The Briles report on women in health care. Changing conflict to collaboration in a toxic workplace.

By the year 2005, an estimated 8 million women in the United States will work in the health care industry. Based on her previous research and an in-depth nationwide survey of more than one thousand physicians, nurses, administrators, technicians, and other health care professionals, Judith Briles unveils an ominous and distressing reality. Instead of finding "sisters'' in the struggle to achieve positions of authority and pay equity with men, many women in healthcareand the workplace in generalencounter female employees, bosses, and co-workers who engage in backstabbing, undermining, and manipulation. Judith Briles breaks through the code of silence surrounding a once taboo subject in this examination of the reasons women sabotage other women at work. Through vivid examples based on real-life experiences in health care settings, Briles describes the many forms of workplace sabotage--from withholding critical information to taking credit for someone else's work and achievements--and the damage and havoc it creates. She shows why women must eradicate traditional and harmful learned female behaviors, such as avoiding direct confrontation and overt competition, and being "nice'' at all costs. More importantly, Briles provides a detailed guide to awareness, prevention, resolution of sabatoage, and ultimately, to the empowerment of all women to ensure supportive and productive workplaces--now and in the future. She presents a powerful ten-step strategy to control and alter undermining behavior, including speaking out about discrimination and unfair practices, engaging in healthy competition, developing team-player skills, and cultivating healthy, positive relationships with other women.