Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Destructive leadership'

The loss of 6 million U.S. manufacturing jobs since 2000 has severely affected communities that have lost a vital source of employment. Voluntary employee turnover has compounded the problem. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employee turnover and destructive leadership behaviors of managers in small and medium enterprise (SME) manufacturing businesses in Warren County, New Jersey. The constructive-destructive leadership model formed the theoretical framework for the study. A random sample of 96 SME manufacturing firm employees completed the destructive leadership scale (DLS), multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ), and the turnover intention scale (TIS-6) via an online survey. Multiple linear regression analyses and Pearson-product correlation coefficients were used to predict employee turnover. Tyrannical leadership and laissez-faire leadership were the only significant contributors to the regression model. Implications for social change include providing business managers with information needed to maintain or increase employee retention levels, which may improve employee morale, increase job satisfaction, and enhance customer satisfaction in the communities served.

Over the past two decades research has studied the “dark side of leadership” under the research stream of destructive leadership, variously described as abusive, aversive, derailing, toxic, and tyrannical leadership. While there has been significant research into the consequences of destructive leadership, there has been limited investigation of its antecedents. It has been proposed by a number of researchers, investigating a leader trait approach to leadership, that “dark side” traits (socially undesirable traits that can have negative implications for work success and the well-being of employees) exhibit a curvilinear relationship with key outcomes (e.g., leader and follower performance, follower engagement, and follower well-being): that is, there exist negative consequences for extremely low or high “bright side” personality traits (behavioural traits leaders seem to exhibit when they are performing at their best) and positive consequences for moderate dark side personality traits. Extreme levels of some bright side (e.g., independence, assertiveness, charisma) and dark side (e.g., ego-centred, intimidating, manipulative) traits have been identified as antecedents to exhibiting destructive leadership behaviours. Sustained demonstration of destructive leadership behaviours are associated with harmful outcomes that lead to serious problems for employees in the workplace. Yet there is scarce research into the coping strategies followers employ to cope with destructive leadership.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Applied Psychology
Griffith Health
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The current study contributed to an understanding of the relationship between leader, follower, and organization by exploring the interactions between multi-factor models of servant leadership, destructive leadership, and employee engagement. The sample consisted of 107 self-identified employees of the service industry in the United States. Analysis included the calculation of correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. The results indicated that servant leadership and destructive leadership are not antithetical. There was no significant relationship between courage and subordinate-directed behaviors and only forgiveness and accountability had negative relationships with organization-directed behaviors. It appeared that transparency limits opportunities for destructive leadership as the absence of empowerment and forgiveness predicted subordinate-directed behaviors, and the absence of accountability and forgiveness predicted organization-directed behaviors. Followers are engaged when provided with latitude and honest feedback regarding performance. Forgiveness was the only exception in a set of positive correlations between the factors of servant leadership and employee engagement. The servant leadership factors of empowerment, courage, authenticity, and forgiveness predicted the factors of employee engagement. The lack of significant relationships between destructive leadership and employee engagement indicate that destructive leadership can be persuasive rather than abusive. To be effective, the servant leader must provide the follower with both support and challenge to achieve positive, long-term developmental goals.

It has been a lot of talking about who’s president’s fault has been for the crisis that Started in the United States and how it spread around the world. Is it really a specific group of people’s fault? Our leaders’ responsibility to prevent all this? Or is it all of our fault for living in the illusions leaders created for us in order to keep being elected? I am not here to point fingers but, rather, analyzing what has happened by researching legislations that passed and did not pass, and who lobbied and why they lobbied on specific legislations that could have made a difference in the economic situation but were never given the chance. The research are mainly on the years right before the 2007- 2008 recession and specifically from 2004 to 2006. I conclude with analyzing the types of leadership styles that I feel have influenced the current situation and what is the follower’s responsibility in letting it happen, why, and how they could change the situation.

Instructor-leadership is defined as a process whereby instructors exert intentional influence over students to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationships. This dissertation focuses on instructor-leadership specifically in the context of higher education module/classroom interactions. In this context, research focused on the dominant theory of transformational leadership. This dissertation seeks to offer a balanced perspective on instructor-leadership by examining both transformational and destructive leadership. In so doing, this dissertation takes the first step towards unpicking leadership behaviours in a module by developing context-sensitive measures of both transformational and destructive instructor-leadership. These measures were specifically adapted to the unique situation of instructors in higher education institutions. For the transformational instructor-leadership measure, an education-based secondary dataset of over 2,700 students across the UK was used. The findings indicated three potential quasi-transformational instructor-leadership dimensions. In an additional independent study, these three dimensions showed weak incremental validity, and failed to tap into charisma. Therefore, this educationally-developed measure was used to enhance the context-sensitivity of an already established organizational behaviour measure of transformational leadership. This enhanced measure captured four dimensions of transformational instructor-leadership including idealized influence, consideration, intellectual stimulation, and direction and congruence. Direction and congruence substituted for inspirational motivation or vision in the higher education module context. In the final study, the items derived from the secondary dataset were reworded to reflect personal transformational instructor-leadership, and there was good support for the combined measure’s factor structure as well as its validity. For the destructive instructor-leadership measure, 13 in-depth semi-structured student interviews were conducted in order to determine how students’ perceive destructive leadership in the unique higher education module context. The results of a thematic analysis indicated that destructive instructor-leadership may be conceptualized as consisting of three dimensions, including callous communication, chaotic carelessness, and irresponsibility. The final quantitative study partially confirmed these three dimensions showing that chaotic carelessness slightly overlaps with callous communication and irresponsibility, and another dimension labelled victimization also emerged from the data. Using both of the context-sensitive leadership measures, the final study examined student engagement and burnout as mechanisms that mediated the relationship between (a) transformational instructor-leadership and student achievement, and (b) destructive instructor-leadership and student achievement. The results partially supported the hypothesized relationships. Theoretical and practical implications, along with limitations and suggestions for future research, were discussed.

Military leaders play central roles in responding to sexual assault in the military social ecology, yet their impacts on victims’ post-assault and reporting experiences remain understudied. Using standpoint epistemology and a military-specific social ecological approach, this two-stage project investigated how military leaders impacted survivors’ post-assault and reporting experiences, as well as their experiences with military peers, community resources, and justice and separation processes. Data were gathered through an initial focus group with eight subject matter experts in advocacy, legal work, and policy reform, followed by subsequent in-depth individual interviews with eight female survivors of military sexual assault, seven of whom filed unrestricted reports between 2006 and 2014 and all of whom were separated from service between 2007 and 2015. Analysis was performed with grounded theory.

Findings provide in-depth understanding of the extensive impact of military leaders on survivors’ experiences across the military social ecology. Data indicate that when leaders themselves perpetrated, were affiliated with perpetrators, or became otherwise compromised, they damaged victims’ reporting experiences, recoveries, and support systems. These negative-destructive leaders capitalized on the close-knit, transitory, and male-dominated military environment to recruit other leaders and supports into an escalating process of defamation of and retaliation against survivors—a process described as forming ranks. As this destructive process escalated, it potentiated the harms caused by the initial assault(s) and compromised the support and protection available to victims from peers, positive-constructive leadership, and military community resources. In three cases, it contributed to survivors’ attempting to take their own lives. This destructive process also interacted with structural power dynamics to compound barriers to leader-perpetrator accountability in the command-directed justice system. By forming ranks against survivors, negative-destructive leaders ultimately deprived them of the ability to recover while they remained in service and contributed to their separations from the military—the very purpose of this retaliatory process. All participants provided actionable recommendations to increase leadership accountability and improve the military system, in order to better protect future survivors from the victimization and retraumatization that they or those they knew had endured.

Toxic leaders are a serious problem, but shockingly, there is no standard detection tool that is both efficient and accurate. Compounding the problem are the various definitions and descriptions used to operationalize toxic leadership. This research sought to align the literature, offer a concise definition, and assess the domains indicative of toxic leadership through two conceptually compatible studies. Study 1 involved development of a toxic leader threat detection scale. Results using a variable-centered approach indicated that follower perceptions (n = 357) of leader empathy (4-item scale; α = .93) and the need for achievement recognition (4-item scale; α = .83) significantly predicted the egoistic dominance behaviors (5-item scale; α = .93) employed by toxic leaders (R2 = .647, p < .001). Using a person-centered approach, the scale scores also revealed latent clusters of distinct behavioral patterns, representing significantly different toxic leader threat levels (low, medium, and high). Study 2 assessed whether followers (n = 357), without access to behavioral information, would infer toxic characteristics simply from a leader’s physical appearance. Participants perceived images of male leaders (η2 = .131) with masculine facial structures (η2 = .596) as most likely to behave aggressively, while feminine facial structures (η2 = .400) and female images (η2 = .104) created the highest perceptions of empathy. The subjects also selected male leaders with masculine faces (η2 = .044; η2 = .015) as more likely to desire recognition, but with an inverse relationship (η2 = .073) such that feminine looking males earned the lowest scores. Overall, these results supported the idea that empathy and the need for achievement recognition create an “ego gone wild” condition and, not only can we measure the behavioral tendencies of toxic leaders, but perhaps we can “see” them as well.

Fenomenet ledarskap har sedan länge intresserat forskare från en mängd olika discipliner. Främst har fokus varit på att finna ett allmängiltigt normerande grundrecept utifrån rationella ansatser. Trots en stor mängd vetenskapliga studier, främst baserade på kvantitativt underlag, återstår frågor av mellanmänsklig natur. I sökandet efter det goda och konstruktiva ledarskapet har forskningen den senaste tiden allt mer intresserat sig för fenomenet tillit. Den här studien syftar till att skapa en djupare förståelse för faktorer som bidrar med tillit i ledarskaps sammanhang. I synnerhet berör frågeställningarna vilka faktorer som påverkar tillit i ledarskapet och i organisationer. Främst används beteendeperspektiv som förklaringsmodell. Som underlag för vidare antaganden tolkas empiri från intervjuer. Studien påvisar flera samband mellan redovisade teorier och empiri. Men det finns också flera diskrepanser. Resultatet anger att ett antal faktorer främjar tillit mellan chef och medarbetare. Dialog och återkoppling framträder exempelvis som två viktiga faktorer. Omvänt påverkar s.k. låt-gå ledarskap eller icke-ledarskap medarbetarna och effekten destruktivt. Det framhålls också betydelsen av att organisationen signalerar en tillåtande kultur, att det är tillåtet att göra misstag. Samt att den enskilda chefen har förmåga att skydda medarbetaren från negativ respons. Vidare konstateras också att de vedertagna normativa och rationellt välregisserade teorierna ofta skiljer sig från de tillfrågades mer turbulenta realitet. I intervjuerna framkommer ett samstämmigt behov av att chefer skall tillföra struktur och spelregler. Den kontext som presenteras i studien antas begränsa chefers handlingsförmåga att praktisera de välbeforskade kvantitativa teorierna. Studien påvisar också att konsekvensbedömningar av förväntad respons påverkar medarbetares initiativ. Det är i överenstämmelse med teorin, men där är perspektivet ofta inriktat på relationen chef och medarbetare. Studien indikerar istället att det framförallt är konsekvensbedömningar gentemot kollegor som styr medarbetarnas beteende. Sammantaget påvisar studien att tillit ären viktig faktor i det goda ledarskapet, om än inte den allena saliggörande. Snarare än att vara en enskild agens är tillit en del av en syntes. Utifrån studiens utfall rekommenderas att ytterligare underlag samlas in kring chefers verklighet, för att närmare förstå hur de vedertagnateorierna kan användas praktiskt. Vidare förordas ytterligare undersökningar gällande kollegors inverkan på tillit och beteende.
The phenomenon “leadership” has interested researchers from a variety of disciplines for a long time. The main focus has been on finding a normative and universal formula based on rational approaches. Despite a large number of scientific studies, mainly based on quantitative data, questions about the impact of interpersonal relations remain. In the search for the good and constructive leadership, research has recently become increasingly interested in the phenomenon “trust”. This study aims to create a deeper understanding of factors that contribute to trust in a leadership context. In particular issues concerning which factors that affect trust in organizations and in leadership. Behavioral perspectives are mainly used as the explanatory model. As a basis for further assumptions empirical data from interviews are interpreted. The study demonstrates several connections between theories and empirical data. But there are also several discrepancies. The results indicate that a number of factors promote trust between manager and employees, e.g. dialogue and feedback appear to be important. Conversely, “laissez-faire” or “non-leadership” impact employees and organizational effect in a destructive way. The importance of the organization signaling a tolerant culture is also emphasized, that it is permissible to make mistakes. It’s also vital that managers have the ability to protect the employee from negative feedback. Furthermore, it is also stated that the most common normative and rational theories often differ from the more turbulent reality of the respondents. The results also show that there is a need from managers to add structure and rules within the organizations. The context presented in the study is assumed to affect managers' ability to practice the well-researched quantitative theories. The study also shows that consequence assessments of expected response affects initiatives. This is in line with theory, but the perspective is usually focused on the relationship between manager and employee. Instead, the study indicates that it is primarily impact assessments between colleagues that govern employees' behavior. In summary, the study shows that trust is an important factor in constructive leadership, although not the only prevailing one. Rather than being a single agent, trust is a part of a synthesis. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that further data is collected regarding managers' reality, in order to better understand how the well researched quantitative theories can be used in practice. Furthermore, more studies of how colleagues impact trust and behavior are advocated, in order to verify the interpretations.

Leadership style can have major consequences for the employees’ work environment and well-being. There are several theories that focus on the positive aspects of leadership styles, such as transformative, coaching, and situational leadership, which constitute the theoretical frameworks for the present study. It has also been recognized that destructive leadership behaviors can have a negative impact on the employees and the organization. The purpose of the present study was to investigate what, according to managers, characterizes constructive leadership and destructive leadership, and whether these characteristics originate in individual or organizational factors. Four managers working in private companies in Stockholm with varying backgrounds and industries were found through snowball selection and were interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The result showed that managers characterize constructive leadership as motivation, communication, self-efficacy, coaching approach, situational adjustment, development opportunities, recruitment, and participation. Destructive leadership was characterized as inefficiency, lack of experience, authority-related issues, micro-management lack of time, and organizational culture. These characteristics were further categorized as follows. The individual factors that were identified for constructive leadership were motivation, communication, self-efficacy, coaching approach, situational adjustment and for destructive leadership are inefficiency, lack of experience, authority-related issues and micro-leadership. The organizational factors that were identified for constructive leadership were development opportunities, recruitment, participation, and for destructive leadership the factors were lack of time and organizational culture. The analysis illustrates leadership as a complex process where knowledge about leadership styles gives great possibility to practicing constructive leadership. At the same time, it must be noted that organizational factors have a major impact on the leaders' ability to apply constructive leadership and, in the worst-case scenario, can result in behaviors leading to destructive leadership. The study is very limited in terms of representativeness since the population was very small and the purpose was explorative.
Ledarskapets utformning kan innebära stora konsekvenser för de anställdas arbetsmiljö och välmående. Det finns flera teorier om ledarskapsstilar som fokuserar på de positiva aspekterna av ledarskap, såsom transformativt, coachande och situationsanpassat ledarskapsstil, vilka utgör teoretisk ram för denna uppsats. Det har även uppmärksammats att destruktiva ledarbeteenden kan ha en negativ inverkan på de anställda och organisationen. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vad chefer anser orsakar ett konstruktivt respektive destruktivt ledarskap samt vilka av dessa orsaker anser chefer härstammar i individuella respektive organisatoriska faktorer. Första frågeställningen var; vad anser chefer kännetecknar ett konstruktivt respektive destruktivt ledarskap? Den andra frågeställningen var; vilka av dessa kännetecken anser chefer härstammar i individuella respektive organisatoriska faktorer? Fyra stycken chefer inom privata företag i Stockholm med varierande bakgrund och bransch hittades genom snöbollsurval och intervjuades. Data analyserades med tematisk analys. Resultatet visade att chefer anser att konstruktivt ledarskap kännetecknas av motivation, kommunikation, självbestämmelse, coachande förhållningssätt, situationsanpassning, utvecklingsmöjligheter, rekrytering, delaktighet och destruktivt ledarskap kännetecknas av ineffektivitet, erfarenhetsbrist, auktoritetsproblematik, mikroledarskap tidsbrist och bristande organisationskultur. Dessa faktorer delas upp i individuella och organisatoriska faktorer enligt följande. Individuella faktorer som identifierades för konstruktivt ledarskap var motivation, kommunikation, självbestämmelse, coachande förhållningssätt och situationsanpassning. För destruktivt ledarskap identifierades ineffektivitet, erfarenhetsbrist, auktoritetsproblematik och mikroledarskap som individuella faktorer. De organisatoriska faktorer som identifierades för konstruktivt ledarskap var utvecklingsmöjligheter, rekrytering, delaktighet och för destruktivt ledarskap identifierades faktorerna tidsbrist och organisationskultur. Analysen åskådliggör ledarskapet som en komplex process där kunskap kring ledarskapsstilar ger stor fördel för tillämpning av ett konstruktivt ledarskap. Samtidigt måste det uppmärksammas att organisatoriska faktorer har storpåverkan på ledarnas möjlighet till tillämpning av ett konstruktivt ledarskap och kan i värsta fall resultera i beteenden som leder till destruktivt ledarskap. Studien är kraftigt begränsat i termer av representativitet då urvalet var mycket litet och syftet var explorativt.

Who has never heard anything about leadership? This concept appears almost everywhere: in the classroom, on TV program, in reviews, in books, etc. However, who really knows about the real nature of leadership? Most of you might have a good image of it in mind. However, the reality is far different. How many of you have ever listened to stories whereby people were stressed or were depressive due to their job? In this thesis, we will expose how the business environment is "contaminated" by leaders presenting toxic behaviours. Once toxic behaviours occur in the company, the entire system becomes "alienated", its welfare is undermined. Leaders, in our view, act like snakes which, with its venom contaminate, step by step, their environment. The best way to erase toxins, in such surrounding is to be first aware of its root. For knowing this issue, please, attach your belt, the travel will start …

Målet med dette arbeidet er å få kunnskaper om lederes mobbing, relatere det til konseptet destruktiv ledelse, og undersøke hvilken betydning makt og verdier kan ha i denne prosessen. Hensikten er å bruke kunnskapen til å bekjempe mobbing. Metode: Dette er en litteraturstudie med et systemteoretisk perspektiv. Mobbingen blir sett på som en dynamisk prosess med interaksjon mellom lederen som mobber, mobbeofferet, arbeidsgruppen og organisasjonen, hvor de alle inngår i et flerdimensjonalt system. Det er lagt stor vekt på å presisere begrepene. Resultater: Det er funnetgode holdepunkter for å hevde at ledere som mobber utøveren meget skadelig form for ledelse. I denne prosessen som har en tendens til å eskalere over tid, spiller makt og verdier en viktig rolle. Ledere med en psykopatisk personlighet kan praktisere ledelse på en måte som får store negative konsekvenser for organisasjonen og de ansatte, og slike personer har en tendens til å misbruke makt. De kan likevel bli ansatt som ledere fordi de har egenskaper som organisasjonen søker og setter pris på. Det er ikke enighet om at mobbing er en uetisk handling. Litteraturen viser at enkelte ledere bruker mobbing strategisk for å oppnå egne fordeler, eller for kontrollere eller straffe de ansatte. Mobbing kan inngå i en bevisst ”organisasjonspolitikk” som blir aksepterti visse organisasjoner. Bedriftsetikk ser i mange sammenhenger ut til å være et begrep uten forpliktende innhold. Det er undersøkt hvordan begrepene managementideologi, instrumentell rasjonalitet og paradokser kan påvirkelederes mobbing. Managementideologien som gjennomsyrer synet på ledelse i store deler av samfunnet, i offentlige organisasjoner i form av New Public Management, er preget av instrumentelle verdier og en utilitaristisk etikk. Dette kan stå i motsetning til den grunnleggende respekt for mennesket som er et fundament i Emmanuel Kants etikk. Konklusjon:Studiet viser atlederes mobbingav ansatte er et meget utbredt og alvorlig problem som er svært ødeleggende for personer og organisasjoner. Det er dermed et betydelig folkehelseproblem.
Objectives: This study aimed to gain insight into the process of leaders bullying their subordinates, relate it to the concept of destructive leadership, and examinethe role of power and values in this process. The overall aim was to provide knowledge about how toreduce bullying. Method: This literature study looked at workplace bullying from the perspective of systems theory. Bullying is seen as a dynamic process characterized by interactions between the perpetrator, the victim, the workgroup, and the organization. The author has given priority toprecision of concept definitions. Results: The literature suggests that leaders who bully practicea very destructive form of leadership. Powerand values play an important rolein the bullying process, which tends to escalate over time.Leaders with a psychopathic personality practicea leadership style that may have serious negative consequences for the organization and its employees. Although psychopathic leaders often misuse power they may retain their leadership role because they seem to have personality traits the organization seeks and appreciates. Interestingly, the author found no agreement about bullying being an immoral act. The literature shows that some leaders use bullying strategically for personal gain or to control or punish employees. Bullying may be part of the organization politics accepted by some organizations,and business ethics often sees to be a concept without areal obligation. An overview discusse show the concepts of management ideology, instrumental rationality and paradoxes may affect leaders ́bullying and harassment. Instrumental values and utilitarian ethics dominate the management ideology that strongly influences leadership in a large part of society, and in public organizations such as New Public Management.This is often in opposition to the fundamental respect for the person that is central to the ethics of Emmanuel Kant. Conclusions: This study shows thatorganization leaders who bully their subordinates representa large and serious problem, with very destructive consequences for persons and organizations. Bullying is thus an important public health problem

ISBN 978-91-86739-83-6

Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais
Com cada vez novos desafios e paradigmas com que as organizações empresariais mundiais se confrontam, a exigência, a capacidade de resposta, a eliminação do fator erro e a inovação são fatores que diferenciam organizações com sucesso de organizações sem sucesso. A Liderança Destrutiva representa hoje um fator de importância acrescida quando se fala do sucesso e desenvolvimento de uma organização. Os comportamentos destrutivos são caraterizados por serem sistemáticos, visarem o prejuízo da organização e utilizarem incorretamente recursos afetos à mesma. Posto isto, este estudo visa analisar a perceção dos funcionários de organizações familiares para práticas de liderança destrutiva. Para tal, foi recolhida informação de 100 funcionários de organizações familiares das mais diversas áreas de atividade, através de inquérito por questionário. Os resultados obtidos permitem afirmar que não existe por parte dos funcionários inquiridos perceção para comportamentos destrutivos nas suas organizações.
With ever new challenges and paradigms with which global business organizations are faced with, requirement, responsiveness, zero error and innovation are factors that differentiate successful organizations from unsuccessful organizations. Destructive Leadership represents a factor of increased importance when discussing the success and development of an organization. Destructive behaviours are characterized by being systematic, definition of harmful objectives for the organization and the incorrectly use of the organization resources. This study aims to analyze the employee?s perception of family organizations to destructive leadership practices. For this analysis, information was gathered from 100 employees of family organizations from various fields of activity, through questionnaire survey. The results obtained allow us to state that there is no perception of the respondents to destructive behaviours in their organizations.

Purpose: The purpose with this study is to find out and understand whether athlete's performance can be affected by destructive leadership in sports organizations, then weigh this together with theory. This is a try to contribute to the discourse on destructive leadership.   Method: This study is performed using a qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interviews in which the interviewees are selected through a convenience sampling.   Theoretical framework: This investigation’s theoretical framework consists of theories dealing with leadership, leadership in sports organizations, power, destructive leadership, how destructive leadership can be positive and how it can be negative.    Empiricism: This investigation’s empiricism consists of 17 interviews with athletes who have experienced a destructive leader in sports organizations.  Conclusion: All athletes could express a negative influence on performance from destructive leadership, but the majority who expressed a positive influence expressed that it was a kind of fear, pressure or anger among the athletes that made the athletes perform better as the motivation and the desire to disprove the leader increased. How the destructive leader influence the athlete may depend on the athlete's personality and attitude. It is possible to discern in this study that athletes look, feel and respond differently to a destructive leadership, which can determine the positive and/or negative effects.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Políticas de Desenvolvimento de Recursos Humanos
Dado o conjunto de empresas portuguesas e internacionais que morreram por razões relacionadas com o modo destrutivo de liderar, esta investigação procurou analisar como a liderança destrutiva conduziu à morte do Banco Espírito Santo sediado em Portugal. A investigação foi baseada em dados qualitativos, mediante uma série de documentos de arquivo (jornais, diários e revistas), que fundamentaram o estudo de caso em análise. Do tratamento dos dados, usando a Grounded Theory, emergiu um modelo traduzido por um processo de cinco etapas ou temas (entre os anos 2013 e 2014) que conduzem à morte da organização. O processo é composto pelos temas: irregularidades/corrupção; início dos prejuízos; guerra familiar pela sucessão; tentativa de reanimação (tentativa de manter o grupo fora da família) e a morte definitiva da organização. O modelo contribui para a teoria sobre liderança destrutiva, sugerindo um processo útil para prevenir a morte das organizações. No final, são discutidas as implicações teóricas, práticas e metodológicas deste estudo.
Given the set of Portuguese and international companies who have died for reasons related to the destructive way to lead, this research sought to analyze how destructive leadership led to the death of Banco Espírito Santo headquartered in Portugal. The research was based on qualitative data through a series of archival documents (newspapers, journals and magazines) underlying the case study analysis. Processing of data, using Grounded Theory, emerged a model translated by a five-step process or issues (between the years 2013 and 2014) that lead to the death of the organization. The process consists of the themes: irregularities / corruption; early losses; family war for succession; resuscitation attempt (attempt to keep the group outside the family) and definitive death of the organization. The model contributes to the theory of destructive leadership, suggesting a useful process model to prevent the death of the organizations. In the end, we discuss the theoretical implications, practical and methodological study.
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Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais
O “lado negro” da liderança tem vindo a suscitar maior interesse por parte dos investigadores. Os diversos estudos demonstram que a liderança destrutiva (LD) prejudica a organização e as pessoas que nela trabalham. Contudo, ainda pouco se sabe sobre as consequências da LD na inovação organizacional. Os resultados desta investigação revelam que a LD tem um impacto negativo na capacidade das empresas inovarem. Os estilos de liderança existentes na organização também podem determinar o clima ético. Os resultados mostram que a LD está relacionada positivamente com um clima ético em que predominam os auto-interesses. Por sua vez, o clima ético dominante na organização pode ter influência na sua capacidade de inovação. De facto, os resultados indicam que o clima auto-interesse está negativamente relacionado com a capacidade de inovação. Por outro lado, o clima caring está positivamente relacionado com a capacidade de inovação. Por último, encontra-se suporte para o efeito mediador do clima ético na relação entre a LD e a capacidade de inovação organizacional. Esta pesquisa seguiu uma abordagem quantitativa e correlacional. A informação foi recolhida junto a trabalhadores de diversas empresas (N=210), através da aplicação de um questionário.
Researchers are increasingly paying more attention to the “dark side” of leadership. A number of studies indicate that destructive leadership (DL) affects the organization and the people that work there. However, little is known about the consequences of DL in organizational innovation. The results of this investigation reveal that DL has a negative impact on the organizational innovativeness. The leadership style can also determine the ethical climate. The results indicate that the DL is positively related to ethical climate in which self-interest predominate. In turn, the prevailing ethical work climate in organizations also influences their innovativeness. In fact, the results show that self-interest climate is negatively related to organizational innovativeness. On the other hand, the caring climate is positively related to organizational innovativeness. Finally, there is support for the mediating effect of ethical climate in the relationship between DL and organizational innovativeness. This study followed a quantitative and correlational approach. The information was collected from employees of several companies (N = 210), using a questionnaire.

Inconsistent modern tribal government political leadership standards are common throughout Indian Country. There is an urgent need to address the causes and effects of tribal political instability and the root of this instability which lies in the lack of leadership and the absence of a realistic leadership identity, specific to nations like the Northern Cheyenne. The modern concepts of tribal leadership are inconsistent, undefined, and if they do exist these concepts are incompatible with traditional Indian culture, spirituality, and community needs. Traditional Cheyenne concepts of leadership are rooted in the oral tradition and the Cheyenne ceremonial practices.This is a study of the Northern Cheyenne change in leadership concepts and the loss of traditional concepts of leadership during the time after their last armed resistance and before the establishment of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Constitutional government. The history of Northern Cheyenne Nation is comprised of heroic triumphs and tragedies. Throughout this rich history, there have been spiritual and political leaders who have contributed to the survival of the Northern Cheyenne people. Leadership, from the perspective of the Cheyenne, and the traditional Cheyenne governing system were rooted in spiritual teachings, ceremonies, and sustained through serving the people. These ancient concepts of leadership allowed for stability. These traditional concepts were destroyed through colonization, and this led to political dysfunction.The goal of this study is to first identify the traditional concepts leadership, then identify the significant changes in these concepts of leadership to discuss how these changes have led to the current political instability of the Northern Cheyenne government. What were the major changes in traditional Cheyenne leadership and governance that occurred between 1876 and 1935? How did these changes in traditional leadership and governance occur? What traditional political, spiritual, and economic institutions of the Cheyenne were changed and how were they changed? What was Cheyenne leadership and governance like after the establishment of a reservation and after the establishment of an Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) constitutional government? What can the Northern Cheyenne people expect in the future of tribal leadership and government?

The present study is structured to investigate the condition for the existence of destructive leadership, focusing on the leader profile and behavior, as well as environmental proneness, interpreted into ethical climate. Another main objective is to understand how organizational liabilities, preceded by ethical climate vulnerabilities, are related to a higher vulnerability to the adoption of corruption behaviors. In order to test the relation between the variables, a survey was conducted among 126 individuals who are not working in a leadership position. A model has been proposed in which the relationship between destructive leadership and vulnerability to corruption is mediated by ethical climate. The results show that there is a higher level of vulnerability to corruption when exists an instrumental ethical climate, that can be prompted by an inadequate leadership, whether by, miscommunication, mismanagement, or abusive behavior. In other hand, vulnerability to corruption is diminished when independence ethical climate is inhibited by communication dimension of destructive leadership.
O presente estudo pretende investigar as condições para a existência de liderança destrutiva, focando-se no perfil e comportamento do líder, bem como na propensão do clima ético. Outro objetivo principal deste estudo é compreender como o clima ético está associado a uma maior vulnerabilidade para a adopção de comportamentos corruptos. De modo a testar a relação entre as variáveis, foi aplicado um questionário a 126 indivíduos que não exercessem um papel de chefia dentro da sua organização. Foi proposto um modelo no qual a relação entre liderança destrutiva e vulnerabilidade à corrupção é mediada pelo clima ético. Os resultados demonstram que existe um nível mais alto de vulnerabilidade à corrupção quando existe um clima ético instrumental, que pode ser provocado por uma liderança inadequada, quer por falhas de comunicação, falhas na gestão ou comportamentos abusivos. Por outro lado, a vulnerabilidade à corrupção é reduzida quando o clima ético de independência é inibido pela componente da comunicação da liderança destrutiva.

The aim of this thesis is to study trust in military leaders. Empirical data was gathered through interviews and questionnaires with military personnel mostly from Sweden, but also from four other European countries. Paper I illustrates that trust in military leaders can be theoretically understood in terms of a hierarchical system of categories, higher-level categories and two superior categories labelled Individual-related and Communication- and relationship-related characteristics. Paper II examines how trust between military leaders and their subordinates is related to negative critical incidents in international operations. The results show that trust can be affected by pre-existing influences, of both an individual and contextual nature. The level of trust that develops between leaders and subordinates appears to have an influence on perceptions and re-evaluations of leaders’ trustworthiness during and after involvement in critical incidents. In Paper III, an instrument, Destrudo-L, was developed to measure destructive leadership behaviours on five different dimensions: Arrogant, unfair, Threats, punishments, overdemands, Ego-oriented, false, Passive, cowardly, and Uncertain, unclear, messy. In Paper IV the relationship between constructive and destructive leadership behaviours and trust is examined. The results show that constructive leadership contributed most to trust in the immediate supervisor. A great deal of trust in immediate supervisors can be understood by evaluating both constructive and destructive leadership behaviours. This thesis contributes with context-specific knowledge on trust in leaders in a military context and knowledge of psychological processes and individual dispositions that shape and change the willingness to trust leaders. The main findings presented in this thesis are the identification of characteristics of the trustor, the trustee, and the context which influences trust in military leaders.

Undesirable leadership behaviours such as workplace bullying, destructive or toxic leadership are reportedly on the increase with negative effects on both the well-being of employees and the organisation (Salin, 2003). Since there is limited empirical evidence regarding the relationship between destructive leadership and psychological distress, the purpose of this study was to determine whether such a relationship exists among employees in South African organisations. Furthermore, the study intended to investigate whether gender has a moderating effect on this relationship. Destructive leadership behaviour is defined as the systematic and repeated behaviour by a leader, supervisor or manager that violates the legitimate interest of the organisation by undermining and/or sabotaging the organisation's goals, tasks, resources, and effectiveness and/or the motivation, well-being or job satisfaction of his/her subordinates (Einarsen, Aasland & Skogstad, 2007). With a sample (n = 200) of South African employees, the study adopted a correlational design and used the Destructive Leadership Behaviour Scale developed by Aasland, Skogstad and Einarsen (2008) as well as the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-45 developed by Derogatis, Lipman, Richels, Uhlenhuth and Covi (1974) to assess the relationship between destructive leadership behaviour and psychological distress as well as the moderating effect of gender. The results indicated that two of the six hypotheses were accepted. H2, there is a relationship between overall destructive leadership and psychological distress, has been accepted. Furthermore H5, there is a significant correlation between the participants’ overall destructive leadership scores and overall psychological distress, was also accepted. Finally H6, gender has a moderating effect on the relationship between participants overall destructive leadership scores and overall psychological distress scores, was rejected.
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
gm2014
Human Resource Management
unrestricted

La documentation scientifique s’intéresse généralement aux formes de leadership destructif et constructif et à leurs conséquences de façon isolée. Ainsi, peu d’attention a été portée au positionnement des comportements destructifs par rapport aux comportements constructifs. Or, l’étude de leur amalgame s’avère importante dans le contexte où un gestionnaire étant perçu à la fois comme une source de stress et de soutien pourrait être plus délétère pour ses employés qu’un gestionnaire étant plus clairement perçu comme une source de stress. Ce phénomène nommé exacerbation intra-source soutient qu’un un profil de leadership caractérisé par l’utilisation conjointe de comportements destructifs et constructifs serait plus délétère pour le bien-être et la performance des employés, qu’un profil plus clairement destructif. Ce phénomène serait théoriquement expliqué par la perception d’incertitude des comportements du gestionnaire. Cette thèse propose à travers deux articles d’examiner les amalgames de comportements de leadership destructif et constructif présentés par les gestionnaires et leurs liens avec l’épanouissement au travail et l’habilitation comportementale des employés, des indicateurs de bien-être et de performance. Elle propose aussi de vérifier si ces amalgames sont liés à la perception d’incertitude des comportements du gestionnaire. Le premier article vérifie les combinaisons de leadership tyrannique et transformationnel perçues par 2104 employés d’une organisation policière. Les résultats montrent que les gestionnaires de cette organisation amalgament ces comportements et qu’un profil caractérisé par des niveaux légèrement sous la moyenne à la fois de de leadership tyrannique et de leadership transformationnel serait plus néfaste pour l’épanouissement et iv l’habilitation comportementale des employés, qu’un profil de leadership plus clairement destructif ou un profil plus constructif. Le second article élargit le champ de recherche en s’intéressant à un ensemble plus large de comportements représentatifs du spectre du leadership destructif-constructif. Les combinaisons de leadership et leur lien avec l’épanouissement, l’habilitation comportementale et l’incertitude des comportements du gestionnaire sont investigués par l’entremise des perceptions de 305 employés d’une organisation du secteur des ressources naturelles. Les résultats obtenus dans cette organisation soutiennent également que les gestionnaires amalgament des comportements destructifs et constructifs. Certains gestionnaires présentent un profil généralement constructif, mais caractérisé par plus de comportements destructifs, comparativement à d’autres ayant un profil plus clairement constructif. Un dernier profil de gestionnaires plus destructifs est observé et serait lié aux niveaux les plus faibles d’épanouissement et d’habilitation comportementale, ainsi que le plus élevé d’incertitude, ne soutenant pas la présence d’exacerbation intra-source. L’exacerbation intra-source est toutefois observée en présence de dyades spécifiques de comportements de leadership. Cette thèse contribue à améliorer notre compréhension des combinaisons comportementales de leadership typiquement présentées par les gestionnaires. Elle contribue aussi à l’identification des conditions précises dans lesquelles l’exacerbation intra-source est élicitée dans le contexte du leadership. Ce phénomène serait uniquement observé sur l’épanouissement et l’habilitation comportementale en présence de dyades spécifiques de comportements destructifs et constructifs reposant sur le même mécanisme d’influence. Dans cette optique, seule une de ces dyades serait liée à la perception d’incertitude, ouvrant ainsi à la possibilité à l’existence de plus d’un mécanisme explicatif de l’exacerbation intra-source.
The scientific literature generally focuses on forms of destructive and constructive leadership and their consequences in isolation. Little attention has been paid to the positioning of destructive behaviors in relation to constructive behaviors. However, the examination of their combinations is an important matter considering that a leader who is perceived as a source of stress and support could be more deleterious for his employees than a leader who is more clearly perceived as a source of stress. This phenomenon, called within-domain exacerbation, suggests that a leadership profile characterized by both destructive and constructive behaviors would be more deleterious for employees’ well-being and performance than one more clearly characterized by destructive behaviors. This phenomenon is theoretically explained by perception of the leader’s behaviors uncertainty. This thesis proposes through two articles to examine how leaders combine destructive and constructive behaviors and how these combinations are related with thriving at work and behavioral empowerment, respectively indicators of well-being and performance. It also proposes to verify if these combinations are related to perceptions of the leader’s behaviors uncertainty. The first article examines combinations of petty tyranny and transformational leadership perceived by 2104 employees of a police organization. Results show that leaders of this organization do combine these behaviors and that a profile characterized by slightly below average levels of petty tyranny and transformational leadership appears to be more deleterious for employees thriving and behavioral empowerment, compared to a more clearly destructive profile and a more constructive profile. The second article considers a broader set of behaviors representative of the destructive-constructive leadership spectrum. Combinations of leadership behaviors and their vii relations with thriving, behavioral empowerment, and the leader’s behaviors uncertainty were investigated through the perception of 305 employees of an organization working in the natural resource industry. Results also show leaders of this organization do combine destructive and constructive behaviors. Some leaders present a generally constructive profile, but characterized by higher levels of destructive behaviors, compared to others who present a more clearly constructive profile. A destructive leadership profile was also observed and is related to the lowest levels of thriving and behaviors empowerment, and the highest level of uncertainty, not supporting the presence of within-domain exacerbation. However, within-domain exacerbation is observed in the presence of specific dyadic combination of leadership behaviors. This thesis contributes to improve our understanding of the leadership profiles typically presented by leaders. It also contributes to the identification of the precise conditions under which within-domain exacerbation is elicited when leadership behaviors are considered. This phenomenon is only observed on thriving at work and behavioral empowerment when leaders present a specific dyadic combination of destructive and constructive behaviors which rely on the same influence mechanism. Moreover, only one of these specific combinations is related to perception of uncertainty, suggesting more than one mechanism could underpin within-domain exacerbation.

A snapshot of the current state of the business world is given, followed by the proposition that people are the root cause of the problems therein. Mutual influence between individual and organisation is depicted. The corporate psychopath is identified as being especially problematic. Therefore measures to prevent the recruitment of psychopaths into organisations will be studied. The objectives of this research report are: • To establish whether South African organisations are aware of the problems caused by psychopaths. • To establish what screening processes are in place in South African organisations to identify psychopaths. • To suggest additional measures that would prevent the recruitment of psychopaths into organisations.

Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel of daar 'n behoefte aan spesifieke terapeutiese riglyne vir oudlede van destruktiewe kultes bestaan. Die studie is daarop gemik om aanvullend tot die bestaande inligting rakende terapie te werk te gaan. Die uitgangspunt van hierdie studie is dat die invloed wat psigiese beheer (mind control) op 'n persoon kan he, tydens terapie in aanmerking geneem behoort te word. Gedurende literatuurstudie en persoonlike kontak met oud-kultelede is bevind dat individue selfs jare na die beeindiging van lidmaatskap onder die gevolge van psigiese beheer ly. Dit wil voorkom asof die probleme nie opklaar voordat insig ontwikkel is in die wyse waarop misleiding en beheer plaasgevind het nie. Dit sou vir 'n terapeut dus nodig wees om die verbande wat daar tussen sielkundige probleme wat deur persone ervaar word en psigiese beheer bestaan, in te sien voordat terapie suksesvol aangepak kan word. Ter aanvang is die definisies en kenmerke van kultes bespreek. Die persoonlikheid, wyse van gesagsuitoefening en relasies van die tipiese kulteleier is aan die orde gestel. Faktore wat vatbaarheid vir werwing by kultes kan verhoog, is bespreek en onderskeid is getref tussen die twee belangrikste beinvloedingstrategiee wat daar in kultes kan bestaan, te wete breinspoeling en psigiese beheer. Die verloop van die proses van psigiese beheer is bespreek asook die nadele wat lidmaatskap by kultes vir die individu kan inhou. Die volgende sielkundige prosesse wat by psigiese beheer betrokke kan wees, is aan die orde gestel, naamlik: houdings, oorreding, kognitiewe dissonansie en toestande van gewysigde bewussyn waaronder dissasiasie, psigagene amnesie, depersanalisasie, derealisasie, hipnose en suggestie. Ten einde meer akkurate inligting van die tipiese aud-kultelid te bekam, is anderhaude met ses aud-kultelede gevaer. Terwille van kwalitatiewe verdieping, is diepte-andersaeke op twee van hierdie persane uitgevaer. Op grand van inligting wat uit die literatuurstudie en van die praefpersone verkry is, is riglyne vir die antwerp van 'n terapeutiese program vir oud-kultelede saamgestel.
The aim of this study is to ascertain whether a need exists for specific therapeutic guidelines for ex-members of destructive cults. This study is intended to work complementary to existing therapeutic techniques. The point of departure of this study is that the influence that the process of mind control can have on a person, should be taken into consideration in therapy. During the literature study and personal contact with ex-cult members it was found that even years after they had left the cult, individuals still suffered from the consequences of mind control. Apparently problems are not solved before insight is gained into the way in which deception and control has taken place. For a therapist it would thus be necessary to gain insight into the relationship that exists between psychological problems that people experience and mind control before therapy can be successfully undertaken. Initially the definitions and characteristics of cults are discussed. The personality, methods of exercising control and the relationships of the typical cult leader are discussed. Factors that can make a person more vulnerable to recruitment are discussed and a distinction is made between the two main influencing strategies in cults, namely brainwashing and mind control. The course of the process of mind control is discussed, as well as the personal disadvantages of membership to cults. The following psychological processes which can be present in mind control, are discussed, namely: attitudes, persuasion, cognitive dissonance and conditions of altered consciousness, i.e. dissociation, psychogenic amnesia, depersonalisation, derealisation, hypnosis and suggestion. In order to obtain more accurate information about the typical ex-cult member, interviews were conducted with a sample group of six persons. For the sake of qualitative deepening, in-depth studies were conducted with two of these persons. On the basis of the information that was obtained from the literature study and from the sample group, guidelines for the design of a therapeutic program for ex-cultists are presented.
Psychology of education
D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)