What is toxic leadership?
The issue of toxic leadership is a worldwide, cross-industry, cross-generational and cross-gender problem. Its consequent negative impact destroys individuals’ mental and physical health. It also drains societies' capacities to support people unable to work or live healthy, balanced lives.
Toxic leadership is also very expensive for companies and organizations in terms of employee turnover, loss of know-how, lawsuits and harm to reputation.
On an even larger scale, harmful leadership practices and self-serving decision-making of leaders are the decisive factor in failed attempts to implement sustainable solutions to social and environmental problems.
Origins of the Term
The term "toxic leadership" can be traced back to 1996 when Marcia Lynn Whicker published a book titled "Toxic Leadership: When Organizations Go Bad." It was within these pages that the concept was first introduced to describe dysfunctional leadership styles.
Defining Dysfunction
Dysfunction in the leadership context is defined as "any behavior that brings harm, or is intended to bring harm, to an organization, its employees, or stakeholders" (Giacalone & Greenberg, 1997).
Understanding Toxic Leadership
Toxic leaders are not just ineffective managers; they inflict serious and enduring harm on the individuals, groups, organizations, communities, and even the nations they lead (Lipman-Blumen, 2005). Toxic leadership encompasses a pattern of harmful behavior that affects every aspect of leadership.
Defining Destructive Leadership
One of the most comprehensive definitions of destructive, dysfunctional, or toxic leadership is as follows:
"the systemic and repeated behavior by a leader, supervisor, or manager that violates the legitimate interest of the organization by undermining and/or sabotaging the organization's goals, tasks, resources, and effectiveness and/or the motivation, wellbeing, or job satisfaction of subordinates" (Einarsen et al., 2007).
What are the basic things to remember about toxic leadership?
1. A Pattern of Harm: Toxic leadership is not about a single instance of poor decision-making, mismanagement or rudeness. It's about a consistent pattern of behavior that harms the organization and its people.
2. Self-Centeredness: Toxic leaders are primarily concerned with their own interests, often at the expense of others. They prioritize personal gain over the wellbeing of the organization and its members.
3. Deceptive Behavior: Toxic leaders resort to deceit and manipulation to achieve their goals. They might provide false promises, misrepresent facts, or conceal their true intentions.
4. Intimidation and Coercion: The use of fear and intimidation is a hallmark of toxic leadership. Subordinates may be coerced into compliance, making it challenging for them to speak up or voice concerns.
5. Unfair Punishment: Toxic leaders use punishment as a tool for control. Subordinates who challenge their authority often face unwarranted consequences.
6. Erosion of Trust: Toxic leaders erode trust within the organization. Employees become wary, and morale drops as trust diminishes.
7. Impact on Mission: Toxic leadership has tangible adverse effects on the organization's mission and performance. It can hinder progress, damage relationships, and undermine goals.
8. Harm: The negative consequences can extend to employees' mental and physical health, job satisfaction, as well as social and family life.
9. Systemic and Repeated: Toxic leadership is not a one-time occurrence. It is systemic and repeated, indicating a consistent and persistent pattern of destructive behavior.
Toxic leadership is a complex and deeply damaging phenomenon that goes beyond incompetence or bad management. It encompasses a consistent pattern of behavior that harms individuals, organizations, and their missions. By understanding its origins and definitions, we can better equip ourselves to identify and address it.
To learn about how toxic leadership manifests in practice, visit our Experiences of toxic leadership page to read stories, which illustrate harmful patterns and their impact.
To read about what to consider when you find yourself working in an unhealthy environment facilitated by a toxic leader, visit our How to deal with toxic leadership page.
Sources: Einarsen, Ståle & Aasland, Merethe & Skogstad, Anders. (2007). Destructive leadership behavior: A definition and conceptual model. The Leadership Quarterly. Giacalone, R. A., & Greenberg, J. (Eds.). (1997). Antisocial behavior in organizations. Sage Publications, Inc. Lipman-Blumen, J. (2005). Toxic leadership: When grand illusions masquerade as noble visions. Leader to Leader, (36), pp. 29-36 Whicker, Marcia Lynn. (1996). Toxic leaders : when organizations go bad. Westport, Conn : Quorum Books
