Impact of office politics on strategy formulation, execution, and recommended governance in the Arab world

Abstract

Office politics has been a pervasive issue in the corporate sector across the globe. This issue signifies a high concern for business managers and entrepreneurs working hard to improve the work processes and team-building activities. Political individuals are identified by researchers for a vulgar display of power and control dynamics to create alliances that foster their growth in organizations. Despite being considered a harmful and controversial practice by many scholars, office politics requires more research to cover its benefits for business organizations. This study is conducted to uncover the dynamics of office politics for business organizations by looking at the case in the Arab world. This study argues that organizational politics significantly impacts strategy formulation, execution, and organizational governance in Arab countries. The critical analysis of secondary sources shows that office politics impacts the decision-making of leaders. In several industries in the Arab world, it contributes to workers’ dissatisfaction. However, the study also suggests using office politics for positive purposes to improve decisions regarding employees’ well-being and cultural improvement. Hence, managers must learn more about the negative impacts of office politics on policy and governance and improve their decision-making by using politics as a tool for growth and innovation. This study answers these critical questions related to office politics to cover the research gap and how it can destroy and improve organizations.