Across many organisations over the years, I have seen sincere people arrive with a simple intention: to do what is right for the business. They do not begin by thinking about alliances, influence or personal advantage. They focus on the work, speak honestly and make decisions based on what they believe will help the organisation.

In a healthy environment, these qualities usually become strengths. Their judgement is trusted precisely because it is not shaped by who is in the room or whose approval they are seeking. But in a deeply political culture, the same qualities can slowly become a disadvantage. The person who speaks honestly may be seen as difficult. The person who refuses to take sides may be treated as disloyal. Decisions that should rest on facts begin to depend on relationships, and conversations become less about what is right and more about who will support whom.

At first, a genuine person may try to remain above it. They continue doing the work, avoid unnecessary conflict and hope that consistent results will eventually speak for themselves. They may believe they can remain untouched by the environment around them. But over time, repeated exposure to certain behaviours begins to change what feels normal.

I have noticed three ways people tend to respond when politics becomes stronger than purpose.

Some leave. They realise the environment is beginning to challenge their ethics, their dignity or their peace of mind, and leaving is not always a sign of weakness. Sometimes it is the clearest way to protect the person they still want to be.

But leaving is not equally possible for everyone. For many expatriate employees in the Gulf, the decision can carry consequences well beyond the job itself, because employment may be connected to residency, medical cover and the stability of an entire family. People may also be carrying bank loans, rent, school fees and responsibilities towards relatives who depend on them. Leaving suddenly, without another opportunity, can create pressure that reaches far past the individual. That reality pushes people into survival mode.

So some adapt. They learn when to speak, when to remain silent and how to position themselves. They may not have entered the organisation this way, but survival gradually begins to shape their behaviour. What once felt uncomfortable becomes familiar, and survival gradually begins to influence judgement.

Others remain physically present but withdraw inwardly. They continue attending meetings and completing their responsibilities, but they stop contributing with the same conviction. They speak less, challenge less and protect themselves more. The organisation still has their presence, but it no longer has their belief.

None of these outcomes is good for the organisation. It loses the person who leaves. It changes the person who adapts. And it keeps only part of the person who quietly disengages.

This is why culture matters more than leaders sometimes realise. A political environment does not only create difficult meetings or strained relationships. It gradually changes what people believe is necessary to survive.

The signs are often visible, although they can be easy to overlook: loyalty to individuals begins to matter more than loyalty to the organisation, honest disagreement becomes unsafe, recognition depends more on relationships than contribution, and capable people gradually stop speaking as openly as they once did.

Some degree of politics will exist in most organisations, because people, ambition and influence will always exist. The danger begins when politics becomes stronger than purpose, and when pleasing the right person appears safer than doing the right thing.

A sincere person may resist such an environment for some time. But without fairness, support and visible integrity from the top, even strong people eventually face a difficult choice: leave, adapt or withdraw. An organisation should not assume that people of integrity will remain unchanged simply because they arrived with good intentions.

Culture either protects integrity or slowly wears it down.