This document discusses saboteurs in projects and what can be done about them. It defines a saboteur as someone who wants a project to fail, change direction, or be undermined. Saboteurs do this because they care more about other things like their job, career, expertise or visibility. Saboteurs can be identified by what they say and do, like avoiding documentation, focusing on fringe issues, or questioning decisions. While sabotage is different than disagreement, saboteurs can be effective if left unchecked. The document provides strategies for dealing with saboteurs, such as ignoring those with little influence, closely monitoring task completion, helping redirect focus for those challenged by change, or replacing strongly opposed influential people.

1. Saboteurs – Do you
have them? What can
you do?
Liz Calder
Business Analyst
Blue Raccoon
lizc@blueraccoon.co.uk

2. Introduction
 People and Projects
 What does a saboteur look like?
 What effect do they have?
 Why do they do it?
 Different types of saboteur
 What can you do about it?

3. What is a Saboteur?
Someone who wants to do this your project.
Make it
FAIL
Change the
Direction
Blow
it up
Undermine it

4. What is a project supposed to be?
Common Goals Change Bright New Future

5. Change gets complicated when
people are involved...
Denial
Resistance
Exploration
Commitment

6. And it's not even that simple...
ActivePassive
Committed
Uncommitted
Players
SaboteursVictims
Spectators

7. Why do they do it?
 Because they care about something – just not
the same things as you.
 It could be
 Their job
 Their career
 Their position in their group
 Their expertise
 Their visibility and profile

8. How you can tell a Saboteur?
 By what they say and what they do
Avoid
Documentation
Ignore the
things they
are supposed
to do
Spend hours
working on
‘fringe’ issues
Focus on other
people’s
shortcomings
Haggle over
precise
wordings of
minutes etc.
It’s never
going to
work
Yes, I know it’s
out of scope, but
the business
REALLY wants it!
Do we have
the authority
to decide
this?
It’s better if we
just have a little
chat – no need to
write things down

9. Sabotage is not the same as
disagreement
Open and honest discussion, including raising
difficult issues, is good in a team
Deliberately throwing
spanners in the works, is
not…

10. Are saboteurs effective?
Yes, if you let them be – They care
• Persistency & consistency win over the majority
over time
Can you ignore them?
• Sometimes yes, on the whole – I really wouldn't
advise it.

11. Saboteurs I Have Known

12. Smaug
Sitting on top of its pile of treasure…
Image from http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/09/brief-history-dragons-smaug-hobbit-tolkien

13. The Wicked Witch of the West
With the flying monkeys doing their bidding
“Fly my pretties, fly”
Image from http://www.animationconnection.com/view/CP-1467-my-pretties

14. The Shoemaker’s Elf
You come in, in the morning, and everything has
changed…
Image from http://filipinobook.com/the-elves-and-the-shoemaker/

15. What can you do ?
 First and, most importantly, put yourself in their
shoes
 Most people aren’t deliberately making trouble.
I feel like I am being left
behind
We’ve always done it
this way, it could be
dangerous to change
The people I am
satisfying have more
impact on my career
than the customers of
the project

16. Then you can devise a strategy!
Approach Suitable For
Ignore them.
• The easy, low effort solution!
Only really suitable for people with
low levels of influence, who are not
part of your project team.
Closely monitor them. People not doing the tasks assigned
to them and not delivering against
their commitments

17. Some may require more effort
Approach Suitable For
Turn them
• Help them focus on how to
manage the change rather than
how to avoid it.
• Highlight where their skills and
experience add value to the work
of the team
People, inside or outside the project,
who are challenged by, or feeling
fearful of the change.
Get rid of them
• They aren’t happy, you aren’t
happy. It would be better if they
were on a project they could get
behind.
• Can require delicate and/or
difficult conversations
Senior or very influential people
inside the team.

18. Conclusion
 From time-to-time you will come across
saboteurs
 Don't ignore them and hope they'll go away
 Don’t get angry
 Try and work out why they are behaving like
they are
 Address the issue

19. Thank You
Liz Calder
Business Analyst
Blue Raccoon
lizc@blueraccoon.co.uk