Office politics can be detrimental to a workplace if there isn’t a culture and plan in place to reduce its likelihood. Letting office politics run wild can create a toxic work environment, reduce morale, and lead to increased turnover. Here are some tips to deal with office politics before they have a negative impact on the company culture.
Have Your Team Make Commitments to Each Other
While training is used to increase competence, it can also be used to reduce conflict. During training, have your team members make certain commitments to each other and to the organization. For example, they can commit to eliminating gossip, being more clear in their communication, or addressing people directly. These types of commitments will create a drama-free company culture and make your employees more accountable to each other.
Avoid Conflict by Cutting Out Gossip
Encourage your team to eliminate office gossip. This can completely change your internal culture. When everyone gossips, it becomes hard to separate fact from fiction and stories from lies. People often think that gossiping with coworkers helps them build relationships, but in reality it more often destroys relationships and contributes to a toxic work environment.
Lead with an Abundance Mindset
Some people lead with a scarcity mindset. They frame their leadership around what they lack. These leaders frequently complain about not having enough time, resources, etc. This often comes from a place of fear. It is much better to lead with an abundance mindset. These leaders concentrate on what they want to achieve and work toward their goals, regardless of the resources that they have. A scarcity mindset often leads to more workplace drama because people feel like they have to struggle to succeed, so they tear each other down. If everyone on the team works together to succeed toward common goals, there will be less conflict and more healthy collaboration.
Conscious Leadership Group
If your company has a lot of workplace drama, partner with an organization like Conscious Leadership Group. This organization consults with business about how to reduce conflict in the office and increase self-awareness and engagement. This is a multi-year program that will give your team shared goals, which in turn, will help them work better together.
Too much conflict and politics can make a work environment unbearable for you and your employees. Focus on leading with openness and directness and encourage your team members to avoid gossip and other toxic behavior. This is the best way to reduce negative office politics and encourage team cohesion for the long term.
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