Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

Move Forward with Your “Facilitate a Resolution” Decision

This option is about taking assertive action with powerful people. Your aim is to bring the dispute to a speedy resolution. Turf wars can remain deadlocked for years. This is highly likely if the opposing powers are evenly balanced and the rest of the organization is ambivalent about the outcome. Facilitating a quick end to a turf war helps everyone get their focus back on their real work for the organization. Until that time, collateral damage is a risk and organizational performance is reduced.

Analyze each competitor’s position. What do they hope to gain? What could they lose? How is the organization going to benefit? What risks does the organization face with each proposal? Specifics will help you. How much money has been lost, or time wasted? At a personal level, how will the outcome affect each of the competitors? How open could they be to negotiation and compromise? Answering these questions enables you to take an objective stance and determine how best to bring about the facilitation.

Build a compelling reason why each party should sit down at the negotiation table. The reasons will be different for each of them and should be based on your consideration of their position. What can you say to competitors that will motivate them to talk? Explaining the problems caused by the turf war and how the organization is being put at risk may be a good place to start. Highlighting the pros and cons to them, from your ...