Toxic leader

History

In his 1994 journal article "Petty Tyranny in Organizations" Blake Ashforth discussed potentially destructive sides of leadership and identified what he referred to as "petty tyrants", i.e. leaders who exercise a tyrannical style of management, resulting in a climate of fear in the workplace.

In 1996 Marcia Lynn Whicker popularized the term "toxic leader".

Basic traits

The basic traits of a toxic leader are generally considered to be either/or insular, intemperate, glib, operationally rigid, callous, inept, discriminatory, corrupt or aggressive by scholars such as Barbara Kellerman.

Psychopathy

Characteristics that may be present in a toxic leader include those classically associated with psychopathy. There has been a substantial increase in media and academic interest in psychopathy within the workplace. This growing attention has often outpaced the available scientific research, leading to widespread assertions about the harmful effects of workplace psychopathy that are not yet fully supported by empirical evidence. A study by Scott Lilienfeld and others examined the associations psychopathy had with occupational and academic differences, workplace aggression and counterproductive behaviors, ethical decision-making in corporate environments, white-collar crime, and leadership. While preliminary findings suggest that psychopathy may be linked to various negative workplace outcomes, there are also isolated indications of potential benefits.

Other traits

The United States Army defines toxic leaders as commanders who put their own needs first, micro-manage subordinates, behave in a mean-spirited manner or display poor decision-making. A study for the Center for Army Leadership found that toxic leaders in the army work to promote themselves at the expense of their subordinates, and usually do so without considering long-term ramifications to their subordinates, their unit, and the Army profession.

Ashforth proposed the following six characteristics to define petty tyranny:

1. Arbitrariness and self-aggrandizement
2. Belittling of subordinates
3. Lack of consideration for others
4. A forcing style of conflict resolution
5. Discouragement of initiative
6. Noncontingent use of punishment: that is, punishment (e.g. displeasure or criticism) allotted without discernible or consistent principles; not dependent on, or necessarily associated with, undesirable behaviors.

The * setting up to fail* procedure is in particular a well established workplace bullying tactic that a toxic leader can use against his rivals and subordinates. Heavy running costs and a high staff turnover/overtime rate are often also associated with employee related results of a toxic leader.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Kellerman, Barbara (2004) Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.
• Lipman-Blumen, Jean (2006) The Allure of Toxic Leaders: Why We Follow Destructive Bosses and Corrupt Politicians—and How We Can Survive Them Oxford University Press.
• Price, Terry L. (2005) Understanding Ethical Failures in Leadership (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Further reading

• Jha, Srirang and Jha, Shweta (June 2015) "Leader as Anti-Hero: Decoding Nuances of Dysfunctional Leadership" Journal of Management & Public Policy
• Warneka, Timothy H. (2005) Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing Leaders Today. Asogomi Publishing International.
• Whicker, Marcia Lynn (1996) Toxic Leaders: When Organizations Go Bad. Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books.
• Williams, Christopher (2006) Leadership Accountability in a Globalizing World. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

References

1. (April 2014). "Coaching the Toxic Leader". Harvard Business Review.
2. (1994). "Petty Tyranny in Organizations". [[Human Relations (journal).
3. Whicker, Marcia Lynn. (1996). "Toxic Leaders: When Organizations Go Bad". Quorum Books.
4. Karthikeyan, Dr C.. (2017). "An Exploratory Study On TOXIC Leadership and Its Impact on Organisation; A Leadership Perspective". International Journal of Research in Social Sciences.
5. (2013). "Psychopathy in the workplace: The knowns and unknowns". Aggression and Violent Behavior.
6. Jaffe, Greg. (June 25, 2011). "Army worries about 'toxic leaders' in ranks". [[The Washington Post]].
7. (September 2, 2011). "Why do we allow Toxic Leadership to occur?". Combined Arms Center Blog.
8. S Alexander Haslam. (2004). "Psychology in Organizations". SAGE.
9. (2010). "Organizations and Unusual Routines: A Systems Analysis of Dysfunctional Feedback Processes". Cambridge University Press.
10. Peyton, Pauline Rennie. (2003). "Dignity at Work: Eliminate Bullying and Create a Positive Working Environment". Psychology Press.
11. (1997). "A Summary Review of Literature Relating to Workplace Bullying". [[Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology]].
12. Reh, F. John. (March 31, 2019). "How to Deal With Toxic Boss Syndrome in the Workplace". TheBalanceCareers.com.