Politics, exists in work places and in companies? Can it be worked to our advantage or can everybody just play fair and work with the system?

Politics - never good in work places.
Systems themselves can need updating, improving or discarding altogether.
The 'systems' divide sections of the workforce and there is always one area of the workforce who are marginalised or discriminated against to some degree because of 'the system' and workplace politics.
People do work 'politics and systems' to their advantage - sometimes this is all they have to work with when they need to get out of negative situations into positive ones.
Unfortunately, there are also those people who take advantage of the 'politics and systems' and use them to oppress others in the workplace.
It would be a rare and unique work place for everyone to 'just play fair and work with the system'.
The key is always to rise above work place politics: - Be professional at all times.
- Treat others as you would want to be treated - even if they have wronged you.
This is difficult but you can do it.
- Be conscious of your own behaviour.
Know your own strengths and weaknesses.
- Leave work at work - focus on other areas of your life.
- Do your job well.
Be happiness within yourself that you done a good job.
- See the bigger picture - Ask yourself, DO YOU LIVE TO WORK OR WORK TO LIVE?

Politics is always there in our work places and you can't remove this type of thinking so the best thing to do is just go with the flow, play fair with it but have your own limits not to go beyond.

Yes I can

work place politics its a very bad for professional life even normal life, if you are a competant so do not need to play politics in work place.
this role will palys only those incompetant employees who can only get hte promotion by back bitting of an another employee with his boss.
in my openion dont need to hurt anyone in your professional life.

Politics do exist in work places and in companies to a certainly level.
When politics is seen within the work place & in companies that doesn’t do any good for the employees or to the employer for that matter.
 Coming to the employees point of view the various factors such as “ego, coworker backstabbing, cronyism, gaming the whole business system, nepotism, one-upmanship, psychological manipulation, workplace bullying & etc.” can be seen, due to which the morale of an employee’s goes down.
Taking employer’s point of view politics will only dampen the company’s image in the business market.
As it would lose the morale of employees within the organization, it can lose its strong customer base as the customer might have lost faith in the company due to its business doings and etc.
  And yes everybody can play fair and work with the system provided the company ensures that there is a transparency in all its whole business operations.
The main reason behind this is it will improve and boost the morale of the employees working in the organization to a greater level and there is high possibility of developing a great work ethics among the employees as they develop a sense of  belongingness towards the organization.

if you are a skilled polititian you will have followers,if you do you will be popular.

you will climb the corporate ladder faster.

will get promoted more offen.

and you will succeed given you play fair