Territorial Games - Hardcover

Simmons, Annette

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814403832 ISBN 13: 9780814403839

Publisher: Amacom Books, 1998

Synopsis

Describes the ways in which competition over information, power, and credit can undermine a company's success, and offers strategies for identifying and eliminating barriers to cooperation

About this title

Book Description:

Power, position, property. That's been the name of the game throughout human history. And the urge to gain new territory -- or keep what's already been acquired -- certainly shows up in our daily work lives.

The workplace, in fact, is ablaze with battles over information, relationships, and authority -- and everyone is fighting for psychological survival. These turf wars are some of the most productivity- and morale-squashing activities that employees engage in.

Territorial Games analyzes 10 of these insidious and instinctual acts of gamesmanship -- such as camouflage...occupation...shunning...intimidation -- and it supplies positive strategies for combating territorial behavior.

Written from the perspective of a behavioral scientist and drawn from in-depth interviews with corporate managers, the book explains how to:

* understand the roots of territoriality

* recognize the signs and symptoms of territorial games

* focus on organizational goals rather than individual turf wars

* promote teamwork throughout an organization

* apply counterstrategies to change destructive behavior.

From Library Journal:

To shun someone else in order to establish territory is one of the ten typical "territorial games" that business consultant Simmons intends to define and challenge here. The other acts of workplace "gamesmanship" include occupation, manipulating information, intimidation, setting up alliances, creating invisible walls, strategic noncompliance, discrediting, camouflage, and filibustering?all insidious attempts to deliver a blow, create an obstacle, or confuse the issue. Simmons provides a brief analysis of complex human behavior as an aid in understanding possible root causes for illogical behavior, and she includes real-life examples of typical business situations. She also suggests solid ways of dealing with "territory building" and how to begin playing more constructive games. Readers are likely to find this work hits home with problems in the workplace and helps explain the Dilbert phenomenon. Highly recommended for larger public libraries.?Dale F. Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Amacom Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0814403832
• ISBN 13: 9780814403839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224