If you happen to be a chimpanzee in Uganda, you may have participated in an experiment that is now being applied to the understanding of office politics. The chimps were given the task of pulling two ropes that were connected to a tray of food. Both got a fair share if they pulled at the same pace.

Over time, the chimps learnt to avoid alpha males, who pulled their ropes too soon instead of waiting for their partners. “Chimpanzees have been observed to share hard won meat with others in exchange for support in fights, and to receive food or sexual favours in exchange for grooming,” says an article in The Telegraph of the UK. “Altruistic behaviour can be used as an investment. It’s a business strategy.”

The technical term for this is reciprocal altruism. In lay language, it can be summed up as: “You scratch my back; I’ll scratch your back”. Says Mumbai-based HR consultant D. Singh: “This is the way office alliances start. But as you rise up the ladder, you have to watch your back.”

A recent study by academics at the University of New South Wales in Australia says that much of what happens in the office is the result of our tribal instincts. “The way male managers dress, their posture and how they exercise power are related to humans’ evolutionary biology. Prehistoric behaviours, such as male domination, protecting what is perceived as their ‘turf’ and ostracising those who do not agree with the group is more commonplace in everyday work situations than many of us care to accept... Managers, particularly male ones, play politics, fight turf wars, worry about appearances and constantly try to get the upper hand not because they are being petty Hitlers but because evolution has told them to act in this way.”

How do you make headway in this animal kingdom? Singh says that everyone has his own formula. But there cannot be any hard and fast rules because everything depends on the culture of the organisation.

“In several multinationals in which I have worked,” he says by way of example, “the CEO’s secretary was a dispenser of advice and wisdom. You will be successful if you work on her mother complex and get her to take you under her wing. In family-run Indian businesses, on the other hand, the CEO’s secretary is normally male. He is more loyal than the king. His main job is to act as gatekeeper for both information and access. Office politics in this environment may mean joining the boss’s club and losing to him regularly at tennis.”

But it doesn’t always work. Purely by accident, you might win one day.

Is it necessary at all to involve yourself in office politics? It depends entirely on your ambition. If you have no desire to climb the corporate ladder stepping on your rivals along the way, you can sit back and watch the fun. But you need to make some alliances. If you don’t, you will always be the fall guy, the victim everybody blames when something goes wrong.

“Study the theory,” advises Singh. “There are hundreds of books and websites on the subject. Decide your objective. Then and only then should you plan your strategy. Make allies, not friends. Be dispassionate in dumping those who have outlived their utility. And always keep in place a backside protection plan.”

If you are reasonably good at implementing these skills — and have the basic intelligence to start with — you should go places. “For such people, the journey is the thing,” concludes Singh. “At the end, when you ask yourself was it worth it, you will probably get an answer in the negative.”

THE SIX GOLDEN RULES

How to win the cubicle wars

Teamwork pays. Cultivating alliances allows you to call in favours when they are needed.

Be nice, and show it. Getting a round of drinks is worth more than it costs.

Sucking up can pay. The law of the jungle is that flattering the boss leads to rewards.

Be a good boss. Aggression and bullying may keep people in line, but can be disastrous for morale and output.

Kiss and make up. Strategies for repairing working relationships after conflict are vital.

Play fair. Don’t take undue credit for the work of others.

Source: The Telegraph, UK