Thanks Fletcher !
You nailed it ! COMMUNICATION is THE KEY.
All of my problems stem from peoples' unwilingness to communicate directly their REALLY IMPORTANT messages. As many linguists say; the primary function of language is fatic.
That means we are apt to spew all kinds of irrelevant chitchat just to keep
our comm channels open and manifest our entities. There doesn't have to be any meaning to it, we seem to like hearing other people around.
A solemn and somber silence, brought about by a lackadaisical character always signals tension, uncertainity, fear.
Therefore, the amount of ofiice gossip and/or slander/intrigue is just a byproduct of the amount of free time enjoyed in our studio lounge by my staff.
When they are busy working on projects, thei communication channels are free of clutter, all misunderstandings are immediately resolved because errors corrupt even the simplest of tasks.
My idea is to implement (as per your experience) weekly slander fests for our crew.
We will meet in the boardroom for 1 hour each week and shout, scream and curse each other , no holds barred. No one will be allowed to remain silent or aloof and aloft. After that, we'll see
Office RealPolitik is a drag, but someone's GOT to control that, problems won't just go away by themselves.
But the trick is to control without using force or terror tactics - just as a mixer would work on a song without destroying its integrity and artistic meaning - applying little EQ here maybe some compression there. Nothing drastic, unless
he/she is mixing acid/alternative/transe
Just bring up my faders and listen...that's what I used to do...once upon a time.
Above all, everything must be kept open , clear and straightforward, so that everyone knows the rules and relations by heart and not by simply remembering that one must be civil at all times.
I guess in the way of debating or resolving problems by teamwork, we have some way to go...