Lies. Incest. Deceit. Dissention. No, not the latest episode of your favorite soap opera, just the daily happenings at a large advertising firm.

It's amazing how much ill will and acrimony professional adults can throw at one another. An office can quickly turn into a battleground, filled with strategic takeovers and spitfire ammunition. Maybe it's something in the coffee. I wonder if there have been any studies that show the link between coffee beans and spiteful, counterproductive behavior. It would help explain the combativeness, considering everyone walks around, coffee cup in hand, looking like a flock of white-collar hobos craving some creativity.

You wont find the age-old battle of Creatives vs Marketers here. Why these people choose to pit themselves up against one another is beyond me. Instead of operating under the principal of mutualism, they have the overwhelming urge to de-value the others input, in an effort to claim ownership of a project, account or client. That intellectual demotion often snuffs the sparks that might have fueled a great idea.

There are no covert operations in our mission. It's all open. We work in an environment where thoughts and ideas are able to frolic and run free without having to worry about tripping an interoffice land mine.

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article contribution by:
Peter Guarino
former disgruntled account executive and human resources
representative at Dave Pappas Creative Services