Have you ever worked with someone you might consider “difficult?” Chances are good that someone fitting this description springs to mind.

As it turns out, these aren’t just people with whom you may have a personality conflict. The key distinction that separates “difficult” co-workers from the merely “annoying” is their effect on job performance.

In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Cynthia Kay Stevens talks about her research delves into the characteristics of “difficult co-workers” and their behaviors in the workplace.