Columbo Tactics: II

In the workplace, when the more powerful interact with the less powerful, or the much less powerful, they're at risk of overestimating their power. They do have superior organizational power, but they might not have superior intellectual power. Using the tactics of TV detective Lt. Columbo, the less powerful can achieve a kind of parity that enables everyone to perform at their potential.

As described last time, a situation in which the Columbo strategy is helpful occurs when a project manager (Patricia), whose project is struggling, must deal with a committee of senior managers formed into an Emergency Reaction Force (ERF), to help Patricia sort out her troubled project.

Here's Part II of a catalog of tactics based on Columbo's tactics, but also applicable to Patricia's situation. Read Part I first if you haven't.

Gather information on your own

Even though Columbo invested significant effort and attention in questioning his prime suspect, he also conducted other investigations to gather, among other things, relevant information about the suspect's movements and the state of the suspect's knowledge.

For example, if the obstacle is a failure of the departmental IT leads to deliver needed information about the number of desktop computers that need upgrades, Patricia makes certain that she has the latest data each morning, even though the upgrades are incomplete. She also has reports from the upgrade team indicating how many systems had been upgraded the previous night. By comparing her data, day-to-day, with the data from the upgrade team, she can check them consistency.

Bury the critical question in amongst irrelevant questions

As Lt. Columbo knew, some questions are so unusual that they cause the suspect to wonder, "Why did he ask that?" To avoid so alerting the suspect, he would insert such questions in amongst a series of other seemingly innocent or irrelevant questions. He could then get the information he needed without alarming the suspect. This technique helps him achieve the strategic goal of keeping the suspect calm.

Patricia can do Perhaps the most famous of
Columbo's tactics might be
called One-Last-Thingsomething analogous if she needs information from the ERFs. The kind of information most valuable to her is that which reveals what the ERFs know or don't know about the project, or what they believe is the source of the problem. Asking them directly is risky, but a question inserted in amongst questions about how to carry out what they've directed her to do might not be.

Ask one-last-thing when you already know the answer

Perhaps the most famous of Columbo's tactics might be called One-Last-Thing. Just as he was ending an interview of the suspect, he'd halt in mid-stride, scrunch his forehead, point to his right temple, and exclaim, "Oh, I almost forgot." His gestures, timing, and tone all communicate that the question he's about to ask is truly unimportant. But, of course, it later turns out to be the final nail. At the time, though, the suspect doesn't notice how important it is.

Patricia can do something similar. If she's done her homework (see "Gather information on your own" above), she might know something that renders dubious what she has just been directed to do by the ERFs. She has asked a question or two about it, raising some minor issue or other, and the ERFs have reassured her and told her, "Just do it," or something equally condescending. She agrees, and says, "OK, will do." Then, just as the meeting is ending, she says, "Oh, I almost forgot, Chicago told me last night that X" and then asks the question that reveals a basic flaw in the ERFs' plan. By doing so, Patricia helps to establish that her sources of information are quite good, and that she does know something about managing this project.

There are some risks associated with using this tactic. Because of the importance of the nonverbal elements of Columbo's technique, it's difficult to get the level of impact in a phone conference at work that Columbo can achieve in person. And if the ERFs include people familiar with Lt. Columbo and his tactics, they might recognize it. But these two points aside, it's very effective.

In 69 episodes, Lt. Columbo used a wide range of tactics to solve numerous crimes. The six tactics I've described are perhaps the most memorable and adaptable, but certainly there are more. Enjoy your further research.   First issue in this series   Top    Next Issue

Is every other day a tense, anxious, angry misery as you watch people around you, who couldn't even think their way through a game of Jacks, win at workplace politics and steal the credit and glory for just about everyone's best work including yours? Read 303 Secrets of Workplace Politics, filled with tips and techniques for succeeding in workplace politics. More info

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Workplace Politics:

Reverse Micromanagement

Micromanagement is too familiar to too many of us. Less familiar is inappropriate interference in the reverse direction — in the work of our supervisors or even higher in the chain. Disciplinary action isn't always helpful, especially when some of the causes of reverse micromanagement are organizational.

Misleading Vividness

Group decision making usually entails discussion. When contributions to that discussion include vivid examples, illustrations, or stories, the group can be at risk of making a mistaken decision.

Obstacles to Finding the Reasons Why

When we investigate what went wrong, we sometimes encounter obstacles. Interviewing witnesses and participants doesn't always uncover the reasons why. What are these obstacles?

Some Hazards of Skip-Level Interviews: I

Although skip-level interviews have their place, they can be dangerous, explosive, and harmful to the organization. What are the dangers?

The End-to-End Cost of Meetings: III

Many complain about attending meetings. Certainly meetings can be maddening affairs, and they also cost way more than most of us appreciate. Understanding how much we spend on meetings might help us get control of them. Here's Part III of a survey of some less-appreciated costs.

See also Workplace Politics and Workplace Politics for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming February 26: Devious Political Tactics: Bad Decisions

When workplace politics influences the exchanges that lead to important organizational decisions, we sometimes make decisions for reasons other than the best interests of the organization. Recognizing these tactics can limit the risk of bad decisions. Available here and by RSS on February 26.

And on March 5: On Begging the Question

Some of our most expensive wrong decisions have come about because we've tricked ourselves as we debated our options. The tricks sometimes arise from rhetorical fallacies that tangle our thinking. One of the trickiest is called Begging the Question. Available here and by RSS on March 5.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenjTnUayrCbSnnEcYfner@ChacdcYpBKAaMJgMalFXoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info