Office politics is going to happen, you may like it or not, and sometimes you just can’t get out of the way. Power Play or Power Struggle is a very common situation and occurs in many work environments. The most common situation is between peers as full-time employees.

Consultants need to steer clear of these issues entirely. Consultants have no territory to defend, raise the issue with your manager and ask for guidance. If you hire as a consultant you will lose, period.

What should you do when you find yourself in a power struggle against your will? Take the scenario where you have certain responsibilities explicitly assigned to you, and someone else is trying to take control and take credit for what is clearly their job.

You have a couple of options here, but ignoring the situation isn’t one of them. You must always add value to the organization and you must assume your responsibilities. Letting someone else get you out of the way doesn’t help your career, and you’ll be perceived as useless if someone else is doing your job.

Why does this situation occur?

The individual who takes control believes that he is right and justified in his actions. If he has read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” which is highly recommended, he will know that everyone always believes that their actions are right and proper. Their perception of the problem is probably that they are just trying to get things done, while you are failing. And as such, they feel they are doing the right thing for the company by taking it away.

Your options:

Option 1

Stand up and join the conflict, stand your ground and defend your territory. Sometimes this approach is required, but there are consequences. If you choose to participate, you must do so in a very professional and respectable manner. For better or worse you will show the organization that you are willing to defend your space, you have to decide if this is a good message for your situation. If you choose this option, there will be residual emotions between you and the other party as a result of the conflict.

In both public and private interactions with the other person, you must make it clear that you will protect your jurisdiction.

* Use job descriptions or project charters to define boundaries

* Your goal is to agree boundaries and rules of engagement for future interactions.

* Take the matter to a higher authority for resolution if necessary

* Never raise your voice.

* Never lose your temper

* Never insult

* Be professional at all times

* And most importantly, if you choose this route, don’t give up.

You must choose your battles wisely, but always win the ones you choose!

option 2

Sometimes Option 1 could cause enough disruption to put all of your objectives at risk. So your alternative is to negotiate on the issue without committing yourself and still keep your credibility intact. This is more difficult to do, but it is absolutely possible. This is the Dale Carnegie approach, and a successful outcome can build better relationships while achieving goals.

with the other person

* The goal is the same for agreeing boundaries and rules of engagement for future interactions.

* With this approach, you must make it clearly visible that you are capable, competent and interested in handling your responsibilities.

* You have to work with the other party to reach an agreement. Private seated discussions are best.

* You want to present the new approach as a better partnership for the good of the company

* You have to be honest when trying to find a collective solution.

* Understand that the other person believes they are doing the right thing, so the resolution should be a win-win.

* Focus dialogue on tasks or goals as much as possible

* Don’t let arguments turn into an argument.

* Recognize that the lines of responsibility are not clear and with clarity will come better effectiveness

with your manager

* Make sure your direct manager is involved and understands what is happening and how you are choosing to handle it.

* He or she may have some good advice for you, and will definitely respect you for choosing the right path.

* The key to success is to make it very clear to your manager that you recognize that a power play is taking place and that you are “handling” the situation as you would any other problem or risk.

* Make it known that your goal is to achieve the best result for the project or company.