I've worked in different types of places, from restaurants to management consultancy's, there are politics everywhere. I actually liked the management consultancy I worked for, I suppose the organization is sort of Ne-Te-Fi-ish in their philosophy and their methods, but of course, on the inside, there were hidden rules and a bit of politics going on. They were actually aware of these things and trying to figure out what to do about it and put it into action. Well it was nice that the office was less than 20 persons in size, so it's easy to connect on a personal level.
The kitchen I work in now actually changes chefs/cooks on a very frequent base - but the main reason is more of a cultural thing. The owners are non-natives, they usually get some personnel from their home country, who stay a couple of months and then go back. Nonetheless, there's plenty of politics.
I wasn't born to become a cook, me thinks, but I survive, also knowing that I took this job as a temporary thing. I perceive cultural differences and (thus intercultural) political things easily, to which I adapt in a fashion that I think is the best thing for the restaurant as a whole. We recently got a new cook and two of my co-workers disliked him rather instantly. So in the first two weeks, I've tried socializing with him a bit, and I must say I will probably not become great friends with this guy, but I can really appreciate him as a co-worker.
I suppose there's a lot of stuff happening in the restaurant and in the kitchen that I find difficult to accept as a sort of idealistic individual with ideas and dreams of 'how things should be', so every now and then I voice my opinions, but I reason mostly for what is the best thing for the interests of the restaurant as a whole, and these aren't necessarily opinions I share. If I need something or if there's something that needs to be addressed, I 'notify' the powers that be (the owners, who also work in the kitchen and in the service), in a 'language' they understand, if you know what I mean?