Dear Office-Politics: It’s a Game and a Book.

“Everyone loves the book and they are all ‘Playing the Game’.”

John T. Scott, Corporate Director, Training, Emerson

“Excellent! A wonderful tool to bring sensitive issues out…”

Shannon Warren, Founder, Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium

Play it with coworkers and friends. Or just read the dilemmas and the adviser’s answers. The game was invented by author and site founder, Franke James. Dear Office-Politics features replies by Office Politics Advisers: Erika Andersen, Rick Brandon, Ph.D., Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D., John A. Challenger, Jennifer Glueck Bezoza, Franke James, Timothy Johnson, and Marty Seldman, Ph.D.

Game book structure & sample interior layouts

The book is divided into three parts. I. The Game Rules. II. The Dilemmas. III. The Answers.

Pages VI, VII: Title page

Pages 4 & 5: Dear Office-Politics Game rules and Evaluation Grid
(A quadrant of ethical questions help players  decide whether the advice is ethical, savvy and doable.)

Pages 6 & 7: The Dilemmas

Pages 8 & 9: How do I put an “office princess” in her place?

Pages 10 & 11: The new guy I hired is hated

Pages 14 & 15: No longer the star in my boss’s eyes

Pages 16 & 17: How do I get my loudmouth coworkers to be quiet?

Pages 22 & 23: Gasping for air

Pages 24 & 25: The office crab criticizes everyone

Pages 26 & 27: Stressed by coworkers’ personalities

Pages 80 & 81: The Answers
(There are many answers for any dilemma.
The players can read the “official answers” or ignore them.)

Pages 82 & 83: Replies by Office-Politics Advisers

Pages 104 & 105: Replies by Office-Politics Advisers

About the Author
Franke James is the inventor of the Dear Office-Politics Game and Editor & Founder of Office-Politics.com. Franke is an author, artist and speaker on social change and the environment. She is the author of Bothered By My Green Conscience, an illustrated autobiography of her journey to go green. Franke is co-founder of The James Gang Art & Design and Nerdheaven Ltd., with over 20 years experience as a creative design and marketing professional. She has a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Victoria, and a BFA from Mount Allison University.


Benefits of the Dear Office-Politics Game

Team Building:
Dear Office-Politics builds trust through better understanding.

Enhancing Communication:
Dear Office-Politics gets people telling stories.

Exercises Ethical Muscles:
Dear Office-Politics lets people exercise their ethical muscles by role-playing ethical decisions.

Appreciating Roles:
Dear Office-Politics gets people talking about roles and responsibilities.

Raise Awareness:
Dear Office-Politics raises awareness of the other person’s feelings.

Understanding Culture and Fit:
Dear Office-Politics gets people thinking about culture and the importance of fitting in.

What people are saying about “Dear Office-Politics”

“Excellent!”

“In December, 2009, the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium featured games from the Dear Office-Politics book in presentations to audiences totaling nearly 450 attendees. We used two of the scenarios to facilitate group discussions and they certainly provided some thought-provoking opportunities. This book is a wonderful tool to use in bringing sensitive issues out into the open in a non-threatening way that results in constructive processing. I highly recommend it!

I have personally enjoyed the book and especially love the graphics! This was one of our most successful programs and the feedback from participants has been terrific!” Shannon Warren, Founder, Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium

If I Were In HR, Here’s What I Would Do…

“If you’ve ever read “Dear Office Politics” and thought “I would have handled that differently” this book is a chance to put in your two-cents worth without risking your year-end bonus. The front cover (surrounded by sharks) and the back cover (back stabber) are just a sample of the fun and funny photos and illustrations inside. I enjoyed thumbing through the book even before I played the game. Then I played it with a group of friends, some of whom have and some have not worked in the corporate environment. It was a revelation to all of us! (Full disclosure, I have never worked for a corporation and this book was proof positive that I made the right decision. I would have been fired the first week.) Franke James is a very talented woman. Love her original artwork!” The Sensible Shopper (Las Vegas)

A seriously fun way to make the workplace “thriveable” instead of barely survivable!

“The workplace, more than anything, is a collection of interactions between people, and people who likely have only partial choice in who surrounds them and who they must depend upon. With our inevitable differences, getting along, let alone thriving, is hardly guaranteed.

If there are more than two people in a room, politics is in play. Best we embrace the fact of office politics, and get good at it. Ignoring it won’t make it go away, and being clumsy, coarse and aggressive with it only makes the workplace unbearable. Why not get better at office politics through something both playful and serious?

“Dear Office-Politics” is a social game that puts participants in the position of adviser. By attempting to answer ostensibly hypothetical but realistic dilemmas, players explore their own biases and assumptions, as well as those of other players (their coworkers).

The dilemmas included in the book are very good choices: often recognizable but never trivial. The advice that “Dear Office-Politics” offers to each dilemma (don’t peek in the second part of the book or you’ll spoil the game!) is thoughtful and balanced, reflecting that real-life, even at work, can’t be lived by formula.

I think “Dear Office Politics” is an illuminating and entertaining way to explore how your team functions at work, how they can work better together.” Trevor Rotzien

Great for companies of any size

“We all do it. Some abstain and think that they don’t do it, but in reality they have a different role in it.

What is it? Office Politics…

This book/game is a fresh idea and a great tool for anyone in the working world to add to their workforce toolkit. Anyone at a supervisory level should use this to sharpen their skills in dealing with day to day people interaction issues.

This game has excellent content drawn from real-life letters… The political and ethical dilemmas (and the expert’s advice) within the game span all types imaginable, from Dealing with the Office Princess to Co-Worker is Hogging Information to My Sister is making my work life miserable.

Odds are that if you’ve dealt with it in real life – or know someone who has – it’s between the covers of this slick publication. I’ve worked for international organizations and for tiny companies and can tell you first-hand that this is one place where size does not matter. Companies of any size will find this useful.

Gather up a group of co-workers and follow the easy-to-understand rules listed early on in the book, and prepare yourselves for some stimulating discussion. Vince d’Eon

Past praise for the original Office-Politics® Game

Feedback on the Office-Politics® Game:

“The presentation went really well! The audience (55 academics) loved the scenarios + had quite a bit to say. What a discussion we had! It was fabulous! We ran a half hour over and they asked to keep going!…  Thank you so much!” Caryl Stern, Chief Operating Officer, UNICEF

“It was ideal, and I am so pleased I discovered you.”Dana M. Smith, SPHR, VP of Human Resources

“The Office-Politics® Game served as a excellent addition to my presentation. At the close of my talk, participants were separated into groups to play a variation of your game. Each group engaged in discussing 7 or 8 scenarios and, at the conclusion, they were asking for more cards and did not want to leave. It was ideal, and I am so pleased I discovered you.” Dana M. Smith, SPHR, VP of Human Resources, CapitalSource Inc. (NYSE: CSE)

“The Office-Politics® Game was a great hit at our Networking Event.” Rebecca Sinton, APESMA

“Thank you so much for developing this – it was a great hit at our Networking Event last night. We will definitely be using it again for various events, as we can envision using it for Office Politics seminars and future Networking Events.” Rebecca Sinton, APESMA

“Fascinating. Raised player awareness!” Rodger Nevill Harding, Executive Career Coach and Author

“Office–Politics is relevant and fun for anyone who has ever worked in an office. The fast moving, cause and effect strategy base quickly reveals what lies behind unconscious knee-jerk decisions and behaviour. Seeing and understanding what makes different people do different things is fascinating. I was so impressed I used the game in several team and leadership workshops. The effect was dramatic as it not only raised player awareness as to the impact of their decisions in the workplace, but also provided a revealing look in the moral/ethical mirror.” Rodger Nevill Harding, Executive Career Coach, Author of “Corporate Intelligence Awareness: Securing the Competitive Edge”

“Excellent way for employees to laugh and get to know each other better!” C. O’Leary, U.S. Army Military

“The Office-Politics Game is great. All our employees (22) had a great time playing. It was a wonderful way to get people to think about office politics and how it affects them. We played at a company in-service, after a speech on conflict resolution, and how to get along with your co-workers. The game was an excellent way for the employees to laugh and get to know each other better.” C. O’Leary, U.S. Army Military

“Wonderful! What a hoot!”M.P., Law Firm, New York State, USA

“Wonderful. What a hoot! You really covered all the topics. The game has been a hit. We’ve passed it all over the office. It’s really helped us to understand and appreciate the difference in perception between the employees and the employers. We also took it home and played it with friends. We had tears running down our faces we were laughing so hard… It’s a fantastic game.” M.P., Law Firm, New York State, USA

“We were all rolling around laughing!”V.Q., Media company, N.Y., N.Y., USA

“The Office-Politics Game was interesting to say the least! We were all rolling around laughing! In the process we got to know each other on another level, personalities really came out of the woods! It was loads of fun!!!” V.Q., Media company, N.Y., N.Y., USA

“All of the dilemmas were a hit!” D.Y., Georgia, USA, Software Company

“Everyone enjoyed the Office-Politics Game… I used my wife and in-laws to do a trial run the night before to learn how to play the game prior to playing it with my [office] team. We broke up into groups of 4-5 and took turns. The game was entertaining… it was interesting to get some insight into how others would react. I think all of the dilemmas were a hit.” D.Y., Georgia, USA, Software Company

“Revealing and entertaining!”Executive In-house Trainer, Multinational Hardware Retailer

“The Office-Politics Game encouraged us to reveal personal stories about office politics. It was entertaining. There is a possibility for a facilitator to ask questions that lead to learning. I thought the dilemma about the Boss bullying other team members, and whether you’d tell HR, was great.” Executive In-house Trainer, Multinational Hardware Retailer

“A great game with wonderful talking points!”IA, New Jersey, USA, Travel Agent

“The game of Office Politics was played in the office with 7 individuals. The amazing thing to most of them was the person everyone hated was the one who was definitely on her way to success. She was talking to all the right people in the organization… She didn’t mind kissing — or sucking up… it builds character!! It’s a great game to play with wonderful talking points. We’ve enjoyed it. Thanks.” IA, New Jersey, USA, Travel Agent

“A perfect concept for these times”Paul Toyne, Inventor of Balderdash

“Everytime you open the newspaper, you are whacked over the head with office politics. It’s such a perfect concept for these times.” Paul Toyne, Inventor of Balderdash

Dear Office-Politics and The Office-Politics® Game were invented by Franke James, MFA
Office-Politics® is a registered trademark of Nerdheaven Ltd.
© 2000-2009, Nerdheaven Ltd. All rights reserved.