It's more than just a game

Like it or not, people play games at work - and they are rarely pretty. Regardless of whether your colleagues are driven by the need to run ahead of the pack, nail a promotion or win funding for their pet projects, they have, are and will be tempted to engage in sneaky strategies.

No matter the size, scope or nature of any organisational environment, people are only too happy to apply various levels of ruthlessness to achieving their aims, either consciously or unconsciously.

If the thought of dealing with the machinations of the office Machiavelli or simply surviving the daily natter around the water-cooler unscathed leaves you turning hot and cold, you may want to lay your hands on a copy of Games At Work. This work by Mauricio Goldstein and Philip Read shines a light on how we can all reduce office politics in our working lives.

The founder of the Pulsus Consulting Group, Goldstein is an innovator in the field of catalysing organisational transformation and boasts Fortune 500 companies, such as Nestle, PepsiCo and AstraZeneca, on his client list. Read is a human resources whiz who has garnered prestigious awards for his work in Europe and Asia.

The authors recognise that it is in our nature to play games when we are in groups, when stress and anxiety exists and when prizes such as promotions, contacts or favours from on high are to be won.

'Although some cultures promote games more than others, just about every company possesses a game ecology - a pattern of games that form over time and thrive.' They say that office games distract people from achieving their mission. As such, they argue, they must be minimised.