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The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies - And How to Overcome Them
The turf battles and territorial “fiefdoms” that undermine so many companies—and how to break through them, by long-term Microsoft COO Robert J. Herbold
There is a potentially infectious condition inside virtually all organizations that can cause more damage than economic downturns, management upheavals, and global business shifts. Until now it has had no name. But it has impacted some of the world’s leading companies, including Procter & Gamble, IBM, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft.
Robert J. Herbold, the COO who brought corporate discipline to a young Microsoft organization and helped to transform it into a mature global giant, calls it the Fiefdom Syndrome. And it happens at organizations large and small, profit and nonprofit, at the individual level as well as the group and divisional level. It can undercut a company’s effectiveness, and in extreme cases it has shaken entire industries and taken down major corporations.
The problem begins when individuals, groups, or divisions—out of fear—seek to make themselves vital to their organizations and, unconsciously or sometimes deliberately, try to protect their turf and others’ perceptions of them. It is a natural human tendency, dating back to the origins of our species, but if it isn’t managed properly, the damage caused by these “fiefdoms” can spell the death knell of what should have been a strong and vital organization.
People who create fiefdoms can become dangerously insular, losing perspective on what is happening in the world outside their own control. They hoard resources. They are determined to do things in their own way, often duplicating or complicating what should be streamlined throughout the company, leading to runaway costs, increased bureaucracy, and a loss of agility and speed.
In The Fiefdom Syndrome , Bob Herbold exposes the myriad ways such fiefdoms can compromise a company’s effectiveness—as well as show what managers, companies, and individuals can do to break up fiefdoms and conquer the turf wars. Illustrated with countless examples from Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and other corporations, The Fiefdom Syndrome is an essential tool in every manager’s toolkit.
There is a potentially infectious condition inside virtually all organizations that can cause more damage than economic downturns, management upheavals, and global business shifts. Until now it has had no name. But it has impacted some of the world’s leading companies, including Procter & Gamble, IBM, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft.
Robert J. Herbold, the COO who brought corporate discipline to a young Microsoft organization and helped to transform it into a mature global giant, calls it the Fiefdom Syndrome. And it happens at organizations large and small, profit and nonprofit, at the individual level as well as the group and divisional level. It can undercut a company’s effectiveness, and in extreme cases it has shaken entire industries and taken down major corporations.
The problem begins when individuals, groups, or divisions—out of fear—seek to make themselves vital to their organizations and, unconsciously or sometimes deliberately, try to protect their turf and others’ perceptions of them. It is a natural human tendency, dating back to the origins of our species, but if it isn’t managed properly, the damage caused by these “fiefdoms” can spell the death knell of what should have been a strong and vital organization.
People who create fiefdoms can become dangerously insular, losing perspective on what is happening in the world outside their own control. They hoard resources. They are determined to do things in their own way, often duplicating or complicating what should be streamlined throughout the company, leading to runaway costs, increased bureaucracy, and a loss of agility and speed.
In The Fiefdom Syndrome , Bob Herbold exposes the myriad ways such fiefdoms can compromise a company’s effectiveness—as well as show what managers, companies, and individuals can do to break up fiefdoms and conquer the turf wars. Illustrated with countless examples from Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and other corporations, The Fiefdom Syndrome is an essential tool in every manager’s toolkit.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 3, 2026
The gist of the book could be summarized in a single chapter, even a page or two. While the author only discusses "fiefdoms" in a corporate context, the underlying psychological factors were just as relevant for a prehistoric steppe warband as they are for Microsoft. Humans inevitably overestimate their performance, value and importance. Even the most driven will become complacent and smug. People crave safety and comfort, they don't want to take risks, they want to be in control of their fate and how others evaluate them. So people build metaphorical fiefdoms and surround it with a moat. A fiefdom can be as trivial as a single expert making himself a critical bottleneck, but usually it's a department, division or local branch. Within a fiefdom loyalty and conformity comes first, everything else is secondary. Fiefdoms hate change, taking risks or being held accountable, so operational discipline, creativity and innovation die off. What is the solution? Well it's rather simple, but it's only the CEO that can do anything about it. In a company the CEO has almost total power (unlike the steppe warlord), he can fire and hire whoever he wants, so all he needs to do is recognize the fiefdoms and mercilessly crush them. If it's the CEO getting complacent then it's up to the board and shareholders. The book provides some guidance on what tools one can use for the crushing, but I assume most of us readers will never be in the position of a CEO, so this is perhaps not the most interesting part.
The rest of the book is just driving the point home with dozens of case studies, teaching the reader to recognize the myriad forms of a fiefdom, as well as the potential pitfalls when fighting them.
Unfortunately most of the names and details had to be redacted, making the examples almost like parables and therefore of limited interest.
Overall it's an interesting read, one that anyone working in any organization will be able to relate to, but one that also gets repetitive after a while and the advice given will be of limited use for the regular Joe. What most readers can get out of the book however is a different perspective, one that goes against popular sentiment. One where the outside hire "MBA ghouls" doing mass layoffs and restructuring are the heroes,
while the veteran manager who spent two decades rising through the ranks, beloved and respected by all, becomes the villain despite simply trying to protect his team and ensure everyone's well-being. It also drives home the kind of mess the C suite has to deal with on the regular, and the level of paranoia necessary for their job.
The rest of the book is just driving the point home with dozens of case studies, teaching the reader to recognize the myriad forms of a fiefdom, as well as the potential pitfalls when fighting them.
Unfortunately most of the names and details had to be redacted, making the examples almost like parables and therefore of limited interest.
Overall it's an interesting read, one that anyone working in any organization will be able to relate to, but one that also gets repetitive after a while and the advice given will be of limited use for the regular Joe. What most readers can get out of the book however is a different perspective, one that goes against popular sentiment. One where the outside hire "MBA ghouls" doing mass layoffs and restructuring are the heroes,
while the veteran manager who spent two decades rising through the ranks, beloved and respected by all, becomes the villain despite simply trying to protect his team and ensure everyone's well-being. It also drives home the kind of mess the C suite has to deal with on the regular, and the level of paranoia necessary for their job.
December 18, 2007
This book offers several insights into the innerworkings of organizations. It provides some helpful ideas for managing and/or working successfully in complex political environments. The book uses many examples from large marketing companies but I've found that the lessons hold true even in small groups and different industries.
June 27, 2012
Very useful. Taught me how to overcome some "obstructionist" personalities. Also bought two copies as gifts to friends having similar struggles. They fouind it quite helpful as well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews