
A U.S. Marine sniper wearing sniper camouflage gear known as a "ghillie" suit advances through a forest during a training exercise. View a larger image. Ghillie suits exploit a camouflage strategy called cryptic camouflage. Cryptic camouflage is one of the four basic strategies of deception by camouflage. In cryptic camouflage, the deceiver succeeds by blending into the environment so as to deceive the perceiver. Targets can deceive bullies in this way by mimicking other elements of the workplace environment so as to convince the bully that the target is not engaged in counterattack development or counterattack execution. Adopting temporarily the characteristics of a terrorized target can accomplish this. Examples of behaviors that convey this message are withdrawal, absenteeism, and subservience. Since all successful camouflage is designed to match a specific perceiver, targets attempting to use cryptic camouflage should choose approaches that are most likely to deceive their specific bullies. Photo courtesy s=ghillie&,t=0&,p=2&,amp,guid=c99f750de3d2712bba825165e717cd3531100a0d,U.S. Department of Defense.
Observation is the first O of the OODA acronym (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). Last time, we examined some general properties of counter-bullying strategies, focusing on the inner state of the target and the nature of effective counterattacks. But counterattacks can be much more effective when based on a clear understanding of the entire situation, and that requires accurate information about the bully, the organization, and the legal environment in the relevant jurisdiction. And that's where Observation becomes important. Here are some tactics and strategies for targets, emphasizing situational awareness.
- Exploit situational awareness
- Targets have an edge if they have a thorough understanding of the bully's history, behavior, and plans. Also valuable are the stances and actions (or often, the inactions) of bystanders, other targets, the bully's supervisor, the target's own supervisor, and the HR department. When formulating counterattacks, it all helps.
- Targets can attack the bully in many domains: at work, in the local community, in the professional community, in court — whatever works, within the law. That's why it's helpful for targets to know their legal rights, what's needed for legal action, and how to gather evidence. The legal route isn't easy, but it's a route nonetheless.
- Degrade the bully's situational awareness
- Targets can also work to degrade the bully's own situational awareness. They can accomplish this by neutralizing the bully's resources, or by using those resources to confuse the bully.
- For instance, many targets, or their allies, telegraph to bullies that they "aren't going to take it anymore." Revealing this change in stance is counter-productive. Targets who have allies can impress upon them the importance of depriving the bully of any information about the target's intentions or state of mind.
- Deceive and disinform the bully
- Targets can deliver disinformation to the bully, directly or indirectly, keeping in mind that effective disinformation requires knowing the truth well enough to create plausible deceptions. See "Biological Mimicry and Workplace Bullying," Point Lookout for March 31, 2010, for an example.
- Even better: build relationships with allies of the bully. Converting a bully's ally to a target's ally, or to a neutral, can help to degrade the bully's overall situational information quality.
- Know your own vulnerabilities
- Targets Targets engaging in counterattacks
can sometimes expose their own
vulnerabilities inadvertentlyengaging in counterattacks can sometimes expose their own vulnerabilities inadvertently. For instance, a counterattack in the domain of the professional community might motivate the bully to do something similar, or to mount an attack in the domain of the local community. - Targets should carefully assess their own vulnerabilities in any domain in which the bully might mount an attack. Upon discovering a vulnerability, targets would do well to take steps to remove it or conceal it, and to conceal any indications of its prior existence.
Finally, if counterattacks fail, escape might be necessary. There are other jobs. Knowing what alternatives are available, and keeping that knowledge current, might be the best path to ending the bullying. First issue in this series
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Next Issue
Is a workplace bully targeting you? Do you know what to do to end the bullying? Workplace bullying is so widespread that a 2014 survey indicated that 27% of American workers have experienced bullying firsthand, that 21% have witnessed it, and that 72% are aware that bullying happens. Yet, there are few laws to protect workers from bullies, and bullying is not a crime in most jurisdictions. 101 Tips for Targets of Workplace Bullies is filled with the insights targets of bullying need to find a way to survive, and then to finally end the bullying. Also available at Apple's iTunes store! Just . Order Now!
More about OODA
What Is Workplace Bullying? [March 3, 2010]
- We're gradually becoming aware that workplace bullying is a significant deviant pattern in workplace relationships. To deal effectively with it, we must know how to recognize it. Here's a start.
Biological Mimicry and Workplace Bullying [March 31, 2010]
- When targets of bullies decide to stand up to their bullies, to end the harassment, they frequently act before they're really ready. Here's a metaphor that explains the value of waiting for the right time to act.
OODA at Work [April 6, 2011]
- OODA is a model of decision making that's especially useful in rapidly evolving environments, such as combat, marketing, politics, and emergency management. Here's a brief overview.
How Workplace Bullies Use OODA: I [April 13, 2011]
- Workplace bullies who succeed in carrying on their activities over a long period of time rely on more than mere intimidation to escape prosecution. They proactively shape their environments to make them safe for bullying. The OODA model gives us insights into how they accomplish this.
How Workplace Bullies Use OODA: II [April 20, 2011]
- Workplace bullies who succeed in carrying on their activities over a long period of time are intuitive users of Boyd's OODA model. Here's Part II of an exploration of how bullies use the model.
How Targets of Bullies Can Use OODA: I [April 27, 2011]
- Most targets of bullies just want the bullying to stop, but most bullies don't stop unless they fear for their own welfare if they continue the bullying. To end the bullying, targets must turn the tables.
Rapid-Fire Attacks [August 1, 2012]
- Someone asks you a question. Within seconds of starting to reply, you're hit with another question, or a rejection of your reply. Abusively. The pattern repeats. And repeats again. And again. You're being attacked. What can you do?
Projects as Proxy Targets: I [December 18, 2013]
- Some projects have detractors so determined to prevent project success that there's very little they won't do to create conditions for failure. Here's Part I of a catalog of tactics they use.
Joint Leadership Teams: OODA [December 28, 2022]
- Some teams, business units, or enterprises are led not by individuals, but by joint leadership teams of two or more. They face special risks that arise from the organizations that host them, from the team they lead, or from within the joint leadership team itself.
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Related articles
More articles on Workplace Bullying:
Overtalking: I
- Overtalking is the practice of using one's own talking to prevent others from talking. It can lead to
hurt feelings and toxic conflict. Why does it happen and what can we do about it?
Seventeen Guidelines About Workplace Bullying
- Bullying is a complex social pattern. Thinking clearly about bullying is difficult in the moment because
our emotions can distract us. Here are some short insights about bullying that are easy to remember
in the moment.
Shame and Bullying
- Targets of bullies sometimes experience intense feelings of shame. Here are some insights that might
restore the ability to think, and maybe end the bullying.
Anticipatory Disappointment at Work
- Disappointment is usually unpleasant, and sometimes benign. But when it occurs before we have evidence
of bad news — when it is anticipatory — disappointment can be unnecessary and expensive.
What is anticipatory disappointment? What are the risks?
Covert Verbal Abuse at Work
- Verbal abuse at work uses written or spoken language to disparage, disadvantage, or harm others. Perpetrators
favor tactics they can subsequently deny having used. Even more favored are abusive tactics that are
so subtle that others don't notice them.
See also Workplace Bullying for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming July 23: Microdelegation
- Microdelegation is a style of delegation in which the delegator unintentionally communicates the task to the subordinate in such detail and so repetitively that the subordinate is offended. As a result of this delegation style, many subordinates feel distrusted or suspected of fraud or goldbricking. Available here and by RSS on July 23.
And on July 30: What the Dunning-Kruger Effect Actually Is
- Although the Dunning-Kruger Effect is widely recognized, people describe it — and understand it — in many different ways. Some of these expressions are misleading. Proceed with caution. Available here and by RSS on July 30.
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Beware any resource that speaks of "winning" at workplace politics or "defeating" it. You can benefit or not, but there is no score-keeping, and it isn't a game.
- Wikipedia has a nice article with a list of additional resources
- Some public libraries offer collections. Here's an example from Saskatoon.
- Check my own links collection
- LinkedIn's Office Politics discussion group