What can you do about a peer who persistently disrupts work? This person is no problem for the bosses but butts heads with practically every “lateral” member of the team.
You’ve got a real problem—a brutal and all-too-familiar one—but unfortunately one you probably can’t solve. Peers don’t manage peers; they have some influence, but no power. So understand that if you try to take on this disrupter on your own, you enter the fight unarmed.
Yes, you can pull disrupters aside for a conference room chat, take them out for a long lunch, or write a thoughtful letter. But no matter what evenhanded approach you use, the response will probably be in the same vein. “You don’t understand,” disrupters will tell you, “I’m trying to save the business.” Or, “if you had my experience you’d see why I’m right.” Or, “why are you so competitive with me?”
Now, we’re not talking here about good, old-fashioned skeptics, who actually play an important role by prodding the organization to challenge itself at every turn. While sometimes cranky and unpleasant, many do care about the company.
They don’t pick fights for sport; they’re just slow to persuade,and they’re that way with everyone, bosses included.
Disrupters, by contrast, cannot be convinced about anything, or be reasoned with, for that matter. There’s something else going on in something that does not allow them, for lack of in authority a better phrase, to play nicely with others. Therefore, unless you’re a psychiatrist, your best bet is just to keep as much distance as possible.
Just as important, keep your mouth shut and your head down. Wait for your boss or hr to identify and fix the problem, which will eventually happen if you picked your company right. Indeed, given that you have some level of respect for management, if there was any time to trust the organization, it is now.
Incidentally, this advice has already been met with disagreement. When this question was asked of one of us (Jack) during a class session at mit’s Sloan School of Management, a group of students strongly advocated the “long lunch” approach mentioned above. They made the case that peers have a responsibility to the team to work out their own problematic dynamics. They shouldn’t wait for a “white knight” from upstairs to save them from themselves.
We’d say this view is commendable. But in our experience, it’s an unlikely fix. Peers are up against a lot when trying to police peers, especially when one’s an outlaw.
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on December 04, 2006.
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