Hi Ram,
There is nothing called 'overcoming office politics.' All that matters is how you survive with the least emotional disturbances owing to incidences in the office. Few things about politics (I guess that's what you mean) are:
1. There is never always someone superior and another inferior in politics. This is like a tide where for a few moments the tide is up, and it goes down again. Hence the best way is to see 'how you can always put yourself on top of the tide.'
2. A smart chap would figure out, 'presently the power is with whom and how to get associated positively with them.' Though it is easy to say 'Hard & Sincere Work would lead you up,' the best approach is to figure out 'how hard and how smart you may need to work.'
3. Mostly people who complain about politics would be 'those who tend to work hard, have lots of ideas, and think they can do better than the rest - I call them the "SHAKERS." But they don't get that opportunity because of an existing organizational culture that is too old to shake or they try to shake it too fast. The only solution for this is to go with the wind, note down how things would be if you had been given the power, but never raise it. It is like complaining to a grandma about not being able to use a fork to eat when you can - but the truth is whether she used a fork or not, she has experience in eating at least 40 years more than you.
4. Lastly, for the next 2-3 months, draw a line for yourself stating that you only do what you're asked to do, and you try to spend more time with people whom you don't like (this is tough). But 2-3 months of life like this would put you on the tide-top for a long time.