Office Politics: Good Or Bad For Startups?

Bangalore: A by-product of working with multiple personalities, differing opinions and varying degrees of work ethics results in office politics. Office politics is something that no organization, big or small can eliminate completely from their work place. It is just like a cockroach that stays alive even after the explosion of an atom bomb.

How one chooses to deal with such politics within the organization is an immediate reflection of the self-worthy, credibility, and work ethics. Mukesh Bansal, Founder and CEO, Myntra.com, says, “Employees in a startup are emotionally attached to their work and devote a lot of time. This creates passionate, irrational disagreements and drama. However, it is easier to identify issues and manage them due to the scale and culture of a startup.”

Having both positive and negative impact, it is crucial to avoid the negativity of the game. A negative office politics can be risky to the business as you would not really know your co-workers. Bansal further adds, “There are reports which claim office politics being used as a positive tool to help iron out issues and grow the business. However, for a large organization, politics could mean loss of productivity, distrust among team members and eventual disassociation with the organization.”

Whatever one may do, eliminating the office politics cent percent is a day dream. However, it can be put under control by playing a fair game and healthy politics, and not involving in dirty ones. It is important to go along with others while keeping in mind the people who matters and works for you. One should not forget to provide the limelight to such people when needed.

Talking about the handling office politics, Bansal adds, “At Myntra.com, we have a very flat and open culture with a no cubicle policy. This encourages employees to reach out to any member of the organization in case of issues. Even the junior most employee in the organization can walk up to me and share his/her views or concerns. This helps iron out issues at the core and avoids political buildup.”