The Dark Side of the Leadership: The Effects of Toxic Leaders on Employees

Leadership has been a topic of great interest in both academic research and the business world for many years. A significant portion of the literature on leadership has focused on identifying the traits and behaviors of effective and successful leaders. This is because in today's interconnected world, individuals require guidance from various leaders and managers in both their personal and professional lives. These managers are responsible for making decisions that impact the lives of individuals across all areas of society. Often, these leaders are not elected by their followers or subordinates. Generally speaking, leadership refers to the behavior of influencing and directing employees towards the organization's goals and objectives. However, recent research has also shed light on the negative aspects and various types of leadership, such as bullying leadership, abusive surveillance, poor leadership, weak leadership, narcissistic leadership, destructive leadership, deterrent leadership, and toxic leadership, all of which have been collectively referred to as the dark side of leadership.

There are certain traits that are commonly associated with leaders, with some being able to effectively manage their subordinates and provide beneficial opportunities, while others exhibit toxic behaviors that have been identified as "toxic leadership" in academic literature (Lipman-Blumen, 2006).

In today's highly competitive environment, it is essential for companies to keep their operating costs to a minimum, including expenses related to personnel turnover, training, and maintaining institutional knowledge and structure. In order to sustain profitability, firms must seek out ways to reduce costs while maintaining productivity. Increasingly, research is focusing on the impact of toxic leadership on employees and organizations, highlighting the negative effects and indirect costs associated with such behavior. Lipman-Blumen's (2006) work on the toxicity of leadership has prompted more and more studies to investigate the link between toxic leadership and its harmful effects on both individuals and organizations.

Toxic Leadership Realms of Emotions and Feelings

The detrimental behaviors and traits of toxic leaders can cause serious and permanent damage to individuals, groups, organizations, and communities, as noted by Kellerman (2004). To be classified as a toxic leader, the individual must display toxic behaviors that have a negative impact on the entire organization rather than just one employee (Reed, 2004). These poisonous leaders harm their employees, the business environment, and the overall organizational climate. It is crucial to distinguish toxic leaders from simply bad or oppressive bosses or managers. They lack concern for anything beyond their own interests and poison enthusiasm, creativity, autonomy, and innovation within the organization. Karen (2003) suggests that toxic leaders spread their poison through excessive control mechanisms.

Frost (2003) defines toxic emotions in the workplace as a heightened state of negative feelings that go through three phases: psychological repetition, rupture, and depletion. During the psychologically repetitive phase, individuals are unable to analyze a severe experience that affects them, and they cannot predict the negative consequences of repeating similar experiences. Once the transition phase is over, individuals tend to distance themselves from their colleagues and social environment. In the depletion phase, individuals experience a depletion of both their mental and physical energy due to negative experiences. Recent studies suggest that toxic leaders can spread their poison throughout an organization in a stealthy manner, affecting individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole (Lubit, 2004).

In conclusion, leadership plays a crucial role in guiding and directing individuals towards achieving organizational goals and objectives. However, recent research has highlighted the negative aspects and various types of leadership, collectively referred to as the dark side of leadership, such as toxic leadership, which can cause serious and permanent damage to individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. Toxic leaders lack concern for anything beyond their own interests and poison the enthusiasm, creativity, autonomy, and innovation within the organization. The detrimental behaviors and traits of toxic leaders can spread throughout the organization, affecting individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole. Therefore, it is crucial for organizations to identify and address toxic leadership and its harmful effects to maintain productivity, reduce costs related to personnel turnover and training, and sustain profitability in today's highly competitive environment.

References

FROST,PETER J.(2003). Toxic emotions at work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

KAREN, W?LSON-STARKS (2003) Toxic Leadership

KELLERMAN,B.(2004). Destructive leadership: What it is, how it happens, why it matters. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.

LUB?T,R. Coping with Toxic Managers,Subordinates,and Other Difficult People. Prentice Hall, 2004.?

LIPMAN-BLUMEN,J.(2006). The allure of toxic leadership: Why we follow destructive bosses and corrupt politicians—and how we can survive them. New York: Oxford University Press.?

REED,G.E.(2004). ?Toxic Leadership.? Military Review, July-August 2004: 61-71.