Working in a multinational — or even the local office of a foreign company — means evolving in a multicultural, fast-paced and highly competitive arena. Learn the official rules and you immediately hit the informal ones : political blind spots, alliance networks, the tyranny of time zones… Do you really need to become a corridor-strategy wizard to survive, or can you remain the diligent, straight-talking colleague ?
In this article :
- Game rules vs. game strategy
- A practical tool : mapping your ecosystem
- The coffee break : waste of time or influence lever ?
- Can you stay authentic and strategic ?
1. Game rules versus game strategy
Think poker : rules are the same for everyone, yet some players calculate odds while others trust luck. Fairness does not mean identical tactics.
| Mode | Mindset |
|---|---|
| « Good student » | Deliver impeccably, never look behind the curtain. |
| « Chess player » | Anticipate alliances, budget timings, visibility with decision makers. |
The real question : where do you set the cursor between political awareness and personal integrity ?
2. A practical method : mapping your ecosystem
Inspired by systemic coaching, this mini-exercise helps you “see the board”.
- Draw yourself in the centre of a sheet.
- Add key people around : N+1, N+2, peers, team, partners, HQ contacts.
- For each, jot down
- their operational priorities
- their career ambitions
- Connect actors : dependency, influence, rivalry, cooperation…
- Analyse :
- who truly decides ?
- who can champion your idea ?
- which unspoken constraint weighs on your project ?
The aim isn’t manipulation but avoiding naïveté and information tunnels.
3. The coffee break : waste of time or influence lever ?
Many Asian expats — me at the very beginning — find it puzzling to see French colleagues “go for coffee” three times a day. Yet around the espresso machine :
- Interpersonal trust is built.
- Tacit information circulates.
- Micro-deals smooth projects.
Consider coffee time as an informal meeting paid by the company whose goal is to feed social capital. No fake posture : ask questions, listen, offer constructive feedback. Softest way to “steer the wind” instead of enduring it.
4. Can you stay authentic and strategic ?
- Strategy ≠ manipulation Choosing when, to whom, how to present your ideas to maximise impact, without betraying values.
- Ethics is managed like a budget Set your red lines. Knowing others’ lines (thanks to the map) helps avoid collisions.
Key take-aways
- The rules are common; tactics are your responsibility.
- Mapping actors reveals real power relationships.
- Informal spaces are influence zones.
- Integrity and reading the unspoken are not mutually exclusive.
Ready to practise ? If you want personalised support to develop political intelligence without losing authenticity, let’s talk :