When the differences in our roles are muddled, when there’s a lot of wiggle room and hazy definition in our responsibilities, when people can hide behind the “We’re all a team here” bromide, we invite the playing of unproductive games like ‘Buffing and Turfing’. The game of ‘Buffing and Turfing’ first came to my attention when I read the classic hospital-set novel, House of God by Samuel Shem. I have seen it played thousands of times since. I have played it. You have, too. The objective in this game (for one of the players; not the other) is usually to avoid taking responsibility for a bad situation, or to avoid having to deal with a problem. ‘It is played by ‘Buffing’ a situation with nominal or cosmetic support, then ‘Turfing’ it by making it someone else’s problem, shooting it into someone else’s area of organizational responsibility. This game also goes by the name of ‘Not My Problem’, and ‘We’re Sending This Ship to Tel Aviv’.

Here’s what happens when a guy in IT ‘Buffs and Turfs’ a more junior player. A second video illustrates the true meaning of the communication that gets obscured by the unproductive game.