Getting Even: The Truth about Workplace Revenge--And How to Stop It

"Getting Even isn't just the most useful and engaging book ever written on revenge in the workplace. It is the best book I've ever read about the root causes of destructive workplace behaviors and how to stop the vicious circles that hurt so many people and organizations."

—Robert Sutton, professor, Stanford University and author, The No Asshole Rule

"Getting Even helps the reader address thorny organizational problems caused by the human desire for revenge. Leaders and managers in all organizations will benefit from the insights and practical recommendations for preventing or limiting the problems of revenge. Thus, Getting Even will help its readers manage the most common, if not only, cause of destructive conflict in organizations."

—David E. Morrison, MD, management consultant, Morrison Associates, Ltd.

"Getting Even provides managers with the ability to see acts of revenge as signals about what ails their organization. Tripp and Bies provide an insightful framework that explains why ordinary employees engage in extraordinary acts of revenge. They convincingly document that revenge is typically not the act of the irrational few, but is the situationally-created behavior of normal human beings."

—Max H. Bazerman, Straus Professor, Harvard University and coauthor, Negotiation Genius

"I've used the valuable insights revealed in this book to counsel and advise all manner of clients including managers, small-business owners, human resources professionals, labor professionals, and employees. Understanding and implementing these concepts will undoubtedly improve every employment relationship. This book is a must-read!"

—Janet E. Taylor, attorney at law, focusing on employment and labor

"Let's face it, we've all been there. Someone took the promotion that you deserved, put their name on the report that you did, belittled someone to the point of tears, or worse yet, drove you to tears. When these situations hit, you're usually less worried about getting ahead and more interested in getting even. But does revenge really solve anything? Thomas Tripp and Robert Bies have provided a practical guide for managers and individuals to understand the many causes of revenge, who is most likely to commit an act of revenge, and how to spot and defuse it before it happens."

—Jon V. Peters, president, The Institute for Management Studies

Everyone knows a disgruntled employee will often commit a destructive, maybe even violent, act to seek revenge. It's just common wisdom. Or is it?

In this groundbreaking book, workplace conflict experts Thomas Tripp and Robert Bies reveal that workplace revenge is not about violence . . . it's about justice. Avenging employees are typically not unprofessional, out-of-control employees. They are ordinary people who are victims of offenses, feel they don't have support, and are compelled to seek justice on their own. Revenge happens when formal systems break down, and when an organization's mechanisms for preventing or correcting injustices don't work. If the formal system doesn't work, the informal system of revenge will step in to handle the problem.

Getting Even offers an effective blueprint for predicting, managing, and preventing the ill effects of workplace revenge. The book also shows how to promote fair behavior and curb the damage that workplace revenge often causes. Filled with lively stories, insights, and counterintuitive truths, Getting Even gives managers and employees practical suggestions that can be applied both at work and at home.

Throughout the book, Tripp and Bies address these basic questions:

• What kinds of offenses result in revenge?

• Why do some victims respond more aggressively to harm than others?

• What role does the organization play in how victims respond?

• How can managers prevent their employees from seeking revenge?

Grounded in fifteen years of research, this book offers a realistic first-step approach for creating a workplace environment that puts the emphasis on fairness and will ultimately lead to a more productive organization and a healthier bottom line.

The core argument is that revenge is about justice. Avenging employees are not unprofessional, out-of-control employees; rather, they are victims of offenses who feel compelled to seek justice on their own. The authors address specific questions, such as:

• What kinds of offenses result in revenge?
• Why do some victims respond more aggressively to harm than others?
• What role does the organization play in how victims respond to offenses?
• What's the best advice for managers who wish to prevent their employees from seeking revenge?
• Most employees experience the desire for revenge, and are ready to settle their own scores at work when management won't enforce justice.

This book offers a model that sequences avengers' thoughts and behaviors, from the beginning of the conflict to its end. The model is grounded in scientific research and organizes disparate findings into a whole.

Robert J. Biesis a professor of management and founder of the Executive Master's in Leadership program at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. Bies's current research focuses on leadership and the delivery of bad news, and revenge and forgiveness in the workplace.

1. An Introduction to Revenge in the Workplace.

2. Peering into the Soul of Discontent: The Phenomenon of Revenge.

3. Three Triggers of Revenge: Why People Try to Get Even.

4. You Started It! The Mind Game Inside the Blame Game.

5. "I'm as Mad as Hell and I’m not Going to Take It Anymore!": Understanding the Motivating Power of Righteous Anger.

6. You Started It—But I’ll Finish It! How People Get Even.

7. Preventing Revenge Before It Happens: Practical Advice for Managers—And Would-Be Avengers.

8. Moving Beyond Revenge: Don’t Get Mad, Don’t Get Even—Get Ahead.

Bibliography.

Notes.

About the Authors.

Index.