Interesting post about office politics. Give you an opportunity to work out what animals work in your office. On a serious not though this information could help you manage your work relationships better.
Office politics are annoying aren’t they?
Did you know there are four ways that people play politics in the office?
Sheep, donkey, fox or owl.
Below is a description of each.
Sheep: An implied innocence underlies the sheep approach. Other words that spring to mind might be naive, easily led and loyal. They are the types who say (providing they recognise what is happening in the first place), “I have no time for politics” or, “I don’t want to play that game.”
Donkey: Words such as stubborn and inept might sum up the donkey character, but it goes deeper than this. We have all encountered the colleague who thinks he’s on the inside track, is fond of mentioning connections to the senior staff and is convinced he plays a smart game.
Fox: Cunning, sly and clever, foxes know their way around. They are really quite adept at negotiating the corridors of power, getting support and being tuned in to the bigger picture. They recognise and take advantage of the weaknesses of others in order to get ahead and further their cause.
Owl: Wise and highly observant, the organisational owls are well placed to succeed. They differ from the fox in that ’succeed’ for them means positive
outcomes for both themselves and the organisation.