Smith Business Close-Up: Dealing with Difficult Co-Workers

Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, 7:30 a.m.

In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Cynthia Kay Stevens talks about her research delves into the characteristics of “difficult co-workers” and their behaviors in the workplace.Have you ever worked with someone you might consider “difficult?” Chances are good that someone fitting this description springs to mind. As it turns out, these aren’t just people with whom you may have a personality conflict. The key distinction that separates “difficult” co-workers from the merely “annoying” is their effect on job performance.

Stevens is an associate professor of management and organization at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is an expert in workplace issues and her research focuses on recruitment and staffing, decision-making, diversity, and how to work with difficult co-workers.