A new study to be released this weekend by the Academy of Management shows that spiteful leaders tend to suffer no ill consequences for their actions. In fact, they tend to get promoted. Said the study’s authors:
“The fact that 64.2 percent of the respondents indicated that either nothing at all or something positive happened to the bad leader is rather remarkable — remarkably disturbing.”
Disturbing indeed, but perhaps not completely surprising to those of us who have worked with and for a litany of “interesting” executives. What was great about the study is that it points out the consequences of this type of malaise in the workplace, including insomnia, depression, exhaustion and even nightmares for the employees and subordinates of these lovely bosses.
So who’s to blame? Senior management, say the study’s authors:
“The leaders above them who did nothing, who rewarded and promoted bad leaders … represent an additional problem.”
The study will be presented at this weekend’s Academy of Management Annual Conference, entitled “Doing Well by Doing Good”. I won’t be in attendance and I’ll be doing well by doing nothing on vacation. We’ll keep the conversation going upon my return on August the 13th.
In the meantime, keep your head down and watch out for bad seeds in the workplace.
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Has this effect been named? If not, I have a few names that might suit it perfectly…