the process of managing diverging personalities or perspectives in order to achieve a broader objective, which is being hindered by the multiplicity of opinions or goals; as with cats, which stubbornly refuse to follow instructions even if they are perfectly understood, the term suggests independent orientations that may be unhelpful but are not actively malicious; the herder may experience frustration or weariness depending on how many metaphorical cats there are; surprisingly not the only feline corporate jargon, with hairball as another example