Office Politics Archetypes

Office politics isn’t just about situations — it’s about people. The same characters appear across organisations, roles, and industries, repeating familiar patterns regardless of the company logo on the door.

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These office politics archetypes capture those recurring power players: the ones who survive every restructure, collect credit without contributing much, avoid blame effortlessly, and quietly shape outcomes behind the scenes.​

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve worked with the same colleague in three different companies, these archetypes will feel uncomfortably familiar.