How a narcissistic leader infects company culture

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Narcissists are attracted to power and know how to get it.

They have a deep and sometimes pathological need for admiration and status—in fact, they may feel entitled to it. Unfortunately, because they also exude confidence and have enormous faith in their own vision, narcissists can often talk their way up the chain at an organization and develop a loyal following.

As leaders, however, narcissists often fail. They may act aggressively, but they make bad decisions, paying too much for an acquisition, for instance. Data show their grandiose plans do not boost a company’s performance. And they’re more likely to lead companies that are sued, according to previous research led by Jennifer Chatman, a professor of organizational management at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, who has studied narcissists in the upper echelons of management.

In a new study, published in Academy of Management Discoveries, Chatman and a team of researchers propose a new theory for understanding exactly how narcissistic leaders damage a corporation. Self-aggrandizing personalities create an environment that places little value on teamwork or integrity, hobbling a company’s ability to be innovative, the authors suggest. Because culture is known to outlast a CEO, they also warn that replacing a narcissistic boss is no guarantee that a corrupted culture will bounce back.

Narcissists, in other words, “infect” a culture like a virus, they write, applying a timely metaphor. And just like viral invaders, their impact may be felt long after they’ve been exiled.

Although the study is focused on corporate culture, it’s titled “When ‘Me’ Trumps ‘We’: Narcissistic Leaders and the Cultures They Create”—no doubt a winking reference to “narcissist-in-chief” US president Donald Trump.

https://qz.com/work/1919542/the-damaging-effect-of-a-narcissistic-leader-is-lasting/?utm_source=YPL

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Interesting Article

Easy to read, too!
Recommended!

[Wounded Bear]

2. K & R...nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. It will take years to uninfect US culture, but it can be and will be done. . . . nt