Monkey business.

The article focuses on ten ways to survive and thrive in corporate culture. Inevitably, everyone who functions in a group with a well-defined dominance structure faces the occasional rough patch due to a competitive colleague, a misunderstanding, a workplace bully or a genuine false step. A roster of experts in human and animal hierarchical behaviour offers some suggestions about what to do when you've got your back to the office wall. "You've got to compel co-workers to support you," says Bellingham, Wash.-based consultant Gary Namie, author of The Bully at Work. "There are always options, and there are always more than two options," notes Susan Dunn of San Antonio, who, because of her work in the area of emotional intelligence, bills herself as the EQ Coach. She recommends sources such as the International Coach Federation and the virtual community of Coachville. Positive language can build hope and even redefine a bad situation. If you refrain from using words such as "fault," "blame," "shame" and "failure," others will be less likely to perceive the situation in those terms. "The rule in communication is to assume you've been misunderstood," says Dunn. It's crucial for speakers to check what listeners think they've said and for listeners to repeat back what they think they've heard. Generally, the first place to begin to resolve personality conflicts is one-on-one, at your own level. However, in the case of a truly toxic situation involving a manager, you must go at least two management levels above the source of the problem to find impartial help. A 2003 survey by Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute reports that of 1,000 volunteer respondents who say they were the target of bullying at work, 33% quit their jobs, another 17% transferred to a different position under the same employer, while a further 37% were fired or involuntarily terminated.