ABSTRACT
“This would be a great place to work if it weren’t for all the office politics!” It would be nice to have a nickel for every time someone makes that statement in workplaces across the world. Not only can office politics drive individuals to resign positions they once were happy to obtain, they impact the quality of products and services produced, the safety and well-being of employees and customers, and the profitability and longevity of business enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, and governmental agencies. Bowen family systems theory (1978) offers a useful way to think about office politics. Using systems thinking to understand politics in the workplace enables individuals to challenge the status quo of ingrained patterns of behavior in an organization.
