Is office politics an Indian phenomenon or does it also happen in abroad?
So basically the title. By abroad here I mean western countries such as UK, USA, Europe, Canada and also includes Australia. If office politics is an Indian phenomenon then why is it so and how we can make Indian corporate setup healthy?
Bro we just saw a coup happen in OpenAi last month. Office politics happens everywhere.
Happens everywhere. Human phenomenon
Have you been to the countries that I mentioned?
Have lived and worked in the US, and have visited the UK, Canada, Australia and most of western Europe. Can't speak too much about Europe or Australia but office politics is rampant in high status, competitive industries in the US and the UK
Happens in the US too in my experiences. But I felt it was less intense in the US than in India. I think it would probably be present in some intensity everywhere since politics is mainly driven by human nature and psychology. This also makes it very difficult to get rid of it.
We might be able to get rid of office politics by doing what we did to get rid of other things driven by human nature - make it socially unacceptable. If people participating in office politics become looked down upon and even reprimanded, there would be fewer incentives to participate.
So do you know the reason why office politics is more intense in India as compared to western counterparts?
Have worked in geographically distributed companies for more than a decade. Petty politics is seen primarily in India. But, politics is extremely high when you've NRI bosses based out of US. There's a lot of distrust. Not much seen in European offices. They're very straightforward.
What's the thing with NRI bosses? Also why politics in India is more intense as compared to European counterparts?
Because they don't fight for survival like we do, our generations are still trying to escape poverty while they have had relatively comfy lives.
I work with a global team across multiple markets and have lived & worked in North America. Office politics is a global phenomenon 😅
Was it more or less intense as compared to India?
It was not on-your-face; like a “meethi churi”. Coworkers bitching about other behind their backs and being super sweet during direct conversations.
A lot of folks would take offence very easily and you had to think thrice before speaking.