Story 11: Aggression
The story: The team agreed: no aggression at work. Everyone said absolutely. A week later she made a pointed remark without confronting anyone directly. He called it passive aggression. She said she had not confronted anyone. He said agreeing to something and then not doing it is a kind of aggression too. They had agreed on the rule and never on what counted as breaking it.
What it means for organisations: Policies without definitions are intentions. A team agrees on a rule about behaviour or accountability, nobody says what breaking it looks like, and each person draws the line where their own conduct already sits. Everyone then stays on the right side of it. The rule is never violated and never quite followed.
Where next?
Read the comic as text
The Alignment Gap, Story 11
by Stavros Stavru, Ph.D. (weallagreed.com)
Scene 1: The team meeting
A meeting room with a large whiteboard, a hanging lamp, plants, and a shelf of binders. Axel stands at the head of the table, gesturing openly to the team. Ally sits at the table, smiling and nodding. A third colleague sits beside her, seen from behind.
Axel: Do we all agree that no aggression at work is allowed?
Ally: Absolutely!
Banner between scenes: “What could go wrong?”
Scene 2: A week later
An office hallway with framed notices on the walls and a potted plant. Axel stands with one hand on his hip, gesturing toward Ally, looking frustrated. Ally, clutching a folder, looks taken aback.
Axel: Saying "yes" but not acting – that's passive aggression.
Ally: Aggressive? But I didn't even confront you!
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