Oh my, that sounds like you’re in some challenging meetings. Social dynamics are a league on their own, aren’t they? While we can't tell you why this person is showing this behavior, there are some things we can consider to understand this better.
First of all, what exactly are you observing? What behavioral patterns do you see? Behavior is something I can see you do or hear you say. From that perspective: what does taking over and hijacking looks like? Are there any recurring triggers for this person to engage in this behavior?
The most important thing to realize is that people show behavior because they experience positive consequences when showing it. (Your opinion about these motivations are completely irrelevant, for the record.) If you can find out what this person gets out of this behavior (your own judgment aside), you will be able to explain the behavior and see if there’s something you can do to influence it.
We don’t want to add even more complexity, but ranking is also something that’s likely at play here. In other words: their relative position in this social hierarchy. What level of formal and/or informal power does this person have? By showing this behavior, this person might feel their power is confirmed or acknowledged if they are relatively high in rank. If they are relatively low in rank, this behavior might make them feel more powerful.
Long story short: there is lots to observe and uncover here. We would advise you to start writing down the behavioral patterns you’re observing that you interpret as taking over meetings and hijacking. Then try to find out what this person is gaining from showing this behavior. All whilst considering their rank. With all this information, you can start understanding the behavior, share your observations with this person if you want, and start trying to influence the behavior by making small changes to the environment.
And don’t forget to dive specifically into chapter 6, 7, and 8 of our book. Which dive further into these social dynamics.
XoXo, Como
