It’s the number one cause of stress and its adverse effects cost the economy billions. Workplace politics has bad press, with the vast majority of people linking it to behaviour without integrity.

But, according to David Bancroft-Turner – managing director of the Academy for Political Intelligence, one of the UK’s leading authorities on organisational politics – it is possible for individuals to develop and apply a set of skills and behaviours that will counter the negative effects of workplace politics and create a positive work environment for the benefit of all concerned.

His Workplace Politics Pocketbook explains how this is done. He identifies the four main types of political ‘animal’ – the clever fox, the wise owl, the innocent sheep and the determined mule – describing their behaviour patterns and explaining how to develop the essential skills of political astuteness.

The book emphasises the importance of understanding how our beliefs about people and the organisation we work for affect the political climate. A reader questionnaire helps put this into perspective. In conclusion, Bancroft-Turner looks at the important questions when developing a political intelligence master plan.