{"id":6245,"date":"2023-11-03T06:21:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T22:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/__corporatepsychopaths\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T13:18:22","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T05:18:22","slug":"corporatepsychopaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/corporatepsychopaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Collaborate, ideate, exterminate\u2026 Could you be working with a \u2018corporate psychopath\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How would you describe a \u2018psychopath\u2019? Books and movies like the chilling American Psycho<\/em> and Tom Harris\u2019 thriller Silence of the Lambs<\/em> would have us believe that the definition of a \u2018psycho\u2019 is a cannibalistic, chainsaw throwing, crazed individual. A loner who bears absolutely no resemblance to anyone we know or interact with in our day-to-day lives. However, research undertaken by Curtin alumnus Professor Clive Boddy reveals that the definition of a psychopath is much broader than initially thought, and suggests that a breed of psychopath, the \u2018corporate psychopath\u2019, can be found leading corporations and maintaining influential political roles that see them apparently representing the values and interests of the remaining 99 per cent of people who are deemed to be \u2018normal\u2019.<\/p>\n

Boddy, now a Professor of Leadership and Organisation Behaviour at Middlesex University in the UK, began researching corporate psychopaths over a decade ago. His interest in the subject area stemmed not only from a genuine interest in research and research techniques but also because he himself had personally encountered potential corporate psychopaths in the workplace, and set out to enhance his understanding of the corporate psychopath\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m interested in research techniques themselves such as projective techniques, focus groups and qualitative research, but also in toxic leadership in the form of corporate psychopaths in management and leadership positions. My interest in both of these stems from my work in commercial market research when I met some people of unusual cunning and manipulative abilities\u201d, Boddy explains.<\/p>\n

His initial research led him to investigate the connection between corporate psychopaths and workplace bullying<\/a>. Turns out there\u2019s a natural crossover between the two.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, Boddy found that the prevalence of bullying was far higher among organisations that had a higher percentage of managers who were identified as corporate psychopaths, or had psychopathic traits. His 2008 research project, which involved surveying and interviewing 346 managers throughout organisations in Western Australia, revealed that the one per cent of corporate psychopaths within organisations accounted for 26 per cent of the bullying. In addition, employees supervised by a \u2018normal\u2019 manager encountered bullying less than once a month, as opposed to those with corporate psychopath managers who encountered bullying 1.3 times a week. Boddy has found that for some unfortunate employees, psychopathic bullying is a repetitive daily event.<\/p>\n

Corporate psychopaths deconstructed<\/h2>\n

They go by many other names. \u2018Executive psychopaths\u2019, \u2018industrial psychopaths\u2019, \u2018organisational psychopaths\u2019, and even \u2018organisational sociopaths\u2019. The concept of \u2018corporate psychopaths\u2019 marries the terms \u2018psychopath\u2019 from psychological literature, meaning someone with a distinctive lack of emotional response in the brain, resulting in a lack of empathy and care for others, with the term \u2018corporate\u2019 from the area of business, to denote a psychopath who works and operates in an organisational environment.<\/p>\n

Corporate psychopaths, Boddy explains, are generally charming, sociable, initially friendly and even seductive towards those who assist them in achieving their goal or meeting their agenda. However, to others, particularly subordinates, they are quite the opposite.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo people they need to impress, the corporate psychopath\u2019s image or fa\u00e7ade almost never varies and those above them typically think of them as \u2018star\u2019 employees \u2013 marked for further promotion and advancement in the organisation. To everyone else \u2013 especially those below the corporate psychopath \u2013 their true manipulative, bullying, ruthless, callous, uncaring, untruthful, parasitic and abusive personality soon becomes apparent\u201d, Boddy says.<\/p>\n

Representing approximately one per cent of the population, it\u2019s thought that while \u2018psychopaths\u2019 from disadvantaged backgrounds will tend towards criminal psychopathy, often resulting in prison time and recidivism, those from more privileged and educated origins gravitate to positions that provide them power, control, prestige, wealth, and other attractions that essentially embody \u2018success\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cPositions such as CEO and in corporate banking or finance would theoretically be especially attractive to them, whereas the lower paid \u2018caring professions\u2019 would hold less interest to them\u201d, says Boddy.<\/p>\n

They can typically be categorised as having one or more of three personality types, otherwise known as the \u2018dark triad\u2019. The \u2018narcissist\u2019 is characterised by grandiosity, entitlement, dominance and superiority. The \u2018Machiavellian\u2019 is described as cynical, unprincipled and likely to use manipulation for self-gain and life success; and the \u2018psychopath\u2019 demonstrates high levels of impulsivity and thrill-seeking behaviour along with low levels of empathy.<\/p>\n

And in the corporate world, where strong and capable leaders are often branded as \u2018ruthless\u2019, \u2018autonomous\u2019 and \u2018emotionless\u2019, Boddy explains that the corporate psychopath is frequently enabled in such an environment, and can even flourish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid we are encouraging psychopathy to some extent. My research supports the notion that the only real \u2018rational, economic person\u2019 \u2013 so beloved of economic theory \u2013 is actually a cold, rational, unemotional psychopath. The rest of us are rightly influenced by emotional considerations which temper any ruthlessness and selfish greed because we care about other people\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

\"Girl<\/p>\n

Corporate psychopaths make the perfect workplace bullies. Image: Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Mind your business: impacts on organisational culture<\/h2>\n

Boddy\u2019s research indicates that bullying and corporate psychopathy marry well, which means the impacts of having corporate psychopaths within an organisation, and the subsequent effects on staff, can be detrimental.<\/p>\n

Boddy explains that they typically bully for two main reasons: firstly, for predatory purposes; because they enjoy damaging people and their careers, and secondly, they do it to cause confusion around them enabling them to get ahead while everyone else is distracted by chaos; something Boddy refers to as \u2018instrumental bullying\u2019.<\/p>\n

A prevalence of bullying can result in a range of negative emotions, including stress, anger, humiliation, shame and isolation, and can also disrupt lives outside of work. Staff who are victims of workplace bullying often have a \u2018flight or fight\u2019 reaction, withdrawing their effort and commitment to their jobs or even sabotaging projects and deadlines, thus negatively affect the organisation as a whole.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, a psychopath\u2019s behaviour can become accepted within an organisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a corporate psychopath attains a leadership position then their influence on cultural norms and morals can be so influential that a large number of employees become more or less socialised towards behaviour with no conscience or ethics. This can be referred to as socialised psychopathy or sociopathy, as some people call it\u201d, Boddy says.<\/p>\n

\"Vector<\/p>\n

How do you identify a corporate psychopath? Image: Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

On the watch: 10 traits of a corporate psychopath<\/h2>\n

While it\u2019s comforting to know that not everyone has the inner-makings of a corporate psychopath; around 99 per cent of us are \u2018normal\u2019, it\u2019s unnerving that the \u2018normal\u2019 percentage isn\u2019t an even one hundred. So how do you measure corporate psychopathy, and what are the tell-tale traits to look for?<\/p>\n

For qualitative investigations, Boddy utilises the PM-MRV2 (Psychopathy Measure Management Research Version 2), which is a ten-item measure based on observations of psychopathic characteristics. <\/strong>All ten elements have been judged to be among the most highly typical of psychopaths.<\/p>\n

Here they are. Be sure to keep your eyes fixed on your computer monitor or electronic device rather than darting around the office accusingly:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Superficial charm and apparent intelligence<\/em>: They\u2019re friendly and easy to talk to, agreeable, make a positive first impression and are apparently a genuine person who is socially at ease.<\/li>\n
  2. Untruthful and insincere<\/em>: They lie but are convincing liars because of their apparent sincerity and honesty.<\/li>\n
  3. Cheating personality<\/em>: They fail to live up to promises, and deceive, seduce and desert others. They are good at organisational politics, claim the good work of others as their own and would probably steal, forge, commit adultery or fraud if they could get away with it.<\/li>\n
  4. Totally egocentric<\/em>: They are egocentric and self-centred, cannot love or care for others and can only discuss love in intellectual terms. They are totally indifferent to the emotions or fate of their colleagues.<\/li>\n
  5. No remorse about how their actions harm other employees<\/em>: They deny responsibility for their own poor behaviour and accuse others of responsibility for failures that they themselves cause. If they admit any fault, they do so without any regret or humiliation. They put their own career advancement above their colleagues.<\/li>\n
  6. Emotionally shallow<\/em>: They can readily demonstrate a show or display of emotion but without any true feeling. They cannot experience true sadness, woe, anger, grief, joy or despair and are indifferent to the troubles of others.<\/li>\n
  7. Unresponsive to personal interactions<\/em>: They don\u2019t respond to kindness or trust in the ordinary manner. They can display superficial reactions but do not have a consistent appreciation for what others have done for them. They are indifferent to the feelings of others and can openly make fun of other people.<\/li>\n
  8. Refuse to take responsibility for their own actions<\/em>: While initially appearing to be reliable and dependable, they can then act unreliably and with no sense of responsibility or regard for any obligations to others.<\/li>\n
  9. Calm, poised and apparently rational<\/em>: They do not display neurotic or irrational characteristics. They are always poised and not anxious or worried even in troubling or upsetting circumstances which would disturb or upset most other people.<\/li>\n
  10. Lack of self-blame and self-insight about own behaviour<\/em>: They blame their troubles on other people with elaborate and subtle rationalisations. They do not think of blaming themselves, even when discovered in bizarre, dishonest or immoral situations that would promote despair or shame in other employees.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Tipping point: dealing with a corporate psychopath<\/h2>\n

    If you find yourself in a professional situation where you\u2019re interacting with a corporate psychopath, here are some tips to consider:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Avoid the perpetrator: Employees who come across corporate psychopaths, in all likelihood, will be bullied and abused, particularly if they attempt to thwart the aims of the corporate psychopath. Therefore, people should try and avoid direct conflict with them.<\/li>\n
    • Unite with other victims: As there will often be multiple victims, employees could try and band together to present a stronger case against the activities of the corporate psychopath.<\/li>\n
    • Get colleagues on your side: There are usually multiple areas of misbehaviour with a corporate psychopath and so one way to defeat them is to get collaborators onto your side. Human resources senior staff are a great place to start.<\/li>\n
    • Leave the organisation: Although not always an option, some people leave the organisation concerned as soon as they are able to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Bridging the research gap<\/h2>\n

      Boddy admits that there are knowledge gaps as to exactly \u2018what makes\u2019 a corporate psychopath; specifically, historical, socio-economic, biological (including gender) and environmental factors; gaps that must be filled.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThis hasn\u2019t really been studied much at all. It is such a new area of research that there are multiple gaps in knowledge. However, psychopathy does appear to be a male phenomenon, but even this is under-researched.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Professor Boddy has released a number of books about corporate psychopaths and workplace bullying, including Corporate Psychopaths: Organisational Destroyers<\/em>, and more recently, A Climate of Fear: Stone Cold Psychopaths at Work. <\/em>He is continuing his research, conducting in-depth interviews with people who have worked with corporate psychopaths, in an effort to expand on knowledge in the field and fill research gaps.<\/p>\n

      \u201cI\u2019m also currently investigating evidence for systemic and individual psychopathy within US and UK health service providers. Many of the stories of abuse, manipulation, lies and coercion coming out of this research are truly heart-wrenching\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

      \"Donald<\/p>\n

      US President Donald Trump, a self-identifying \u201cproductive narcissist\u201d. Image: Gage Skidmore<\/em><\/p>\n

      <\/h2>\n

      Modern-day corporate psychopaths<\/h2>\n

      In their quest for prestige, power and control, corporate psychopaths are in some rather conspicuous roles within well-known organisations. They are ambitious, ruthless and lack any inhibitions or conscience, so much so that some are able to \u2018get to the top\u2019 and end up controlling an entire nation.<\/p>\n

      US President Donald Trump has described himself as a \u201cproductive narcissist\u201d, and Boddy agrees with the latter half of this statement wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n

      \u201cAs a casual observer, he looks very much like a narcissist, narcissists being the \u201clightest\u201d of the three \u201cdark triad\u201d of dark personalities known as Machiavellians, narcissists and psychopath\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

      Professor Boddy says that business people such as Robert Maxwell of UK Daily Mirror fame and Kenneth Lay of USA Enron displayed many of the characteristics of the corporate psychopath.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThey were charming when it suited them but also ruthless, fraudulent, bullying, lying, self-important, and egotistical. Their companies went bankrupt\u201d, Boddy reflects.<\/p>\n

      \u201cPersonally, I believe that all top political and organisational leaders should be comprehensively tested for psychopathy before they are allowed to stand for the most senior political and organisational positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

      View Professor Clive Boddy’s Ted talk about corporate psychopaths and workplace bullying.<\/em><\/p>\n