From Factions to Meritocracy: How to Empower Those Who Don’t Play Games at Work

Your employees can either belong to a faction or work as independents. How can you mitigate the harm factions inflict on your output, culture, churn, pocket, and… even your sleep?

The Challenge

Top management often lacks the social intelligence necessary to retain their best performers - those who refuse to dance to the unspoken rules of the game.

Two Approaches to Wheelin’ and Dealin’

Employees can be categorized into two types: those who belong to factions and those who are independent.

Factions

Factions?are groups that ‘stick together’ and ‘have each other’s back.’ There can be many factions, but there is always at least one.

Factions are not about merit. Their motto is ‘I give you, you give me.’

There’s a clear understanding — whether verbalized, insinuated, or unspoken — that help is conditional upon a favor being returned. Factions often engage in power struggles for perks, promotions, and influence, actively seeking to ‘recruit’ the ‘undecided’ – those who unreservedly give. This recruiting can involve both carrots and sticks. The more ‘stick’ dominates, the less patience they have with the undecided. Eventually, factions may frustrate the undecided into quitting, especially those repulsed by all of the above.

The ‘Undecided Independents’

The ‘undecided independents’ are principled professionals repulsed by power or promotion that comes with a cringe.

Even the notional idea of power may antagonize them on its own. They are solely interested in honing their skills and delivering results. Their decisions and actions are purely merit-based. They firmly but naively believe their contributions should be the only factor of success. They feel hurt and disappointed when they see that most play the game instead of aiming for shared goals. This frustration can lead them to contemplate quitting, and many ultimately do. Being part of a faction is unacceptable to them because they rightly think that the ‘exclusive club’ is steering the team away from company objectives. Those who don’t grasp the unspoken rules often lack an ally in their manager – who may even be a faction leader – and have no idea how to forge alliances.

Unfortunately, these individuals often end up burned or burned out.

The Solution

So, what can you do as a founder or senior manager to sleep better at night?

1.??? Identify Your Stars: First, pinpoint your most valuable employees — those who have the choice but choose not to be part of a faction!

2.??? Public Recognition: Widely acknowledge their contributions. If necessary, downplay the importance of sales. Make sure their names are celebrated everywhere.

3.??? Give Access to Top: Ensure there are no barriers or consequences when they choose to go above their manager.

This mitigates the repercussions of poor choices you almost certainly made when selecting middle management. It enhances transparency, strengthens the influence and impact of those ‘foolish’ merit-basers, and diminishes the power of factions.

Conclusion

Implement a system that safeguards those who believe only results should count. Conduct 360-degree reviews for these stars and their supervisors. Connect them directly to top management. And right NOW…please take a moment to

Jot down the names of your top talent and immediately reach out to ask what they need. (You may prevent looming turnover.)

Take these steps to foster a culture of meritocracy and de-escalate the faction game!

Tired of losing to office politics? Send me an email at [email protected].

About the Author

Gordan Dzadzic, the coach who’ll guide your ambitious mindset from emotional imbalance to strategic focus and success. With a top-to-bottom resume and transformative expertise (like REBT, NLP, TA, and more), he'll shatter your self-sabotages and refine your influence and impact. No babysitting, just results-driven personal and professional leadership development. Contact him for a free consultation. ?2024 Gordan Dzadzic, Coach and Management Consultant, All Rights Reserved

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