[1][better source needed] It serves as a tool to assess operational capacity and balance diverse views of interested parties.
[citation needed] According to Michael Aamodt, "Organizational politics are self-serving behaviors that employees use to increase the probability of obtaining positive outcomes in organizations".
[3] Personal advantages may include access to tangible assets or intangible benefits such as status and pseudo-authority that influences others.
Psychologist Oliver James identifies the dark triadic personality traits (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) as central in understanding office politics.
[7] John Eldred describes politics as "simply how power gets worked out on a practical, day-to-day basis".
The main link between individuals on a political landscape is the access to-in addition to-the flow of information.
Office gossip is often used by an individual to place themselves at a point where they can control the flow of information, and therefore gain maximum advantage.
In a workplace where resources are limited, individuals often find themselves presented with an opportunity to carry out a personal agenda at the expense of their colleagues.
This can also take the form of influencing others not to hire strong candidates in order to prevent one's own status and authority from being diminished by a high achiever.
Office politics is a major issue in business because the individuals who manipulate their working relationships consume time and resources for their own gain at the expense of the team or company.
In addition to this problem, the practice of office politics can have an even more serious effect on major business processes such as strategy formation, budget setting, performance management, and leadership.
Building strong alliances will maximize the efficiency of the collective political radar and alert you before conflicts arise.