Sabotage

Definition: *Sabotage* refers to the deliberate act of obstructing, damaging, or undermining a person, project, institution, or process, often in a covert or indirect manner, with the intent to hinder success or cause failure.

• Intentional and strategic disruption.
• May be covert (hidden, passive-aggressive) or overt (blatant, confrontational).
• Often motivated by rivalry, resentment, fear of displacement, or power struggles.
• Can occur in academic, professional, institutional, or political settings.

• Withholding critical information or resources.
• Undermining colleagues through gossip or discrediting.
• Delaying or obstructing publication, approvals, or decisions.
• Creating bureaucratic or procedural obstacles.
• Manipulating evaluations, peer reviews, or selection processes.

• Undermining
• Passive-aggressiveness
• Institutional betrayal
• Toxic leadership
• Destructive rivalry

• Support – actions that enable success, collaboration, or progress.

• In academic neurosurgery, sabotage may involve delaying a junior colleague’s publication or grant application to prevent them from advancing within the department.