| Subject: Re: |
Author:
ZZ
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 20:03:04 09/13/06 Wed
In reply to:
Cyndy Jantos
's message, "A Guide to Surviving Workplace Backstabbers" on 05:18:46 05/19/06 Fri
>A Guide to Surviving Workplace Backstabbers
>
>By Marla Matzer
>Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate
>
>"They smile in your face, all the time they wanna take
>your place," the O'Jays once sang. Backstabbers--
>every office or workplace seems to have them. As a
>co-worker, what can you do about the? As a co-worker,
>what can you do about them? Total avoidance is often
>impractical, and just because you're not where they
>can see you doesn't mean you won't end up with a shiv
>between the shoulder blades. Its the nature of
>backstabbers, after all, to act when you're not around
>to defend yourself.
>
>Backstabbing takes many forms passing misinformation;
>withholding useful information; spreading damaging
>rumors. All have the same intent -- clearing a path
>for the stabber to claw his way to the top. Business
>books for those seeking win-at-any-cost tips even
>recommend some of these Machiavellian methods as ways
>to get ahead. Why? There is a widespread perception
>that such efforts will be rewarded by higher-ups. You
>combine scarce resources and weak people, and you get
>this reaction, said Karen Stephenson, a professor of
>management at UCLA's Anderson School. Added
>Stephenson, " It tends to happen in organizations with
>limited or no accountability, regardless of the size
>or type of company."
>
>Stephenson and a counterpart at USC's business school
>m=name academia -- despite its high minded reputation
>-- as a particular stronghold of politics and
>backstabbing. "Where there are fewer crumbs, you
>often get more fighting over them," said Laree Kiely,
>associate professor of clinical business at USC's
>Marshall School of Business. When dealing with a
>backstabber, your only options are groveling or
>open-trench warfare, right? Not necessarily. Firm but
>polite confrontation is better strategy if handled
>correctly, say some experts. Kiely cautions against
>getting sucked into the would-be backstabbers game by
>becoming too emotional.
>
>For example, Company X used a computer network that
>allowed workers to view others' works-in-progress, and
>also allowed employees to see who was viewing files in
>the shared system. Seeing that a potential rival was
>viewing one of her files one day, "Louise" stormed
>down the hall and confronted "Sally." "Can I help you
>Sally? Louise inquired, angrily and loudly. The
>confrontation had the immediate effect of making Sally
>stop viewing Louise's file. "I always recommend that
>people take the high road -- it takes tow to play this
>game" Kiely said. "Taking the high road pays off most
>of the time in the short run, and almost all of the
>time in the long run."
>
>A student of Kiely's once came to her and asked how to
>handle a situation where someone was clearly out to
>undermine him. The student had taken a leave from his
>job and his employer had brought in a temporary
>replacement who proceeded to bad-mouth him to all who
>would listen. Co-workers sympathetic to their
>erstwhile colleague told him what was happening, at
>which point he went to Kiely for advice. Kiely asked
>him if he had done anything to worry about. "When he
>told me no," I told him, "Just go back and let it ride
> About three months later, Kiely got a call from her
>former student. "He said: 'You were right. They fired
>that guy,'" Kiely recalled. Here are a few other tips
>for managing office politics:
>bullet Be a likeable person and a team player. Most
>people assume they are the good guy in any situation.
>But are you really making an effort to reach out to be
>friendly to others? Co-0workers you've been friendly
>to are likely to side with you and/or let you know if
>someone tries to undermine you.
>bullet Don't be naive. Being naive doesn't mean being
>a Pollyanna. If you put too much trust in someone who
>has a personal interest in tripping you up, you're
>partially to blame. Kiely and others recommend
>finding a mentor outside the company to reduce the
>likelihood that secrets will be repeated or used
>against you. Its often critical to have someone to
>ask for advice, but it can backfire if that person is
>too close to the situation.
>bullet Take the high road. As much as you may be
>tempted to fight fire with fire, don't. In most
>cases, it will only make you look worse. There is a
>common perception that fighting back works," Kiely
>said, "but people think mudslinging in political
>campaigns works too." In fact it makes both parties
>look bad.
>bullet If all else fails get out. This is a last
>resort, but sometimes it's the only solution. That
>can mean moving to a more entrepreneurial pursuit or
>finding the rare organization that has tackled
>politics head-on. Stephenson stressed that a healthy
>atmosphere is harder to maintain in a big corporation,
>but it's not impossible. A number of big companies do
>have internal "Bureaucracy buster" charged with
>creating a friendlier and more productive environment.
> That's not always enough, though. "Companies have
>CEOs and CFOs, [but] they ought to have a CBOs --chief
>bureaucracy officers, Stephenson said.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 