Relevance of the Jungle Strategy in the Corporate World

By Omogbemi Adelagun, Esq

Suffice to first issue the caveat that ‘one must not get too carried away by thinking that all it takes to survive the corporate world as a professional is to be a clever politician or a powerbroker’. Far from it. However, the corporate world has been described as a game of Snakes and Ladders where the smart ones get promotion or progress and those who cannot play the game are relegated to the sidelines. While being political or power clever may not all the time be the nucleus that holds the center, it is still very critical that every player in the corporate world must be politically savvy no matter how creditable he or she is in terms of talent or competence. This is simply because all organisations, big or small, have power centres and interests with differing agendas.

In addition, especially in large firms, there are multiple power centres and senior executives with agendas of their own who jockey for the available resources and promotions to them and their coteries. This, to a significant extent, determines the career progression of many who have to learn to play the power game if they are to reach the top. Indeed, the corporate jungle is a term used to describe how the internal dynamics of corporates work and how one must be on the right side of the power centres if one wants to get ahead. Perhaps some of the very subtle things they won’t teach anyone at Harvard. Therefore, aspiring professionals must learn to know how to play the corporate game and how to get ahead in the uber competitive corporate jungle. This is the reason why many business schools now have an informal learning experience that includes the real education of the management students even as they brush up their talents and learn to survive and prosper in their careers ahead.

While there is certainly some truth to the fact that MERIT or COMPETENCE is what matters and what more, in many organisations, it is the only thing, or by far, the most important thing that matters. On the other hand, however, even very leading corporates such as Google, Facebook, Infosys, and Microsoft are known to be political organisations where the survival trick or strategies for professionals depends as much on their ability as their skill in interpersonal relations and how they navigate the treacherous waters of the organisational oceans. Indeed, the ability to keep different factions in good humour and the skill in playing the corporate game matter a lot as far as getting ahead to senior positions in the corporate hierarchy is concerned. This is the reason why many Board Members and Senior Executives often have their own coteries and followers who literally follow them into and out of the company.

For instance, Vishal Sikka, the Ex CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Infosys had brought with them a large number of senior executives from SAP where he was working earlier. While many old hands in Infosys chafed at being sidelined after the exit of the Founders, there was precious little they could do about it. However, once Sikka left the company, there were many who followed suit. Next, Google’s Sundar Pitchai is often mentioned as someone who has the knack of playing the power game well. Indeed, most tech firms these days are filled with so many bright and talented professionals that when the push comes to shove and the senior positions are decided, more than ever, it is their ability to balance the factions that determines their promotions or otherwise. For those of you who are interested in knowing more on how the internal dynamics play out in corporates, Glassdoor is an excellent website that has reviews (often anonymously) from insiders about the corporate culture and the different power games going on there.

In case you are wondering whether getting ahead is all about power dynamics, be rest assured that many legends in the corporate world actively seek to ensure that their firms are as less political as possible. Indeed, even in Citibank where the politics matches those in the real world, there are attempts from time to time to ensure that the workplace culture is not vitiated too much by such power games. In evaluating some of the experiences of those working there, we found that large and unwieldy organisations often lead to power games being played and this is the reason why some firms such as Fidelity Incorporation have embarked on a mammoth reorganisation strategy so that all competing factions can be balanced out and then they can focus on why they are in business, and that is to do business.

Therefore, our intention here is not to scare those who feel that they lack the clever abilities to play politics. In stead, what we want to convey is that with talent and abilities, it is also necessary to have good interpersonal skills and the ability to get along with all, irrespective of differences, and the ability to keep calm and cool when faced with political games. it is human nature and the nature of groups that whenever there is a gathering of people, invariably, politics comes into play. Therefore, it is important to note that one must cultivate the art and the knack of dealing with people of different temperaments and not let personality clashes get the better of you. As research shows that employees tend to leave because of their bosses instead of the organisations, it is therefore important to understand the power dynamics at work and sharpen same as a survival trick. Surviving the corporate jungle can be tough, but, with a little experience, one can do that with some level of confidence.

In Fujitsu’s Laws of the Jungle – Lessons for Corporate Survival, the Explorer Benedict Allen, an acclaimed British explorer, broadcaster, author and public speaker who is best known for his dangerous and arduous expeditions to remote corners of the globe, tries to show his audience that the Jungle is not altogether a place of cruelty and unscrupulous selfishness as the Jungle is normally painted to us.  He asserted that there are many useful moralities in the strategy and politics of survival in the Jungle, which are as well applicable in the corporate game of power. He claims that survival is sometimes usually a collaborative effort”, meaning that political Machiavellians in the corporate world, no matter how clever, must have to also learn the moral imperatives of collaboration as very key to corporate survival if they have to sustain or hold as a corporate Prince of the Niger.

Applying Benedict Allen to the relevance of jungle strategy in the Corporate World, it simply means that mastering the power game in the Corporate World is not about being politically smart, clever or manipulative, but rather requires more of ability to relate respectfully and collaborate with relevant or critical stakeholders in the Organization. Concluding with Harold Laswell, the Political Scientist – ‘Corporate Politics can be understood as the unwritten rules that determine who gets what, when, and how — a promotion, a budget for a project, a say in the boss’s decisions — and who doesn’t’.

Therefore, playing the game, instead of complaining about it is the first rule, because fortunately, not all corporate politics are bad, and there’s a way to play the game without belittling or selling one’s soul i.e. one’s professional pride and dignity. Whether you are washing your hands off politics in high-minded purity or wringing your hands in disgust, just know that choosing not to play the political game at work is not only naïve, but also puts you at a big disadvantage. To paraphrase Plato, the risk of refusing to participate in politics or to succumb to the higher politics is that the big decisions that affect you wind up being made by those with less experience, less insight, and fewer honorable intentions. There is a way to use the unspoken rules to contribute to the greater good, advance your interests, and maintain your honor and dignity. Even the strategy of showing respect to your bosses and giving your best to your work may look apolitical, but in truth, it may end up being the most potent strategy to win the boss to your side, depending on the style of your usage and deployment.

Bio: Omogbemi Adelagun is a renowned Corporate Writer and Corporate Counsel in Nigeria