Work Cliques: How to Survive the "Ugly Betty" SyndromeIf you've ever watched ABC's hit show, "Ugly Betty," you understand the work dilemma she has encountered throughout her four years at Mode Magazine. Not so much "ugly" as perhaps different, plain and a bit awkward, Betty spends her days rebuffing the abuse of her coworkers, mainly Mark and Amanda (who I believe secretly like her gumption). She's not a part of the in-crowd or the world of the beautiful people because she doesn't fit their view of beauty.
Welcome to high school where mean girls, bullies and cliques abound. You would think as we mature, become adults, and enter the working world, we would give up the high-school days and the high-school ways that include this type of behavior. But, apparently, it's not always that easy.
Look in most dictionaries, and you'll see that a clique is merely a close group of friends or coworkers with similar interests and goals who may be seen by outsiders as exclusive. Whether they are or aren't depends on the group and how they treat those who are not currently members. While most people interpret a clique as negative and typically filled with selfish, snobbish people, a clique is only defined by the people who belong to it.
Depending on who you ask, the most likely reason a clique forms is because two or more people find they have something in common and begin to socialize. It could be they have a mutual interest in sports, the arts, parenthood, or any other common activity.
What most people don't realize is that cliques aren't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, many would say that in a healthy work environment, having coworkers develop friendships and networks is a natural and positive outcropping of seeing each other daily. "The trick, though, is to avoid the pitfalls, such as exclusivity, pettiness and excessive gossiping," says Hanah Cho of SunSentinel.com.
When the behavior of a small group of people becomes so detrimental as to set them apart from others in the work environment, it can actually impact office morale and productivity. Also, the members of the clique can put a quick end to their careers if they're seen as unfriendly and unapproachable.
OA Contributor Katherine Crowley, who along with Kathi Elster authored Working with You Is Killing Me says, "A positive clique is an inviting clique, with loose boundaries that allow people in and let people out. What I would consider a more negative clique has a rigid structure with high walls and a lot of judgment."
Because cliques can come in different shapes and sizes, avoiding them altogether might not be an option (you may have to work on projects together) or might not be how you choose to play it. However, there are a couple of suggestions that experts say to keep in mind when working around cliques:
The whole idea is that it's natural for people to gather in groups to work and socialize. It's just a matter of making sure the environment is happy and healthy.