Cliques can be corrosive
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First published in the Globe and Mail,
Friday, April 30, 2004
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MARY PEARSON
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Friendships form an important part of everyone's support system on the job. But when they evolve into cliques, they can be destructive both to individuals and to the workplace environment.
A clique turns problematic when it becomes rigid and its energies focus on exclusion rather than inclusion, ridicule rather than problem-solving, and when there isn't an established mechanism for openly discussing and resolving work issues and conflict.
In one mid-sized consulting firm, three of the administrative assistants were good friends, but they distanced themselves from the receptionist, who was a long-time employee and had a close professional relationship with the managing partner.They distrusted her because she took problems directly to the top, rather than discussing them with her peers. Eventually feelings became so intense that simple tasks, such as ordering supplies, resulted in all-out hostilities requiring the intervention of management. A consultant had to be called in to undertake some heavy-duty conflict resolution.
In another organization, the director of a medical research unit in a large university found that his staff had split into two rival cliques, with real tears and bitter e-mails flying back and forth. The director had been out of the office a fair bit and hadn't noticed a simmering power struggle between his secretary and his second-n-command. Both took refuge in their cliques and the hostilities grew until there was a serious deterioration in the functioning of the unit.
Anyone starting a new job should be aware that aligning oneself to a clique can take one of two courses: It can be either career-enhancing or career-limiting.
As with life, so it is in the office: It's not necessarily what you know but who you know that pays off.
If you throw your lot in with the perceived high-potential clique, your star may rise, while if you associate with the group that's out of favour with management, your good performance may go unnoticed. Choosing to be neutral may label you as a loner.
Having a few close colleagues one can trust and confide in can get us through the vagaries of work life, whether you're dealing with an unreasonable boss or a challenging workload. But cliques become destructive when they turn from groups of amicable colleagues into rival gangs engaged in bickering and sabotage.The result can be tribal behaviour that focuses on excluding others.
Such cases can resemble the schoolyard crises that result when some kids are left out of the "in" crowd.
Powerful feelings of rejection or mistrust provoke the wounded child in adults and incite petty behaviour normally displayed only in a nasty divorce.
Before you know it, there is a breakdown in the work group that seriously affects the group's ability to share information and work cohesively.
Managers may unwittingly foster competing cliques by ignoring conflicts, or by showing preference for one group over another.Or a new manager may import a clique by bringing in former co-workers, creating a "new guard" that will vie for influence over the "old guard" of longer-serving employees. Members of the "new guard" may see themselves as agents of change, and unless the manager works actively to incorporate the benefits of both groups, the "old guard" may feel unappreciated and alienated.
By the time cliques are polarized, it's virtually impossible for individuals to change allegiances. A movement away from the clique could be seen as betrayal.
So what can a manager do? Here are some possibilities to consider:
-Take action quickly if you see evidence of rival cliquishness. The problem won't go away by itself unless there are some changes in the players; even then, new employees can be drawn into old clans.
-Interview each staff member separately to get an understanding of the issue. Who are the ringleaders? Is there conflict? How are individuals dealing with the cliques? Is anyone feeling left out in the cold?
-Undertake team-building activities. They should focus on discussing, in a non-evaluative manner, the work unit's performance in the past six months. What went wrong and what went right and why? This will establish a format for constructively discussing work issues in the open.
-Explore past conflicts. But do it without assigning blame, and only in terms of what could be learned from them and what could be done differently in the future.
Establish ground rules of behaviour.
An example: If you have a problem, discuss it with the individual rather than behind his back.
-Explain how ridicule is the most negative thing that one person can do to another. Ridicule is often employed by rival cliques.Open disagreement shows a measure of respect for the other, whereas ridicule is the ultimate in disrespect. When individuals understand this, they can reflect more soberly on their conduct and make a conscious effort to conduct themselves in an honourable manner toward others.
-Work with the whole group to develop a mission, which can inspire them to achieve results. This will focus competitive energy into work challenges rather than rivalry with colleagues.
-Identify and curtail ringleaders who incite rivalries.
Their manager should warn them that activities undermining others will not be tolerated in any form. If they persist, their employment should be terminated.
Create opportunities for employees to socialize as a large group.
-Endorse the establishment of a social committee. Regular events open to all employees, such as pot-luck lunches or sports teams, foster an open and relaxed environment for employees to interact.
-Never ridicule or bad-mouth anyone. This speaks for itself.
An employee who is caught in a cliquish environment can:
-Take time to get to know your colleagues well.
And choose friends who are supportive of you rather than critical of others.
-Avoid engaging in petty behaviour.
Consider how painful ridicule or exclusion is to the other person. Try to stay above the fray.
If you're being persecuted by a clique, seek help.
Confidentially discuss the problem with your manager, or human resources representative, and ask for intervention in resolving the underlying conflict.
High-performing organizations foster an environment where employees can openly discuss problems as they arise.
They can then evolve past the old schoolyard mentality and focus on communication, creativity, good decision making and resolving work-related problems.
Friendships will expand and, while individuals will remain closer to some staff members than to others, there will be mutual respect among the entire work group.
Mary Pearson is a Toronto-based management consultant.
globecareers@globeandmail.ca
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