If you are building a work team – think about this:

‘Work groups that have too many star employees can curtail a company’s effectiveness. Managers should curb their desire to hire numerous high-status employees; in so doing, they will help ensure greater collaboration and fewer ego-driven conflicts among team members.’  This is according to

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth: How High Status Individuals Decrease Group Effectiveness (read the full article here)
Authors: Boris Groysberg, Jeffrey T. Polzer, and Hillary Anger Elfenbein
Publication:  Organization Science (forthcoming)

I wonder how this will impact the HEAT basketball team which is replete with high-status, extremely well paid, mavericks.

It is clearly in evidence when looking at escalating bullying type behaviors. The more threatened leaders feel the more abrasive and aggressive they become-competition is in the blood and in the brain. How do you calm down your ‘super-stars’?

I agree with the Workplace Bullying Institute that mediation is not a tool that works well, if at all, in bullying type of problems. Why? Because there is either an implicit or explicit power differential. That is either the aggressor is using emotional abuse or structural power to overtake the target. Those conditions don’t disappear when a mediator arrives. Mediation implies that both parties are wrong and there is something to settle between the two parties. But workplace aggression isn’t about misunderstandings or mutual blame or settling a financial dispute. Workplace aggression is a complex combination of psychological factors, structural conditions, and power differences. A good executive coach who is skilled at handling aggression among people can sort through the circumstances and offer solutions. Be sure the coach is sophisticated enough to make referrals for psychological counseling, where needed, is able to uncover the structural problems (corporate culture and mores, quality of supervision, degree of accountability on both performance and behavior, team functionality, etc.) and then propose strategies to fix them.

Workplace aggression is more than a simple mis-understanding, and more complicated than a simple power differential.

Here’s more info and insights into workplace conflict, aggression and bullying and whether or not mediation helps: Workplace Bullying Institute

Reading a list of standard bullying behavior can be a revelation for some people.  Far too often we become so accustomed to witnessing acts of incivility that we develop a blind eye to it.  This is especially true in the workplace.  Verbal insults, withholding of key information, and other blatant, aggressive and manipulative behaviors are sometimes considered standard practice, to the extent that, not only are they tolerated, but they are overlooked or dismissed entirely.  

But what do we do when our perceptions are telling us otherwise? You may recall the fairy tale about a Self-centered Emperor who cared only about his clothes.  Two con artists come along who promise to make him the finest suit of clothes woven from a fabric that is invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or “just hopelessly stupid”.  The Emperor buys into the idea, and even though he cannot see the cloth himself, he pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position or stupid; and his ministers do the same. When the suit is supposedly finished, the swindlers pretend to dress him and the Emperor then parades himself before his subjects. At first, everyone remains silent, but then a child in the crowd calls out that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes.  The entire crowd then bursts into an uproar as they all begin to claim their perceptions.

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Transforming a Dysfunctional Collection of Individuals Into a Functional Team
Any executive coach who addresses the issue of dysfunctional teams and workplace bullying will agree that competition is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, healthy competition is a great motivator; on the other hand it can digress into unhealthy and unproductive conflict. And, when conflict escalates as a result of abrasive intimidating or even bullying behavior, or stonewalling and gossip/back-stabbing, then any benefit that might have been gained by competition is lost.

However, many managers are loath to confront negative behavior for fear of creating more problems and delaying projects. This conflict avoidance is common but unhelpful. Soon the conflict is overriding productivity and failure is inevitable.

Here is a solution that indirectly addresses the conflict by putting the emphasis on the structure of the team by clarifying goals and holding everyone accountable.

Read the rest of the artcile…

Here’s an interesting blog on dealing with bullying behavior. What do you think about ‘killing with kindness’ as a strategy? I’ve found it works sometimes-particularly in a newer relationship with someone who is fearful and defensive. But with someone who uses bully tactics for specific ends (profit, power, getting the sale), then it doesn’t help. You can’t exactly invite your competitor to stop competing! Well you can, but to what end?

Enjoy this one: http://scirecruitment.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/kill-a-workplace-bully-with-kindness/

Here’s a good article on handling verbal conflicts using ‘rational detachment’. You know my perspective on handling verbal conflicts-empathy, observation, and recognizing that the ‘other’ person has a different perspective on a situation. And you know I recommend asking QUESTIONS before defending yourself. In this article you can pick up a few more tips on detaching from conflict. It’s worth a click: Prevention Prospectives.

Every day I read horror stories about bully bosses who fire their victims. Apparently it isn’t enough to bully them, sometimes they have to get the target out of the office before they’re satisfied. If this has happened to you then here are 9 help-yourself ideas: 

1. Be kind to yourself. Workplace bullying is a terrible situation that no one should have to suffer.

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Visit this article http://www.bytestart.co.uk/content/legal/people/bullying-at-work.shtml for bully defense advise from a legal perspective. While some of the advise is important to establish patterns of bullying, be cautious about writing letters to bullies without the backing of the administration. 

Here’s a quip from the article that I do favor-waiting out the storm: If you are being shouted at by your boss my advice is to wait until the storm has passed, repeat your concerns back to him/her and be specific about how to fix things. Distill the issues discussed in the outbreak. Your boss will expect you to be defensive or to break down, but instead make sure you communicate that you’re a supportive employee and you’re on his/her team.

This issue came up during a confidence coaching session. Several employees went to their supervisor to report a problem with another employee (Jim). It seems he had been rude to a client (as reported by the client) AND he forgot to do a very important piece of his job – so important that the consequences could be lethal. Fortunately the only consequence in this case is Jim’s on the hot seat. Exactly what upset the employees?

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I love the Internet. Every day there are articles on bullying and bullies, educating us to see the signs of bullying and providing tips on what to do to help ourselves. But most of the signs and tips are generic. Things like ‘pressuring’, ‘isolation’ or ‘shouting’, ‘persistent criticism’, and ‘flaring tempers’ seem to be examples of bullying*. But many of these behaviors can be found in situations without any bullying accusations. Sometimes these behaviors are ‘let’s get-the-job done’ leadership behaviors or ‘I’m totally frustrated’ human behaviors. Ambiguous definitions and explanations of bullying lead to problems. For example:              

If bullying is defined broadly, targets fail to see a serious situation as bullying and fail to act early on their own behalf. 

If bullying definitions are too generic, there is a dearth of public support for targets. 

If bullying is not a big deal then unhelpful suggestions like: ‘managing up’, and deep breathing, or, (once I saw this) ‘lavender oil’, seems to be reasonable solutions.  

If bullying is just good leadership/power/get the job done behavior, then people have license to bully because it makes them good leaders (witness the recent comments on Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s defenders noting he should be a bully because that’s what leaders need to do). 

If bullying is just ‘I lost my temper’, then we cannot create guidelines for what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior. We need clarity. 

Bullying is life damaging, career destroying, and confidence killing behavior. Bullying is persistent, pervasive, and gut wrenching. It might be as wide-spread as 30% of the working population. It impacts both men and women; is perpetrated by both men and women and is not confined to certain workplaces or pay grades or educational status. It is everywhere. I know. I’ve been bullied.  I know, as an executive coach focusing on bullying and conflict issues, because my practice is replete with bully targets and bullies. I know because I have read over 10 years of research documenting, clarifying, and explaining the incidence and prevalence of bullying. Visit the Workplace Bully Institute http://www.workplacebullyinginstitute.com for a nice collection of research on this topic. The more you know, the more power you have. 

In the interests of separating simply bad behavior from bullying, I’ve labeled and defined seven unambiguous signs bullying behaviors.  

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