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So, a Senior Manager who reports to me at work just sent an e-mail containing information that is important for everyone in the department to know.  However, she only copied a couple of other employees who are part of her "clique."  I responded to her e-mail (just to her, I didn't copy anyone else) and reminded her that she needs to include everyone in the department on e-mails that contain critical information.  What does she do?  She prints my e-mail and brings it down the hall to show to the rest of her clique and I hear them jibber-jabbering about it for a few minutes.  Can't we all just get along?

You should write her up or give her a verbal counseling.  It isn't highschool, right?

Sounds like she's showing you a lack of respect. You need to correct her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjdgXqKjHvY

Annoying office politics...
 
Perhaps there was something tacit, misunderstood, or veiled in your email response to her.  Think about it. 
I urge you to consider any of those possibilities, own any if necessary, and then nonetheless, advise this subordinate about proper email etiquette.  If it is "your" job to disseminate information; do so.  Also, point out that all managers must show respect to all workers particularly in the office setting, and remember to at least have deference to a superior. 

I've worked places that if you aren't in the main clique then you're ignored. Just don't understand it,either. You never go out of your way to be rude yet they try to keep you out of the loop.  :lookingup:

body check her next time you cross paths

It's just high school clique s**t. Some people never outgrow it. In their minds, if you're not a part of the clique, then you're a fringe.

To the OP though, if this manager reports to you, then you are her boss. If you allow your subordinates to roll over you, then they won't have respect for you. I suggest you own your part in whatever you e-mailed to her, like Allhallowsday recommended, and then assert your authority over her and her clique. When you are the boss, there is nothing wrong with reminding people every now and then of that fact. Trying to be their friend where your authority is concerned should be the last thing on your mind in an office setting.

Done on numerous occasions.  The main problem is, they have specialized knowledge of our #1 client that goes back 10 years in some cases.  So, they are somewhat "not expendable" in the eyes of my company's owners, and they know it.  One of them was fired from a previous job for being too vocal in a meeting.  My real power is that I perform all of their annual evaluations and I have been able to cut into their raises.  A few times, I have even denied raises.  Most of the time everyone gets along fine.  But the "clique" attitude shows up every now and then and I end up spending a day or so working on damage control.

 

Yeah, I've run head long into that clique attitude.  Not only at work but in my own family as well. 

Most people never really make it past that 16 year old maturity level until they get to be about 65 and realize why their kids never visit them any more.

I've been working in an office for nearly 10 years, it's highschool alright!  When I first started I assumed we were all adults, and when I needed someone to do one of their tasks I would send a simple email saying "I need you to do ..." It too in about 3 months for me to be known as the office a-hole, then a few months later my manager sat down with me. He started to explain that I had to be nicer to people. I didn't think asking someone to do their job was being rude but it was. Now I have to ask people nicely to do their jobs and use the word please, and explain why I need them to do their job. Three years ago I moved to a department (and this is where I get sexist), which has a higher number of women working in it. That group was insane! It was highschool all over again, there were cliques and rumors being spread. What made it worse was that managers had their own cliques and they had their pets. The pets could do no wrong, and if they didn't like you you were screwed.

Its taken three years but I'm finally out of that department, and I couldn't be happier. Now to see what the new department is like.

Tell me about it. this will get a bit long, and i apologize, but years back I worked out of Home Depot as a vendor for a flower company, and was at the mercy of the regulars when I was the FNG.  That's because two of the college aged boys who helped me were slackers who were getting away with murder due to their allegiance with a regular H.D. woman who was their little f*ck buddy. She stood up for them each and every time something went wrong and they laid everything on me.  Talk about cliques and little pets...

And it began the day they found out from my boss (for whatever his reasons for telling them) that I was getting the same pay rate as they were despite being the FNG.  Apparently jealousy causes odd things to happen, because shortly after, plants were over-watered, not-watered at all, or things were found busted and they were blaming me.

I began taking photos and videos of my own work on my cellphone, (including destroyed or sabotaged stock) as well as documenting the rising tide of animosity and instigation taking place. The day we finally had it out and had to go to front office with it, this documentation is what saved me.  Their lies backfired upon them in the office.

The boys were fired, and I was promoted to head of our vendor. And despite her role in the events, their little f*ck buddy got to keep her job out of her "long years of service to the company" as usual.  

Case solved and I get to move on with my life, right? Wrong. The boys' termination made it worse for me.

How? The rest of our vendor crew basically turned their back on me, and wouldn't help me with a thing, and the regular Home Depot woman who was screwing the two fired boys was promoted to assistant manager of the garden dept. And she delighted in lording her position, and one day she and I finally had it out.

Despite overwhelming evidence that I was innocent the first time, (AND the role of little miss f*ck buddy turned assistant manager played in both incidents) our own company's management decided that 'I" (yeah, I) was the common denominator in this second go-around, and I was given two weeks and my walking papers afterward.  I got a good reference though. (whoop-eee.)

So you see, kiddies, we are still in high school for sure.  Do your job, keep your nose clean, and there's always someone waiting to take you down because they don't. And they have their little pets to back them up. High school version 2.0