The Ralph Stacey's agreement & certainty matrix can be a good tool.
http://www.plexusinstitute.org/edgeware/archive/think/main_aides3.html

It state that politic can be usefull when issues or decisions are close to certainty and the people involved are far from Agreement.
Here politic can help to reach the agreement.
When issues or decisions are far to certainty politics is not useful and sometime can be harmful.

Hi
It is a great note.. I also feel i have been very productive in my work under a good leaders.
But I feel people are playing politics to survive or move up the ladder in many professions. Especially it affects people like myself who believe in professionalism.. What pains me more is when my leader falls to the traps of my peers who play politices...
So i feel a good leader would become a great leader by not playing politics but understand the politics in their team and recognize and reward the professional people would automatically kill the politics...

Thanks and Regards
Rajagopalan Trichy S. PMP
"A Small good deed is better than greatest Intention."

I think you cannot get to any "C" level job without a certain amount of political savvy. Politics does not HAVE to be a dirty word. Someone who can use their political influence in an organization can bring together disparate groups, work to create win-win situations and drive change in an organization. Without some degree of political savvy, it is very difficult to get things done.

Unfortunately, many politicians sacrifice their integrity in favor of their own personal gain. I have had leaders who were very good at "playing politics" to do the right thing, and I have worked for people who "played people" to get ahead themselves while sacrificing the good of the organization.

It is not politics or leadership, but politics and leadership and most of all INTEGRITY that are important...at least in my book.