This critical incident is based on a stalemate that occurred among university department chairs who had been asked by their provost to write a job description to be used to hire their new dean. The department chairs could not agree on key qualifications, and the provost would not intervene to provide guidance, and things got uncomfortable and tense. At the center of the conflict were suspicions held by the department chairs about each others' possible hidden agendas regarding the qualifications and suitability of the interim dean as a candidate for the permanent dean position.