A toxic leader can “hide” in the organization for years

The main characteristic of toxic leadership is the psycho-emotional distress of employees, and the more everyone is harmed, the more “toxic” the perception of the leader is, according to university research published in the journal Budapest Management Review. Corvinus and DU researchers used in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and an online questionnaire to explore the phenomenon in Hungary.  

What is a toxic leader? 

A leader perceived as toxic is usually unpredictable, makes decisions capriciously, sets unrealistic goals, is not afraid to transgress ethical and personal boundaries, and does not communicate expectations properly. He or she is characterized by a need for dominance, lust for power, extraordinary manipulative ability, unethics, high intellect and charisma, but often suffers from a lack of competence. He or she likes to blame his subordinates, intimidate them, humiliate them, shift responsibility. He or she is not a team player, but taking the team’s achievements as his or her own, making him or her seem productive, which can earn him or her the support of senior management. This is because organizations with a strong competitive spirit often support managers who overdo their subordinates and create a negative atmosphere. 

“Toxic leadership can only survive if the organization’s values and leadership selection practices tolerate it and can even make it an expectation, and if the organization’s members are overly acquiescent. The larger the organization, the more time, even years, it takes to become apparent the destructive consequences of toxic leadership,” said Julianna Czifra, first author of the study. 

A toxic driver poisons the atmosphere as he or she causes constant emotional frustration. Co-workers burn out, become overwhelmed, unmotivated, get sick more often, complain a lot, form cliques, go into survival mode, and go through a process similar to grief. The performance of the organization deteriorates, decision-making slows down, creativity, innovation, loyalty decreases, turnover increases. A culture of fear, an atmosphere of distrust develops, the flow of information is distorted.  

What can we do about it? 

Toxicity is difficult to avoid, but once established, it should be treated as soon as possible so that it does not become part of the organizational culture and avoid a negative spiral. The condition for this is that toxicity is recognized in the organization and change is initiated, e.g. at the initiative of HR or a senior manager. It is important to educate employees on how to recognize toxicity, what to do when they notice toxic behavior, such as reporting it to HR, the person’s supervisor, or through an internal anonymous channel. It is also worth providing information on the psychological support that the victims can get to help them process the situation.  

If the behavior of the number one manager or owner is toxic, then the management level below him is tasked with preventing toxicity by “holding an umbrella” over the employees. It is important to involve an external expert: the most effective would be the combination of coaching and psychotherapy, when the leader is collaborative and works on developing both his or her skills and personality, but complete change is not guaranteed. 

It is worth regularly assessing the organizational climate, strengthening HR processes related to leadership selection and performance evaluation, and maintaining and developing an organizational culture and value system that does not tolerate norm and rule violation by managers, emphasized the authors.