"Defensive" is a great managerial term. It implies that the lower status person argues against the great managerial deliberations in a helpless and futile manner.
It turns any discussion automatically into a status contest, with a first mover advantage. I've never seen an intelligent person use it.
Environmental activist: we must cut back on the use of fossil fuels, or climate change will be catastrophic
CEO of Shell Oil: What? Why? What is wrong with fossil fuel? Why are you attacking me? What evidence do you have that lets you use words like "catastrophic"? And, uh, what about the economy? The workers?
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Moral of the story: sometimes very high status people get defensive.
It turns any discussion automatically into a status contest, with a first mover advantage. I've never seen an intelligent person use it.