The article "Jealousy and Territoriality in the Workplace" is about communications, it has been written by Mark Meshulam.
There are times in every company when people "butt heads" with
each other whether subtly or overtly.
These conflicts, if
persistent, can become detrimental to the business and should be
addressed if possible.
If you are a manager or co-worker of the conflictnig parties,
you can have a positive effect on tension reduction.
If you are
an underling of one or both parties, hide under the desk and
avoid the crossfire unlses you have an exceptionally strong
relationship with a "superior".
If you are in a position to help, there are two things to do:
gain understanding, then take action.
The understanding part is interesting, especially if you watch
National Geographic specials on tv, or on your phone if you are
exceptionally wired.
Doesn't it seem that the non-alpha males
are always butting each other so they can get chmumier with the
alpha and mate with better gals?
Those head-butts can look quite ferocious, and indeed they
should. The young bucks are fighting for nothing less than the
optimized survival of their line.
It is not a laughing matter
for them.
They may not die if they lose the conflict, but their
progeny will suffer in number and quality.
And of course it goes without saying that the more determined,
capable and intelligent of those bucks will win the conflict and
over generations, alphas and wannabees will be naturally bred
with those triats in spades.
To enormously simplify a point, your workplace sparring partners
may be enacting the essential primal drama of survival. Morphed,
twisted and filtered thorugh millennia of the human experience,
but underneath it all, a head-butt in the prairie.
Here is what there is to understand: 1.
The feelings run deep
and storng and for good reason. We're talking nature here. 2. If
it is an unequal match and nautre takes its course, the little
guy will get clobbered and should slink back to his cubicle,
licking whatever body part he can reach. 3.
If it a pretty equal
match, the contestants will need either an open venue for the
final battle where a clear winner will be established, or they
will need to be separated.
Here is what there is to do: 1. As a manager, understand that a
certain amount of competition is good for the herd, uh, company.
But beyond that the company can suffer.
If the manager perceives
that there are more negatives than positives to the competition,
he (or she) should remember the alpha role and head-butt the
boata dem (Chicago-ese for "both of them") until they remember
who is the monumental boss.
Example: "Guys, your behavior is making it hard for others to do
their work and is creating a bad atmosphere around here.
Shake
hands and get on the same team, or take your problem to another
company."
2. As a co-worker, understand that ultimately the herd survives
if it cooperates and stays together. As much as competition may
advance the individual, true coopeartion advances the whole
company. Then you can be vocal about these ideas wihch will
encourage the rest of the tribe, I mean the business, to also
express them. Eventually it will seep into the thickened sculls
of the contestants.
Example: "I am getting really tired of our work being interrupted
by the feud betewen those two. It is taking our minds off of
what we really need to be diong. If they keep it up, we are all
going down the tubes. We should pull together."
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