Hostility Threat Management

Hostility Threat Management

In order to completely grasp this topic it is important to understand the core emotion that may lead to hostility. That basic emotion which can act as a catalyst to hostility is anger. We will first define anger, differentiate it from the term hostility, then we can consider how to handle hostility in various situations that may present itself at the workplace.

Basically, anger is an emotional response to either internal or external factors that we may or may not have control over. It is also a response to perceived provocation or mistreatment. In other words, anger is transient. Anger does not lack and is not a constant way of behavior. It is not normally a regular emotion that we experience every hour of every day. Once the situation causing the anger disappears, the anger vanishes. It vanishes because it has no reason to stay. Hostility; on the other hand, is something that does not require a lot of provocation. It is more of a consistent attitude. One that is so consistent that it could be referred to as a habit. This habit is caused by cynicism and resentment.

Anger presents itself more often than hostility. Anger can be triggered by numerous things and each person has different triggers. There is a very high chance that you will get to to deal with a person who is aggressive when angry. This is because there is existing stimuli to make a person want to return to anger even after the emotion has passed. People are faced with so many frustrating situations in life which makes it unlikely not to meet with someone who has aggression issues every day. It is important however that we understand how to deal with people like this as it will be a needed skill, it is something that we have to deal with on a daily basis. This is important because we will not appreciate situation whereby, we will let things get of hand, or escalate beyond our control just because we failed to say the right thing or act the right way. The first thing anyone wishes to control aggression in other should do is to master self-control. That is the first defense against an aggressive person. We defend ourselves because a person with a sour mood already in an aggressive mood can only do one thing, transfer aggression. When aggression is successfully transferred things can quickly take a turn for the worse. This knowledge is important for those in the workplace because they have to deal with people more often. It is therefore important that you fully master the act of self-control. When an aggressor tries to transfer the aggression to you, be quick to deflect it, doo not let it stay with you. Do not keep it in. Learn to act in opposite of it as that will help to diffuse the situation. The most effective way to do this is to have a complete mastery of response mechanisms as it is pertinent that a worker understands common trigger points. By trigger point I mean things that could get under his skin. Understanding these things will help him figure out the right way to react to them so as to keep them better prepared when the aggressor will try to stimulate that part of them it is important they already know that it exists and they understand how to deflect it. Deflecting this attempt to transfer the aggression means understanding yourself to the point that you are able to act correctly when faced with an aggressor.

Without having complete control of your own emotions it might affect the other person’s response and that will escalate the whole situation. Also it is important to master the weaknesses that an aggressor could unconsciously activate so as to enable you lose control not just over yourself but over the aggressor. When a person successfully handles his own mood, he makes it very easy for the second person to be able to effectively manage his own mood. An employee in a work place only needs to understand that there is more to the attitude he is seeing. He needs to see that he is not really the enemy of the aggressor. It is just a matter of being caught in the line of fire. When he understands this, he will try not to take it too personally. He will try to empathize with the aggressor’s situation and condition and this will deescalate an already tensed situation. One more thing a person faced with and aggressor should learn is the power of listening. You should learn to listen and pay attention. You should learn to understand the stressors of the aggressor as that will help you understand the peculiar circumstance of the aggressor, in other to deal with his weakness and in turn ultimately deescalate the situation. What the person mostly needs Is self-expression. He needs to express himself. The worker should assist him do that by asking the right questions and paying attention to the valid responses. Ignore the curse words or words that work to affect your mood negatively. Focus on the valid points being raised and dress the person based on those valid points. You will be surprised that the situation will come to an end even faster than anticipated. A person who is angry desires just one thing most and that is to be heard. To be understood. He needs to feel less threatened, so the person seeking to get a hold of this negative behavior should understand this and it will help build a good level of communication required to deescalate the situation. This is one type of insider threat that if not handled properly could escalate to something quite disastrous.

The next skill to learn in order to deactivate negative energy in a room filled with people let us say in a place such as the organizations meeting of shareholders is going on. A board of directors meeting for instance and hostility ensues. How can one deal with that. Remember it is a meeting of equals so the approach will be different. You first need to understand the different set of people in the room. After making this distinction then you try to talk with the positive people in the room. Communicate with them first so as to stop the increase of aggression. After curbing the violence then try to work on the already hostile ones by using empathy and applying a little bit of humor-the reason for this is to calm the tension in the room.

Now after this the next stage is building rapport. You will build rapport by buying into the voice of the dissenters. Make them understand that you understand their concerns. Whether you feel it is legit or not, remember this is a meeting of equals not just a place you can readily shove ones idea under a rug. Let them understand that you understand their concerns and you believe it is genuine. Then using a question and Answer method, resolve those concerns by addressing the concerns on its merits. If as the organizer you need to adjourn the meeting to a later date in order to get your wits straight to address the concerns of the dissenting opinion then do just that. Afterwards, use a question and answer sessions to diffuse that ticking bomb. This question and answer session is the best approach because it gives them a chance to be actively involved in the resolution process. And indeed, it will build a more lasting solution to the problem cause it will become an agreement.

The last and most dangerous type of insider threat is the active assailant. It is important that when faced with this type of insider threat confrontation is only the last option. Now it is important to see the signs of these impending dangers before they occur. Some coworkers can at some point begin to show overt resentment, or extreme agitation. Now as a worker you may begin to get anonymous threats, or you notice a colleague is showing a violent type of indiscipline either generally or directly towards you. You could also observe that this worker is also showing serious decline in a work performance. It is for this reasons that a psyche evaluation department should be needed in almost every organization. When these signs or more comes to play a person should know that this is a huge mass of trouble building up that could result in something far worse if not handled on time. A person could also notice that a colleague is unusually obsessed with him, or generally acting irrationally. This should be warning signs that should make the person report to the right authority and disarm the situation at its infant stage. It should be observed that more than half of the active assailant situations that have been reported around the globe are usually carried out by a member of the organization. Therefore it is best to see this situation and deactivate it before it becomes out of hand. Now in a situation when it becomes out of hand a person should at all times remain calm and should always remember that confrontation should only be the last option. Organizations should organize programs for security training and awareness to inform their employees of these factors and tactics because it is needed knowledge

By Doug Ruhl, VP of Business Development

Strategic Security Corp.