WORKPLACE COLLABORATION
PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE We will defi ne passive-aggressive behaviors as those behaviors that are not direct or obvious, yet contra- dict what the person is verbalizing. Passive-aggressive individuals feel ill at ease expressing their true opinions, possibly because they don’t like confl ict or because they think theirs would be the lone dissenting voice. Their contrary actions are intentional and their response to any challenge is to defl ect the intention of their behavior. (“I was only kidding,” “I didn’t mean that and you know it,” or, “Can’t you take a joke?”) Passive-aggressive behaviors as- sure the individual they are still in control of the situation. In a daily meeting, supervisor Stan is reviewing the schedule and timelines for the aircraft. Everyone updates their status and mechanic Mike is asked to help mechanic Tom. When the meeting ends, Mike complains under his breath about helping Tom. As he walks back to his work station, his face shows a scowl and he is obviously irritated. When Stan asks if anything is wrong, Tom replies, “No, I am just working out a problem in my mind,” or something similar.
THE “I’M TOO BUSY TO …” (COULD BE A SUBSET OF PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE)
These individuals hoard information, help, their time and even their eff orts. Their behaviors can turn passive ag- gressive (saying they will help another, then procrastinat- ing or fi nding excuses why they cannot). They can over- react to approaching deadlines and see these requests as ways to derail them and/or make them look bad. Even though Mike agreed to help Tom, throughout the day Stan sees they are not working together. When asked, Mike apologizes and gives (seemingly valid) reasons why he cannot help Tom at this time, citing his current activities. He responds with “in an hour I should have this fi nished and be able to help Tom.”
“THAT’S JUST THE WAY HE/SHE IS … HE/SHE DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING BY IT”
This is a general response to one person taking off ense to another’s words, actions or voice tone. In other words, this person can be classifi ed as a bully, and this response encour- ages those bully behaviors. The bully may feel insecure or lack confi dence in his/her abilities. To compensate for being found out, they turn to intimidation as a solution to keep others at bay. They take pride in knowing they merely need to insert a caustic or sarcastic comment in the conversation to derail it, silence critics and disband the gathering. It’s a control issue and a blatant form of emotional manipulation. As mechanic Molly works on the plane, mechanic Vernon comes up behind her and says, “Aw, come on, you’re using that wrench like a girl! Put some muscle into it!” He laughs and walks off , leaving Molly insulted and fuming with anger. When Molly tells supervisor Alan about it, Alan responds, “Oh, yeah, Vernon does that to everyone. Just forget about it. Vernon has always done that. He means it as a compliment.”
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MR./MS. KNOW IT ALL The know it alls have a response for every situation. They are similar to Cliff Claven on the TV show “Cheers.” They feel compelled to share information and believe they are adding depth to any conversation. At times they will become loud and boisterous, insisting that their process is the correct one. Other times, they will recite facts, fi gures and proclamations to justify their position. They are often oblivious to the subtle signs of disinterest from others, going so far as following team members in an eff ort to complete their thought or provide additional facts. In a team meeting, mechanic Dean explains a procedure he
recently used. Mechanic Lionel chimes in with his commentary, interrupting Dean’s every other word. Lionel proceeds to explain, in detail, the underlying reasons why the procedure works, the history of it and why other procedures don’t work. The meeting runs later than scheduled, and less was accomplished than what was needed. Unfortunately, Lionel continues his sermon onto the hangar fl oor and throughout the day. These actions, and managing these behaviors, drains both mental and emotional energy. The FAA recognizes three types of fatigue: physical, mental and emotional. How much time are you spending and how much energy are you expending on either having discussions with these individuals or ignoring their behaviors? To be sure you are identifying a behavioral pattern, you can ask yourself these questions: • What is the balcony view of the situation? Imagine standing on a balcony overlooking the activity in your hangar. Contrast that with standing on the hangar fl oor. Do you see the overall picture, or do you see a few actions (or hear a few words) from a limited number of people?
• Do the individuals involved have a history of confl ict or disagreements?
• Could you have misinterpreted their words or their actions? Could you have taken what you heard or saw out of context? Did you hear or see the entire conversation, witness it as you were passing by, or catch just the tail end of the conversation?
• What possible reasons could they have for acting the way they did? Include both the rational and the logical (e.g., they are concentrating to the exclusion of others, they are long-time friends and joke around with each other frequently), along with reasons that don’t make sense to you (e.g., they are concerned about their job when there is no indication of layoff s or fi rings, they think they should know the answer and feel embarrassed because they don’t). They might feel threatened by a new hire, feel animosity for someone that just got promoted or a desired project, or feel that another person is either beneath them so they don’t have a need to know, or above them and they should already know. Explore all possibilities and even the improbabilities.
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