Thomas Recognizes That His Firm Is Plagued by Organizational Politics

Multiple Choice

Thomas recognizes that his firm is plagued by organizational politics. He is not good at playing games and instead frequently engages in defensive behaviors in order to protect himself and his interests. Thomas is frustrated because he believes that he has little control over his environment, and his environment is uncomfortable to him. He has had some success at establishing a sense of control for himself by appearing to be more or less supportive publicly while doing little or nothing privately.
-Thomas also attempts to project an image of competence and thoroughness by rigorously documenting all of his activity. This defensive behavior is termed ________.

A) justifying
B) playing safe
C) buffing
D) scapegoating
E) misrepresenting