Territorial Games: Understanding and Ending Turf Wars at Work

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.