These individuals may use gossip as a way to align themselves with certain groups or individuals, trying to improve their standing within the company.
- They often get sucked into “circle-of-trust”dynamics, where they use gossip as a tool to gain approval or avoid being the target of negativity themselves.
- Look at Me: The Needy Narcissists:
- Individuals with narcissistic traitsor a strong need for attention often thrive on drama because it allows them to control the narrative or be at the center of conversations. These employees may spread gossip to make themselves look more important or powerful by knowing things others don’t, or by creating chaos that they can exploit.
- They may manipulate situations or other employees to maintain a sense of dominance or superioritywithin the office.
- “I’ll Do It!” – The People Pleasers:
- People pleasersare motivated by a need for approval and validation from others. This need for acceptance can make them vulnerable to becoming involved in gossip or office politics, especially if they feel it will help them form relationships or gain favor with higher-ups.
- They may participate in office drama because they’re afraid of being excludedor of upsetting the balance, and they’ll say or do things to avoid conflict or keep others happy, even if it means spreading negative information or getting caught in office politics.
- The Low EQ-ers…Those with Poor Emotional Intelligence:
- People who lack emotional intelligencemay struggle to navigate office dynamics in a healthy way. They may not be aware of the negative impact of their actions or may be easily influenced by others. In the absence of strong self-awareness, they can get drawn into the drama and start engaging in gossip without fully realizing the consequences.
- They may misinterpret social cues, leading them to act impulsively or to assume that engaging in office politics is normal or acceptable behavior.
- The Power Trippers – The Overly Ambitious:
- Employees who are highly ambitiousand driven by career advancement may sometimes use gossip and politics as tools to gain influence or manipulate situations in their favor. They might use drama as a way to undermine competitors or position themselves more favorably for promotions or raises.
- These individuals often seek to network, often focusing on the wrong kinds of relationships—those rooted in power dynamics or the sharing of insider information.
- The “Tribe Members”- The Long Term Loyalists:
- Individuals who are deeply loyal to a particular team, manager, or departmentmay feel the need to protect their group or defend its interests in the face of corporate changes or challenges. This can sometimes turn into a form of office politics where they engage in gossip to mobilize their group, protect their team’s reputation, or assert their loyalty.
- This behavior can breed conflict between teams and factions within the company and perpetuate “tribal knowledge” which is often misaligned with company go-forward goals, and, frankly, often just incorrect.
- If you hear them say, “we’ve always done it this way,” run.
How to Prevent and Mitigate Office Gossip and Politics:
- Promote Transparency and Open Communication: Encourage a culture where information is shared openly, and employees feel safe asking questions without fear of judgment or gossip. When people know what’s going on and understand the rationale behind decisions, they are less likely to speculate or engage in gossip.
- Lead by Example: Leaders should model the behavior they expect from employees. If they actively discourage gossip, refrain from engaging in office politics, and maintain a focus on the company’s goals, employees are more likely to follow suit.
- Address Gossip Directly: If gossip is found to be disrupting the workplace, it should be addressed directly. Managers can have private conversations with employees who are spreading gossip, explaining how it damages the team and offering alternative, more constructive ways to communicate concerns.
- Focus on Positive Reinforcement: Encourage healthy collaborationand teamwork. Highlight positive behaviors such as transparency, mutual support, and integrity. Recognizing employees who exemplify these traits can help shift the focus away from negativity and drama.
- Provide Conflict Resolution Training: Equip employees with the tools and skills to resolve conflicts constructively. Offering training on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and healthy communication can reduce the likelihood of drama escalating.
What Leaders and Owners Can Do
Unnecessary office gossip and politics can significantly damage company culture by eroding trust, undermining collaboration, and fostering a toxic work environment. The employees most susceptible to becoming involved in gossip and politics tend to be those who are insecure, attention-seeking, people-pleasing, emotionally unaware, or power-driven.
To maintain a healthy company culture, leaders must actively promote transparency, address negative behaviors, and foster an environment of respect, open communication, and trust. This will help prevent the spread of gossip and office politics, ultimately creating a more productive, positive, and engaged workplace.
It is often extremely beneficial to bring in “another set of eyes” – advisors (like us) that can dig into the core issues that are holding the company – and its people – back, from realizing greater outcomes and results.
Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP, is the CEO & Managing Partner of QORVAL Partners, LLC, a FL-based advisory firm (founded 1996 by Jim Malone, six-time Fortune 100/500 CEO) Qorval is a US-based turnaround, restructuring, business optimization and interim management firm. Fioravanti is a proven turnaround CEO with experience in more than 90 situations in more than 40 industries. He earned his MBA and MPA from the University of Rhode Island and completed advanced post-master’s research in finance and marketing at Bryant University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional and member of the Turnaround Management Association, the Private Directors Association, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Association of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&MA), the American Bankruptcy Institute, and IMCUSA. Copyright 2024, Qorval Partners LLC and/or Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution without permission.
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