I have received a testimonial on friendster from my office mate turned friend, telling that we are now both out of the company we had been employed before because we got tired of the system...hmmm...Well, that's true somehow, though I loved my work during that time no matter how pressured I was with the load of work. Politics at work is the toughest of all areas within corporate life. And the larger the company, the more part of politics affect your ability to perform. It gets into your nerves until you could no longer focus on your work thus your performance suffers immensely. I worked at one of the largest company here in the Philippines. It was ok at first. I love the position, the work and the experience it's giving me. But I guess when people have been in the company for too long and still on the same level, they just can't help but show the new ones that they have the power being the senior and all. Power grabbers lurked everywhere and finding a real friend at work is very hard. You want to feel belong but some employees will make you feel outcast. Even the minutest error will be magnified and noted for the rest of your stay. I found it hard to confide my grievances or even negotiate for a more comfortable stand point because of fear that others will make a fuss out of it or that they might see it as my downfall, their advantage over me. But as I researched about corporate politics, I have learned that there are healthy ways to attain power without overplaying it. One strategy is "involving others." Here, your goals are interdependent (to reach yours is to contribute to the ability of others to reach theirs and vice versa). You rely on the on-going commitment and judgment of the other person. This, for me, is the most discreet way of gaining power without foul play. In this strategy both parties have information or expertise the other party needs. Or, both parties trust and respect each other. You act as the leader thus gaining power little by little until such time when you finally gain the respect and trust of your co-employees. However, to achieve this you must be dexterous, must have the edge, the x-factor over your co-employees and knows how to play and show it without the domineering air. However, this is not always the picture in most companies. Crab mentality gets on the way and as it is, it is even more difficult for an employee to build professional network inside. And if you are thinking of building a professional network inside to gain corporate power, here are some questions you can ponder upon to see how strong your internal network already is: 1. Who do you have power over? 2. What type of power do you hold over them (for each of the above people, identify the type(s) of power you have over them): 3. Who can you influence? 4. What kinds of influence can you exert? 5. What types of persuasion or motivation do you use? 6. Why do you have this influence power with these people (history of relationship)? 7. Have you moved around in your company? 8. For each position/job title you've held in the company (or parent, subsidiary or division), list: your job title, department, superiors, subordinates, peer colleagues. 9. How have you maintained your relationships with each of these people? 10. How would your describe your relationship previously? 11. How would your describe your relationship currently? And if, you still find your work place hostile then I suggest, you just need to find another company.