Employees' Knowledge of Office Politics: Demographic Differences

ABSTRACT Office politics, which actually is a game, goes on in most working environments. Employees need to learn rules of politics so that in the workplace they can reap the to which they are entitled. To determine demographic differences in employees' knowledge of the rules of office politics, a survey that included ten statements related to office politics and that requested four types of demographic information was administered to 264 employees. ANOVA results revealed significant differences ( INTRODUCTION Office politics involves the strategies people in various types of organizations use to gain a career advantage (Rozakis & Rozakis, 1998). Office politics also involves understanding how things get accomplished (Cole, 1999). Getting things done will necessitate building relationships with the people with whom one works since careers are made or damaged on the basis of relationships (Frankel, 2004). Some political maneuvering goes on in most work environments, especially in those where influence and monetary gain are important (Fisher, 2002). This political maneuvering, usually referred to as office politics, is actually a game; and employees who do not play the game pay the price (Hawley, 2001; Reed, 1999). The game of office politics has specific rules and boundaries (Frankel, 2004). While these rules will vary with the company, some rules are invariant; they include behaving ethically and treating people fairly rather than behaving in a deceitful, unethical manner. The game of office politics is competitive, but it does not include playing unfairly to assure winning at another person's expense (Cole, 1999). Dobson and Dobson (2001) agree that office politics and behaving ethically are not mutually exclusive; they believe that it is possible for principled persons to help create an office environment that rewards and supports good behavior rather than political sneakiness (p. xii). Another rule of office politics is that of being loyal to and showing support for the supervisor. DuBrin (1990) points out that one's accomplishments are often a team effort and that such accomplishments should be shared with one's supervisor. Correcting or outshining one's supervisor, especially when others are present, could result in retaliation later on. Making one's supervisor look good, on the other hand, could result in a move up the corporate ladder as the supervisor moves up (Hawley, 2001). Employees with strong work skills who do not show support for their supervisors are less likely to succeed than are employees (even those with meager work skills) who support their supervisors (Bragg, 2004; Fisher, 2002). Employees who have issues with some of the concepts of office politics need to understand that favoritism exists in every firm and that their ability or inability to use office politics effectively can advance or impede their careers (Beagrie, 2004). In fact, employees who are inept at office politics may be perceived as people who are not team players and not good candidates for promotion; they may also be viewed as persons who are untrustworthy and lack social skills and common sense (FastCompany's Five Rules, 2003). Decisions concerning raises and promotions are not, after all, based entirely on merit; they may be a way of paying back favors or rewarding an employee for making a favorable impression on prospective clients when entertaining them (Rozakis & Rozakis, 1998). LITERATURE REVIEW Self-promotion, honesty and truth telling, flattery, gossip, favors and hidden motives, attire and grooming, and business socializing and etiquette were found to be the primary aspects of office politics addressed in the literature. Office politics involves self-promotion; perceptive employees know that they must make sure that their efforts and accomplishments are recognized (Kuzmitz, Sussman, Adams, & Raho, 2002). …