When we were kids, problem solving was easy. Problems were simple to define; the root cause was readily apparent, and correct action was obvious, swift and direct. Johnny took Billy's toy so Billy took it back, and if Johnny didn't give it, Johnny got it upside the head until he did. Then Momma came in and said Billy should share. When the sharing is done, if Johnny doesn't give it back, one more bop upside the head, problem solved and it was Over! - Done! - Finished!

I mention this because, looking back, I appreciate the straightforward ways of handling conflict that boys (when we were young and unruly) practiced. The cause of the conflicts was always clear and clean-cut and once it was Over, it was Over!.

Now fast-forward a few years and picture the corporate environment of today. It goes without saying that when one has an "issue\ with someone at work, one cannot walk over and bop that person upside the head. And I'm not in any way recommending that. But the corporate environment can be more like a girls' junior high school locker room. There's invariably an \"in\" crowd, \"out\" crowd, people get pigeon-holed quickly and irrevocably.

Battles are waged through gossip and innuendo. Subsequent actions become monumentis to the point the original act is forgotten.  And problems are never Over!,

It sometimes takes great stealth and Machiavellian planning to get a simple problem solved in a corporate environment. People are often reluctant to go to the source of a problem for fear of career repercussions. Sometimes the fear of conflict can cause problems to fester forever. I can appreciate the fact that we lose some of our barbaric or rudimentary behaviors as we age and mature, but why do we have to lose the good part too? There's something to be said for directness--this includes having the guts to express your own thoughts and opinions, and to be clear on expectations between managers and coworkers. Corporate employees should never exercise directness with a fist, but they should not have to live in a psychological fetal position either.