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Softpanorama
(slightly skeptical)
Open Source Software Educational Society |
May the
source be with you,
but remember the KISS principle ;-)
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The Psychopath in the Corner Office
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A la guerre, comme a la guerre
French proverb
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| "The main lesson I have learnt is that when dealing with a sociopath,
the normal rules of etiquette do not apply. You are dealing with someone
who has no empathy, no conscience, no remorse, and no guilt...It is
a completely different mindset. Words like 'predator' and 'evil' are
often used." Field
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The condition itself has been recognized for centuries, wearing evocative labels
such as "madness without delirium" and "moral insanity"
until the late 1800s, when "psychopath" was coined by a German clinician. But the
term (and its later 1930s synonym, sociopath) had always been a sort of catch-all,
widely and loosely applied to violent and unstable criminals who seemed. The
key feature of such people that do not treat others as humans, they treat them as
animals. But later this condition was expanded to include certain type of
mangers that consistently demonstrate cult leader qualities. Such "office cult leader"
like many high demand cult leaders need only followers and try to completely
enslave their victims.
| "The psychopath has no allegiance to the company at all, just
to self," ... "A psychopath is playing a short-term parasitic game." |
In 1980, Hare created a list of static traits, which, revised five years later,
became known as the PCL-R. Popularly called "the Hare," the PCL-R measures
psychopathy
on a forty-point scale. Once it emerged, it helped to make the meaning of the term
more uniform. With all limitations inherent in such scales this was a good start
and despite obvious limitation inherent if static lists it proved to be a useful
(abet far from being perfect) tool. Later Robert Hare and a New York-based
Dr Paul Babiak extended this research to corporate environment. They defined
special type of managers whom he called "corporate psychopath" or "criminals without
a crime".
According to Professor Hare "Corporate psychopaths tend to
be manipulative, arrogant, callous, impatient, impulsive, unreliable and prone to
fly into rages" . He grade the subject's tendencies in areas and categories
and sub-categories but he missed the obvious link of corporate psychopath and cult
leaders. They generally demonstrate the same methods: they never recognize the rights
of others and see their self-serving behaviors permissible. They appear to be charming,
yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument
to be used. They dominate and humiliate their victims trying to convert them to
slaves. Surprising percentage of corporate psychopaths are women, They does not see others around
her/him as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have
victims and accomplices who end up as victims and, in corporate environment, slaves:
- The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.
- Goal is the enslavement of his victim(s); Tries to exercises despotic control
over every aspect of his victim's life
- Has a psychological need to justify his crimes
- Ultimate goal is the creation of a willing victim
Hare categories that are useful warning signs include:
- Callousness/Lack of Empathy. Unable to empathize
with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of
distress and readily taking advantage of them. Their skills are used to exploit,
abuse and exert power. Since most normal IT professionals cannot believe their
boss would callously hurt them, they rationalize the behavior as necessary for
their (or the group's) "good" and deny the abuse. When you became aware of the
exploitation it really looks like "office rape" and corresponds to the
behavior of serial rapist.
- Carefully hidden chronically unstable, antisocial, or
socially deviant lifestyle; often have early behavior problems/juvenile
delinquency. Often demonstrate aberrant behaviors such as
cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc. Usually has a history
of behavioral and academic difficulties, yet "gets by" by conning
others. Problems in making and keeping friends due to pathological
lying.
- Pathological Lying. Like spiders they cannot live
without spinning a web of lies, creating complex
artificial reality. Usually can give such authors as Hemingway run
for the money in the ability to invent stories. Has no problem lying
coolly and easily "in the eyes" or even under the oath. Sometimes it
looks like they cannot themselves distinguish facts and fiction. It is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent
basis. Talented actors they can can create, and get other caught up in a complex
"artificial reality" with realistic but invented details of
their biography
and abilities. Extremely convincing and able to pass lie detector tests.
Often lie about their academic achievements and pretend to have
degrees that they never obtained.
- Glibness/Superficial Charm. Perfectly able to used
superficial charm to confuse and
convince their audience. Easily provide captivating invented stories
suitable for the circumstances. Demostrate self-confidence.
they can . Very good in verbal
confrontations, well trained to destroy their critics verbally or emotionally.
- Extremely Manipulative and Conning. Never recognize
the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors permissible.
While they
appear to be charming to strangers, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their
victim as merely an instrument to be used. They dominate and humiliate their
victims converting them into office slaves.
- Grandiose Sense of Self. Feels entitled
to certain things as "their legitimate rights." Craves adulation and attendance.
Creates and maintains group polarization, "us-versus-them" mentality.
Systematically works on alienation of subordinates from the
rest of the company and instilling the view of "others" as hostile
and threatening.
- Complete, Absolute Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt. A deep
seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core.
Does not see others around them as people, but only
as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims
and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and
they let nothing stand in their way.
- Shallow, Often Non-genuine Emotions. When they show what seems
to be warmth, joy, love and compassion, it is more feigned than experienced
and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining
unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person.
Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.
- Dominating and expect unconditional surrender. They are very harsh in testing it from their devotees and expect them to feel
guilt for their failings. Expects unconditional
surrender.
- Need for Stimulation. Corporate psychopaths
are not necessary living on the edge like regular criminals, yet they like testing
subordinates reactions with bizarre rules, punishments and behaviors. Verbal
outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Verbal conflict is what replaces
some of them sexual life.
- Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature. Rage and
abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive
cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim.
Try to instill the belief that they are well-connected. Demonstrate no sense
of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.
- Failure to accept responsibility for one's own actions. Irresponsibility/Unreliability.
Not concerned about wrecking others' lives and dreams. Oblivious
or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves,
but blame their followers or others outside their group. Blame reinforces passivity
and obedience and produces guilt, shame, terror and conformity in the followers.
- Promiscuous Sexual Behavior/Infidelity. Women frequently
practice office promiscuity using sex as an instrument to climb the ladder.
This is usually kept hidden from all but the inner circle.
- Lack of Realistic planning, Parasitic Lifestyle.
Tends to live by present moment, attempt to steal and provide to superiors
as own ideas and achievements of subordinates. Highly sensitive to their
own pain and health.
Other Related Qualities:
- Contemptuous of those who seek to understand him
- Does not perceive that anything is wrong with him
- Authoritarian, Secretive and Paranoid (ASP complex)
- Only rarely in difficulty with the law, but seeks out situations where him
tyrannical behavior will be tolerated, condoned, or admired
- Conventional appearance
- The uniform goal is
cult-style enslavement of his victim(s); Exercises
despotic control over every aspect of his victim's life.
Ultimate goal is the creation of a willing victim
- Has a psychological need to justify misdeeds and therefore
needs his vatious forms of affirmation. Promite and maintain cult of
personality.
- Incapable of real human attachment to another
- Unable to feel remorse or guilt
- Extreme narcissism and grandiose
- May state readily that their goal is to rule the world!!
Corporate psychopaths score very high on Factor 1 ("selfish, callous, and remorseless
use of others" category. This factor includes eight sub-traits:
- glibness and superficial charm;
- grandiose sense of self-worth;
- pathological lying;
- conning and manipulativeness;
- lack of remorse or guilt;
- shallow affect (i.e., a coldness covered up by dramatic emotional displays
that are actually playacting);
- callousness and lack of empathy;
- Failure to accept responsibility for one's own actions.
Corporate psychopaths score only low to moderate on Factor 2, which pinpoints
"chronically unstable, antisocial, and socially deviant lifestyle," the hallmarks
of people who wind up in jail.
But enumeration of traits while helps to recognize the psychopath and provide
some limited predictive value about the set of behaviors you can expect from them
does not bring us any further as it is dynamics of usage of various types of attacks
and attempts to subdue and enslave subordinates that matter.
Static depiction of the traits is too primitive method to capture the complexity
of corporate psychopath. It can has little or no predictive value for predicting
types of attacks and enslavement methods used. The latter is the most important
for IT professionals who need to deal with them on day to day basis. For some reason
in many papers the term "psychopath" and "sociopath" are strongly associated with
Mayberry Machiavellis type of bosses: conning, ruthless and deceitful. IMHO
the term is much broader then that and should include anybody who do not treat others
as humans and who's aim is enslavement of subordinates much like cult leader attempts
to enslave followers. This is the key disorder that distinguishes corporate psychopath
from other types of "bad bosses" in modern organizations. IT organizations
though have a disproportionate number of woman who are addicted to power and use
each and every trick to went up the ladder. They are probably the most dangerous
type of corporate psychopaths in IT environment as they are somewhat protected by
affirmative actions laws.
Hare estimates that psychopaths account for only about 1% of the general population.
But he says there might be a higher proportion in such areas as business, politics,
law enforcement agencies, law firms, religious organizations and, yes, the media.
He noted that "They have a predatory quality to them and the prey is always around
certain areas". I suspect that in IT environment the percentage can be an
order of magnitude higher and may well exceed 10% mark. Large IT organizations
are a perfect place for corporate psychopath to flourish as political skills not
the competence are key for the path to the top. IT environment is a perfect setting
for a corporate psychopath as most IT professionals lack social skills and
as such are a pretty easy prey.
According to a recent (and very good)
Fast Company
article Is Your
Boss a Psychopath by Alan Deutschman psychopaths – defined as those
unburdened by conscience who selfishly use people “callously and remorselessly for
their own ends” –- don’t merely exist in corporate America, but are now
more than ever harbored in the business environment. In his study involving a half-dozen
companies, renowned industrial psychologist Paul Babiak found that the rapid changes
the economy has recently undergone have fed corporate psychopaths, who thrive on
the thrills of fast transformations.
After they became entrenched is it very difficult to smoke out these people and
give them the boot. Especially in corporate IT were the level of competence
among other managers is not that high to mark a deviant with a black mark. One of
the problems in identifying the corporate psychopath is that it's a world in which
some of the defining characteristics are commonplace. Many successful managers and
executives can, for example, be grandiose and narcissistic; but that doesn't necessarily
mean they're psychopaths. Similarly, many organizations are set up in ways that
foster these kinds of behaviors. The key here is probably the level of competence.
Psychopath are usually incompetents who using ruthless and Machiavellian behavior
try to climb the corporate ladder.
Their penetration in organization is usually staged in several phases:
- The entry phase, in which the psychopath charms the hiring team into
selecting him or her for the job.
- The assessment phase. Here, the psychopathic employee identifies
the potential support network of that consist of:
- Patrons (those who will protect and defend the psychopath),
- Pawns (those who can be unwittingly manipulated into using their
power in service of the psychopath's aims),
- Organizational Police (staff in such control functions as audit,
security, human resources who might get in the way).
- The manipulation phase: the psychopath works the patrons and pawns,
building the influence network through close and intense one-on-one relationships
and at the same time moving up the organization.
- Confrontation phase. Individuals no longer deemed useful discover
they've been wiped, relegated from close friend to Patsy. Two factions start
forming:
- Influential supporters (Pawns and Patrons);
- Powerless detractors (Patsies and Police).
- Cuckoo egg stage. That's when all that planning and manipulation
pays off - the patrons are betrayed, the boss is shoved aside and the psychopath
moves in.
As for victims of corporate psychopaths there is very little that they can do
to regain control of their career other than leave their job altogether. You cannot
negotiate with this kind of bully. First, because they are psychopaths and as such
do not consider you to be a human, and the second they are extremely good at pulling
the wool over their employers' eyes. In fact, if you try to negotiate or mediate,
they will simply see you as vulnerable, which can put you in even more danger. As
most of them are petty sadists they get their kicks out of causing other people
pain, so a vulnerable person is a prime target.
Research conducted by Field has identified four types of "serial bully" in the
workplace with the most dangerous type to be so called the "sociopath".
"The sociopath - which is short for 'socialized psychopath' - is basically
my term for the corporate psychopath. I just chose to emphasize the 'socialized'
aspect because these people have brought their behavior to just within what
is socially and legally acceptable."
Sociopaths tend to be promoted to middle, or just above, middle management and
while they often gravitate towards roles in business, the media, law and politics
- where scheming and bullying is just part of everyday working life they became
visible in others sectors too and first of all in education and academic research.
That's because they prey on vulnerable people and vulnerable people
often choose to work in this sector.
Now, because the pace of business has accelerated so much, only organizations
that move fast can survive. It also makes those organization vulnerable to the infection
by corporate psychopaths.
Not all corporate psychopaths get away with their antics, however. Alan Ross
recalls working for a particularly mercenary one in an investment bank. "I was
just out of university and she almost screwed me up completely," he says. "She
had ambitions to move into a new area of work and did this primarily by getting
her researchers - us - to translate and plagiarize equity research from all
the continental banks and sell it as her own research. This proved highly successful
and she was getting a name for herself as an expert."
Just before she was offered a major job in her new "expert" role, however,
Ross decided to put an end to her reign of terror. "First we supplied a dossier
to a magazine, which duly printed an exposé of her. Finally, to rub it right
in, we sent copies of the article to every fund manager she ever had dealings
with - i.e. all the bank's best and wealthiest customers. Job done - she
was suspended pending an investigation and then sacked."
Although I am skeptical about trait enumeration exercises I still consider it
valuable for gaining understanding of some typical pattern of behaviors. You can
see the result of my exercise on this topic
here. Of course this is a compilation, but this "individualized compilation"
that includes some prominent features of psychopath that I dealt with. Please note
that you need to check list on all categories described above in order to see a
bigger picture. Each psychopath is different from the other.
Notes:
- Those pages are written by people for
whom English is not a native language.
Some amount of grammar and spelling errors should be expected.
- This is a Spartan WHYFF (We Help You For
Free) site. It cannot replace the
best teachers and
the best books.
- The site contain some obsolete pages as
it develops like a living tree... Some links on older pages
are broken. Please try to use
Google, Open directory, etc. to find a replacement link (see
HOWTO search the WEB for details). We would appreciate if
you can
mail us a correct link.
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(Rawstory.com) Dr John Clarke, for years an expert in the criminal mind,
remembers the day he suddenly realized that there might be psychopaths at large
in millions of offices around the world. "I was giving a lecture on criminal
psychology and gave a psychopath checklist," he said. "At the end, a woman came
up and said 'You have just described my boss'."
What Clarke discovered was that the psychopath is not just a person you find
in prison, in a courtroom or in the pages of a thriller. He or she is scheming
in workplaces all over the world. Research claims that 1 per cent of the adult
working population are workplace psychopaths. In offices large and small, in
boardrooms and on shop floors the psychopath lurks; lying, cheating, stealing,
manipulating, victimising and destroying co- workers - all without any guilt
or remorse.
Worse than that, says Clarke, these so-called
organizational psychopaths thrive in the corporate world where their ruthlessness
and desire to succeed is not only mistaken as ambition and good leadership skills
but is rewarded with promotion, bonuses and pay rises.
Take for example the average job advertisement, says Clarke. "They say things
like 'You know you are best, you are able to influence people, you are determined
to win at any cost for the organisation.' These sorts of statements appeal to
a lot of people, but they particularly appeal to the psychopath." "What an organisation
is doing when they place an ad like this, is indirectly encouraging a psychopath
to apply."
In an interview the psychopath is a charmer coming across as the perfect
person for the job. "They are very good talkers and will often make up things
in their resume so the interview panel is taken in by them," says Clarke. "They
appear to be charming, intelligent and sophisticated and it is only if you dig
a little deeper you can see what sort of person they are." The workplace psychopath
will do anything to get the power, the status and the salary they crave.
"The workplace psychopath thinks the same as the criminal psychopath. They
are all out for themselves," says Clarke. "However, the difference is that where
the violent criminal psychopath physically destroys their victims, the workplace
one psychologically destroys them."
Clarke, a
PhD in psychology from the University of Sydney, is the author of the recently-published
The Pocket Pscyho (Random House), a survival guide on how to protect yourself
from the organizational psychopath.
According to Clarke you can spot the workplace psychopath by the following
behaviour patterns and personality traits.
- Guiltless: The workplace psychopath shows no remorse no matter
how much they victimize, back-stab or steal credit.
- Charming: They are very good talkers. They prefer to operate
one-on-one and will avoid group meetings.
- Manipulative: They bend the corporate systems and rules for their
own advantage. They prey on people's weaknesses, particularly low self esteem.
- Parasitic: They take credit for other people's work. 5. Pathological
liars: The workplace psychopath is not a good liar. However, when discovered
they can talk their way out of trouble.
- Erratic: Psychopaths only experience primary emotions (happy,
sad, anger). They will also shift between emotions very quickly, one minute
being happy, the next being angry and the next sad.
Workplace psychopaths operate by making friends with someone high up who
can protect them. They undermine their boss while at the same time being
friendly towards them and work their way up the corporate ladder. For those
targeted by the psychopath, the consequences can be devastating. "They take
away people's belief in themselves and their abilities. They take away their
trust in other people," said Clarke. "The victim becomes cold, cynical, bitter
and almost unable to function." Clarke says there are two weapons we can use
to protect ourselves from the workplace psycho: education and teamwork.
- "If you educate yourself then you recognize why this person is doing
these things to you. This stops the cycle of self-blame and isolation which
victims feel," he said.
- "The second thing is team-building and teamwork. You should talk to
other people and tell them what is happening. If a psychopath can't isolate
you, they can't destroy you."
In circumstances when the employer fails to act, Clarke recommends the victim
should move jobs.
Why? Because you cannot change a psychopath,
and rehabilitation only makes them worse. "They don't care. They
don't think of themselves as psychopaths. They don't think they are doing wrong.
They just think they are smart and if everyone else had the same intelligence,
they would do the same thing," says Clarke. "When you rehabilitate them, you
teach them social skills and show them how to deal with people appropriately.
They will then use those social skills to better manipulate people." © 2006
- dpa German Press Agency
Psychopathy is characterized by diagnostic features such as superficial charm,
high intelligence, poor judgment and failure to learn from experience, pathological
egocentricity and incapacity for love, lack of remorse or shame, impulsivity,
grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, manipulative behavior, poor
self-control, promiscuous sexual behavior, juvenile delinquency, and criminal
versatility among others (Cleckley, 1982; Hare et al., 1990). As a consequence
of these criteria the psychopath has the image of a cold, heartless, inhuman
being.
"The psychopath has no allegiance to the company at all, just to self," ...
"A psychopath is playing a short-term parasitic game." That was the profile
of Fastow and Dunlap -- guys out to profit for themselves without any concern
for the companies and lives they were wrecking. In contrast, Jobs and Ellison
want their own companies to thrive forever -- indeed, to dominate their industries
and take over other fields as well. "An entrepreneurial founder-CEO might have
a narcissistic tendency that looks like psychopathy," Babiak says. "But they
have a vested interest: Their identity is wrapped up with the company's existence.
They're loyal to the company."
Only recently has society begun to deal with female bullying, perhaps more insidious
because it rarely involves fists. Rather pointed barbs and cruel remarks are
used, frequently leaving much more lasting damage.
Workplace habits of a career sociopath
- Chooses and sucks up to allies (not “friends”) who are more powerful, or
who he can use to further his aims, or who have something he can gain—especially
money.
- Constantly criticises others, and often criticises allies behind their back.
Says things that make no sense, gives
people the feeling of walking on eggshells.
Treats his new recruits very favourably at first, and then gets bored with
them.
Loves bullying, especially with someone more vulnerable
or less powerful. Has and will use limitless resources for finishing
someone professionally and mentally. Always has at least one he’s working on
intensely.
Makes his victims feel guilty, useless, furious and frightened.
Occasionally says very charming things to people he is bullying—to keep
them under his control.
Victims become too ill to work, are dismissed for misconduct, and the cycle
starts again.
Thinks nothing of lying; his qualifications and
experience are probably bogus.
Is above and outside of any rules, but tries to
be seen to follow them when it suits him.
Sense of right and wrong dictated by what he can get away with.
Starts a project as Superman, runs it like Hitler, and then fails to finish.
Has infinite rationalisations to explain the results of his professional
shortcomings— his failings are always someone else’s fault.
Failures covered up by chaotic reorganisations and bullsh*t.
Very adept at fooling others…
Jobsworth people think
he’s great. Some call him charismatic. No one wants
to believe he’s as bad and stupid as he is.
The only people who really can recognise him are his victims.
In short, the psychopath - and the narcissist to a lesser extent - is a predator.
Only real feelings they seem to have - the thing that
drives them and causes them to act out different dramas for effect - is a sort of
"predatorial hunger" for what they want.
It has often been noted that psychopaths have a distinct advantage over human
beings with conscience and feelings because the psychopath does not have conscience
and feelings. What seems to be so is that conscience and feelings are related
to the abstract concepts of "future" and "others." It is "spatio-temporal."
We can feel fear, sympathy, empathy, sadness, and so on because we can IMAGINE
in an abstract way, the future based on our own experiences in the past, or
even just "concepts of experiences" in myriad variations. We can "predict" how
others will react because we are able to "see ourselves" in them even though
they are "out there" and the situation is somewhat different externally, though
similar in dynamic. In other words, we can not only identify with others spatially
- so to say - but also temporally - in time.
The psychopath
does not seem to have this capacity.
They are unable
to "imagine" in the sense of being able to really connect to images in a direct
"self connecting to another self" sort of way.
Oh, indeed, they
can imitate feelings, but the only real feelings
they seem to have - the thing that drives them and causes them to act out different
dramas for effect - is a sort of "predatorial hunger" for what they want.
That is to say, they "feel" need/want as love, and not having their needs/wants
met is described as "not being loved" by them. What is more, this "need/want"
perspective posits that only the "hunger" of the psychopath is valid, and anything
and everything "out there," outside of the psychopath, is not real except insofar
as it has the capability of being assimilated to the psychopath as a sort of
"food." "Can it be used or can it provide something?" is the only issue about
which the psychopath seems to be concerned. All else - all activity - is subsumed
to this drive.
In short, the psychopath - and the narcissist to
a lesser extent - is a predator. If we think about the interactions
of predators with their prey in the animal kingdom, we can come to some idea
of what is behind the "mask of sanity" of the psychopath. Just as an animal
predator will adopt all kinds of stealthy functions in order to stalk their
prey, cut them out of the herd, get close to them and reduce their resistance,
so does the psychopath construct all kinds of elaborate camoflage composed of
words and appearances - lies and manipulations - in order to "assimilate" their
prey.
The Disturbing
World of the Psychopaths Among Us. Magazine: Psychology Today,
January/February, 1994.
Adobe Acrobat .pdf version of this article.
Everybody has met these people, been deceived and manipulated
by them, and forced to live with or repair the damage they have wrought.
These often charming -- but always deadly--individuals have a clinical
name: psychopaths. Their hallmark is a stunning lack of conscience;
their game is self-gratification at the other person's expense.
Many spend time in prison, but many do not. All take far more than they
give.
The most obvious expressions of psychopathy--but not the only ones
-- involve the flagrant violation of society's rules.
... ... ..
Psychopaths show a stunning lack of concern for
the effects their actions have on others, no matter how devastating
these might be. They may appear completely forthright
about the matter, calmly stating that they have no sense of
guilt, are not sorry for the ensuing pain, and that there is
no reason now to be concerned.
...
... ...
Their lack
of remorse or guilt is associated with a remarkable ability
to rationalize their behavior, to shrug off personal responsibility
for actions that cause family, friends, and others to reel
with shock and disappointment. They usually have handy
excuses for their behavior, and in some cases deny that
it happened at all.
DECEITFUL
AND MANIPULATIVE
With
their powers of imagination in gear and beamed on themselves,
psychopaths appear amazingly unfazed by the possibility--or
even by the certainty--of being found out. When
caught in a lie or challenged with the truth, they seldom
appear perplexed or embarrassed--they simply change
their stories or attempt to rework the facts so they
appear to be consistent with the lie.
...
... ...
IMPULSIVE
Psychopaths are unlikely to spend much time weighing
the pros and cons of a course of action or considering
the possible consequences. "I did it because
I felt like it," is a common response. These impulsive
acts often result from an aim that plays a central
role in most of the psychopath's behavior: to achieve
immediate satisfaction, pleasure, or relief.
POOR BEHAVIOR
CONTROLS
Besides being impulsive, psychopaths
are highly reactive to perceived insults or
slights. Most of us have powerful inhibitory
controls over our behavior; even if we would
like to respond aggressively we are usually
able to "keep the lid on." In psychopaths, these
inhibitory controls are weak, and the slightest
provocation is sufficient to overcome them.
As a result, psychopaths are
short-tempered or hotheaded and tend to respond
to frustration, failure, discipline, and criticism
with sudden violence, threats or verbal abuse.
But their outbursts, extreme as they may be,
are often short-lived, and they quickly act
as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
... ... ...
Although psychopaths have
a "hair trigger," their aggressive displays
are "cold"; they lack the intense arousal
experienced when other individuals lose
their temper.
... ...
...
LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY
Obligations and commitments
mean nothing to psychopaths.
An interesting observation:
those who cannot love want power.
In truth, psychopathy knows no boundaries.
First of all, it is found among all social classes. Such character disordered
people are not only the charming con men and dangerous gold diggers that Dr.
Hare warns us about, not only are they the lower-class, drunken, drug abusing
"sociopaths" which Dr. Black writes about, they are also people who hold high
positions in society, as Jungian author Guggenbuhl-Craig has said, because
those who cannot love want power.
Some may disagree, but it has been well known that the socially adept psychopath,
while his personal life may lie in disarray, is not incapable of reaching the
heights of power (Hitler was a very good example of this). Hervey Cleckley also
wrote about the socially adept psychopath in great detail.
Only as of late, with all the Enron scandals and related crimes, people are
waking up to the fact that the most dangerous psychopath of all is the educated,
socially adept psychopath, in fact, Dr. Hare recently said that he would probably
be able to find many psychopaths involved in the stockmarket. It is time for
American to "wake up" says Dr. Wolman, because we are being threatened by a
serious epidemic of psychopathy.
In addition, the majority of psychopaths (4% of the population, although some
think this is a modest estimate) are not just serial killers or greedy, cut-throat
CEOs, but many are abrasive personalities who enjoy making life difficult for
others. These psychopaths enjoy controlling others
and "winning," and creating an environment of hostility and bitterness.
As a result of all the contradictions within the subject of psychopathy, I leave
it up to you, the reader, to investigate the various links I've included below.
Here the author is limiting term to deceitful and manipulative type of psychopaths.
But the real definition is people who do no think about others as people and can
treat them as animals.
Dealing with a sociopath
- Check if you suspect. If you begin to identify a possible pattern
of sociopathic behaviour, check out as many facts as you can. It may take a
while for the pattern to emerge, as sociopaths are masters of deceit.
- Consider leaving. While most people do not stay with a lover,
co-worker, friend or boss with sociopathic behavior, human beings are full of
hope and it may take some time - and a lot of misery - to reach this conclusion.
- A sociopath in the workplace may cost a company money, legal action or loss
of staff due to their actions. Small businesses who may take people "on trust"
can be caught by skilful sociopaths and face financial ruin. Be diligent about
checking previous qualifications and employment.
- Don't cover for a colleague, boss or partner whom you believe is
behaving in unprincipled ways.
- Develop a healthy mistrust if a potential partner seems charming and
almost too good to be true. They may be genuine, but check their stories.
|
[Jan 5, 2007]
Management Fad Adoption: An Exploration of Three Psychogenic Influences Kerry
David Carson Paula Phillips Carson University of Louisiana at Lafayette Patricia
A. Lanier Southeast Missouri State University Ross D. Judice Acadian Ambulance &
Air Med Services
A useful depiction of a paranoid psychopaths.
December 2002 (the
Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management – Winter 2002 – Vol. 3(2) Page
174) A second type of neurotic leader identified by Kets de Vries
(1994) is the suspicious type. These managers feel like they can't trust
anyone, so they are constantly on their guard.
Therefore, they are always
preparing to retaliate against all assaults from menacing forces.
To help them prepare for assaults, they seek large inputs of information.
Because of their hypersensitivity, distrustfulness, and suspiciousness, they
try to control their work environment by being over-involved in rules and details.
According to Westen & Shedler (1999), individuals
with a paranoid personality disorder are hostile people who express anger out
of proportion to the situation. This anger is a result
of their perception that others are trying to do them harm.
They tend to misinterpret others' intentions as
malevolent, frequently getting into power struggles and arguments.
Once a conflict arises, the paranoid executive will tend to hold a grudge and
be very critical of the other person, losing all capacity to see anything good
in the other person. Projecting unacceptable feelings onto others, they
tend to come across as self-righteous and moralistic. Once a major problem
arises they see it as disastrous and unsolvable, but they won't confide their
concerns to others for fear of betrayal.
The suspicious executive mistrusts everyone. S/he can
be described as intense, cynical, inflexible, and distrustful. Because
of their continuing paranoia, which is typically unjustified, suspicious personalities
defend against any perceived threat--real or imagined.
Stubborn and rigid, they rarely relax or let up their guard.
They maintain that hypervigilance is their key to survival. Everyone
in the organization is seen as a potential menace, so the suspicious executive
keeps a safe distance from colleagues. This distance makes interactions
seem impersonal and callous. They seem void of kindness, sentimentality,
and compassion. On the occasions when suspicious personalities exhibit
humor, it is usually thinly veiled hostility--expressed in a stabbing and sarcastic
manner (Carson & Carson, 1997; Carson & Carson, 1998).
Suspicious executives need to control in order
to ensure their safety and security. When they are not in charge, the
suspicious personality feels vulnerable. However, they
hide such concerns because to expose weaknesses would give others an upper hand.
Therefore, the paranoid tries to conceal feelings of foreboding, tension, and
distress. They bluff their way through danger by acting fearless, inaccessible,
and potentially vengeful. To protect themselves,
suspicious executives emphasize organizational structure, centralized power,
environmental intelligence, and diversification (Kets de Vries & Miller, 1984).
Management fashions are adopted by suspicious
executives to reduce risk, increase control, and augment power. Fashions
are then dropped to cover up failed initiatives, thus avoiding criticism and
attack (cf. Carson & Carson, 1997; Carson & Carson, 1998).
In the last pair of entries I discussed in general organizations run by a
head-man who behaves like a sociopath, and the Yankees in particular.
It's not a very common model, although a surprising number of them move to
the top of their field, and some even endure. The Yankees have a wonderful record
of success, and if you're a stockholder, you probably think General Electric
has a fair track record (though if you're a buyer of any of their consumer products,
you almost certainly don't). Others, Like Sunbeam, fail.
But what do you do if you are in an organization run like this; how do you
cope? I promised some partially-effective approaches. There's nothing in my
tool kit that's assuredly successful. Here are my suggestions, in decending
order of effectiveness.
1. Don't ever hire on under any circumstances. If you're
up for a job in an organization you don't work for, and the job is one someone
just got fired from, nose around. The head-man in a sociopathic organization
will be very seductive (and his hench folk will, too).
He may have a good cop, a very empathetic co-dependent whose main purpose
is to bring in fresh meat to get chewed up. The good cop will
tell you the incumbent was incompetent, and they really need you to bring some
class to the organization. Some additional warning signs: much higher than market
scale pay; a sense of urgency; reports
oozing from the head-man and his good cop about this and that incompetent who
had to be let go; a level of pursuit that's almost like flirting. The good cop
will always be able to convince herself that The Boss is about to turn a corner,
and if not, he'll at least have a toy to toy with who isn't her.
If you think there's even the vaguest chance the
organization is sociopathic, insist on getting everything promised to you
in writing.
To most sociopathic-acting bosses, signed contracts,
like any kind of accountability, are like garlic to a vampire...not fatal but
very repulsive, and you can out them with the polite request for one.
The ones who are true sociopaths, btw, will go ahead and sign one anyway,
not caring about the consequences, so it's not a perfect strategy.
2. Get the heck out as soon as you can do it on your own terms.
It appears
the Yanks G.M. Brian Cashman is doing just that. Having come up from a lowly
office job to G.M. of a most successful franchise, Cashman is now in a position
to shop his services elsewhere. There's not much more he can do in New York
-- they've won the Series with him in the position. Steinbrenner has worn out
Cashman's loyalty, if you can believe the story linked to here. He has a good
reputation, although some probably believe anyone of reasonable skill could
succeed given the Yankees' resources. It makes sense for Cashman to move on
and see if he can prove himself with a franchise that doesn't behave as though
it has unlimited funds. Sadly, once a functionally-sociopathic boss no longer
has the power to fire you, he will almost invariably try to mess with you in
other ways...tarnish your reputation, try to undermine other job opportunities,
withhold agreed-upon exit wages or threaten to go back on other agreements.
In the Yankees case, it looks like Cashman has to be released to go elsewhere
because Steinbrenner has an option on him for another year after this one, and
it's pretty common for the functionally-sociopathic
boss to resent an employee he likes to terrorize escaping from his clutches,
exposing his impotence.
3. Build a plan to overthrow the head-man and save the organization.
This has been my pattern. I don't recommend it. Too much trouble and likely
to fall on deaf ears. I did succeed in helping to bring down one such
boss who behaved as though he was a sociopath, by making a point of contacting
every one of his serial victims and getting them to write letters to the C-level
guy the head-man reported to. There were other factors, but because
some of the victims had been treated in a way many courts would consider sexual
harassment and because this man carried a concealed weapon sometimes, there
were enough cautionary indications
that when the company had a thin business excuse, they let him go, though it
was after I was already gone. The problem with this
kind of rescue behavior is an organization that deserved it would rarely have
allowed a person like this to run the lives of 100 people in the first place.
4. Don't be a "Tall Poppy", and keep your exit plan current and polished.
The Australians have an expression, "Don't be a tall poppy". It means
don't attract attention. In the sociopathic
organization, acting fearless, refusing to respond to the head-man's routines,
makes you a tall poppy. Being entertainingly fearful
(in response to the head-man's initiatives), like asking for reviews or asking
how you can please him more by being better or by cowering or hiding when he's
in one of his (frequently staged) rages or scolds also makes you a tall poppy.
The model is to act fearful, but in a moderate, boring way that doesn't attract
his attention. Don't run out of the room and hide, but don't be conveniently
near, either. And always have an exit plan ready,
evolving week to week. Plan on not being able to have a reference from this
company.
Do good (not great) work; you don't want to be recognized as an achiever,
because the boss who behaves like a sociopath will frequently sacrifice or simply
serially humiliate an achiever to terrorize other employees.
This avoidance is a strategy I don't care for at all; I think
it makes people lose their edge, because once most people get used to dogging
it, it's harder to excel, to ratchet it back up. In the Permafrost Economy,
some people have so few choices that this one becomes viable, though.
It's conceivable you may outlast a functionally-sociopathic
boss without doing anything intentional designed to shorten his tenure.
... ... ...
For some reason sociopath is strongly associated with Mayberry Machiavellis
type of people. IMHO the term is much broader then that. The key problem for
social psychopaths is their inability to treat other as humans, just as an objects.
- [1] Suspect flattery. Sincere compliments from a coworker
or a boss are nice, but outrageous flattery is often an attempt to draw you
into a psychopath's snare. If you feel your ego is being massaged, you may be
dealing with a psychopath. Be careful.
- [2] Take labels and titles with a grain of salt. Just because
someone is older, has a higher position or more degrees, or is wealthier than
you are does not mean his or her moral judgment is better than yours.
- [3] Always question authority when it conflicts with your own sense
of right and wrong. This may be hard to do, but it is crucial to your
own career and well-being.
- [4] Never agree to help a psychopath conceal his or her suspicious
activities at work.
- [5] If you are afraid of your boss, never confuse
this feeling with respect.
- [6] Realistically assess the damage to your life. If it's
too great, you may have to leave. Remember that living well is the best revenge.
"All cruelty springs from weakness."
(Seneca, 4BC-AD65)
"Most organisations have a serial
bully. It never ceases to amaze me how one person's divisive, disordered, dysfunctional
behaviour can permeate the entire organisation like a cancer."
Tim Field
"The truth is incontrovertible;
malice may attack it, ignorance my deride it, but in the end, there it is."
Winston Churchill
"Lack of knowledge of, or unwillingness
to recognise, or outright denial of the existence of the serial bully is the
most common reason for an unsatisfactory outcome of a bullying case for both
the employee and employer"
Tim Field
I estimate one person in thirty, male or female, is a serial
bully. Who does the following profile describe in your life?
The serial bully:
- is a convincing, practised liar and when called to account, will
make up anything spontaneously to fit their needs at that moment
- has a Jekyll and Hyde nature - is vile, vicious and vindictive
in private, but innocent and charming in front of witnesses; no-one can
(or wants to) believe this individual has a vindictive nature - only the
current target of the serial bully's aggression sees both sides; whilst
the Jekyll side is described as "charming" and convincing enough to deceive
personnel, management and a tribunal, the Hyde side is frequently described
as "evil"; Hyde is the real person, Jekyll is an act
- excels at deception and should never be underestimated in their
capacity to deceive
- uses excessive charm and is always plausible and convincing when
peers, superiors or others are present (charm can be used to deceive as
well as to cover for lack of empathy)
- is glib, shallow and superficial with plenty of fine words and
lots of form - but there's no substance
- is possessed of an exceptional verbal facility and will outmanoeuvre
most people in verbal interaction, especially at times of conflict
- is often described as smooth, slippery, slimy, ingratiating,
fawning, toadying, obsequious, sycophantic
- relies on mimicry, repetition and regurgitation to convince
others that he or she is both a "normal" human being and a tough dynamic
manager, as in extolling the virtues of the latest management fads and pouring
forth the accompanying jargon
- is unusually skilled in being able to anticipate what people want
to hear and then saying it plausibly
- cannot be trusted or relied upon
- fails to fulfil commitments
- shows an arrested level of emotional development; whilst language
and intellect may appear to be that of an adult, the bully displays the
emotional age of a five-year-old
- is emotionally immature and emotionally untrustworthy
- exhibits unusual and inappropriate attitudes to sexual matters, sexual
behaviour and bodily functions; underneath the charming exterior there
are often suspicions or hints of sex discrimination and sexual harassment,
perhaps also sexual dysfunction, sexual inadequacy, sexual violence or sexual
abuse
- in a relationship, is incapable of initiating or sustaining intimacy
- holds deep prejudices (eg against the opposite gender, people
of a different sexual orientation, other cultures and religious beliefs,
foreigners, etc - prejudiced people are unvaryingly unimaginative) but goes
to great lengths to keep this prejudicial aspect of their personality secret
- is self-opinionated and displays arrogance, audacity,
a superior sense of entitlement and sense of invulnerability
and untouchability
- has a deep-seated contempt of clients in contrast to his or her
professed compassion
- is a control freak and has a compulsive need to control
everyone and everything you say, do, think and believe; for example, will
launch an immediate personal attack attempting to restrict what you are
permitted to say if you start talking knowledgeably about psychopathic personality
or
antisocial personality disorder in their presence - but aggressively
maintains the right to talk (usually unknowledgeably) about anything they
choose; serial bullies despise anyone who enables others to see through
their deception and their mask of sanity
- displays a compulsive need to criticise whilst simultaneously
refusing to value, praise and acknowledge others, their achievements,
or their existence
- shows a lack of joined-up thinking with conversation that doesn't
flow and arguments that don't hold water
- flits from topic to topic so that you come away feeling you've
never had a proper conversation
- refuses to be specific and never gives a straight answer
- is evasive and has a Houdini-like ability to escape accountability
- undermines and destroys anyone who the bully perceives
to be an adversary, a potential threat, or who can see through the bully's
mask
- is adept at creating conflict between those who would otherwise
collate incriminating information about them
- is quick to discredit and neutralise anyone who can talk knowledgeably
about antisocial or sociopathic behaviours
- is also quick to belittle, undermine, denigrate and discredit
anyone who calls, attempts to call, or might call the bully to account
- is highly manipulative, especially of people's perceptions and
emotions (eg guilt)
- poisons peoples' minds by manipulating their perceptions
- when called upon to share or address the needs and concerns of others,
responds with impatience, irritability and aggression
- is arrogant, haughty, high-handed, and a know-all
- often has an overwhelming, unhealthy and
narcissistic attention-seeking need to portray themselves as a wonderful,
kind, caring and compassionate person, in contrast to their behaviour
and treatment of others; the bully sees nothing wrong with their behaviour
and chooses to remain oblivious to the discrepancy between how they like
to be seen and how they are seen by others
- is mean-spirited, officious, and often unbelievably
petty
- is mean, stingy, and financially untrustworthy
- is greedy, selfish, a parasite and an emotional vampire
- is always a taker and never a giver
- is convinced of their superiority and has an overbearing belief
in their qualities of leadership but cannot distinguish between leadership
(maturity, decisiveness, assertiveness, co-operation, trust, integrity)
and bullying (immaturity, impulsiveness, aggression, manipulation, distrust,
deceitfulness)
- often fraudulently claims qualifications, experience, titles,
entitlements or affiliations which are ambiguous, misleading, or bogus
- often misses the semantic meaning of language, misinterprets
what is said, sometimes wrongly thinking that comments of a satirical, ironic
or general negative nature apply to him or herself
- knows the words but not the song
- is constantly imposing on others a false reality made up of distortion
and fabrication
- sometimes displays a seemingly limitless demonic energy especially
when engaged in attention-seeking activities or evasion of accountability
and is often a committeeaholic or apparent workaholic
Responsibility
The serial bully appears to lack insight into his or her behaviour and seems
to be oblivious to the crassness and inappropriateness thereof; however, it
is more likely that the bully knows what they are doing but elects to switch
off the moral and ethical considerations by which normal people are bound. If
the bully knows what they are doing, they are responsible for their behaviour
and thus liable for its consequences to other people. If the bully doesn't know
what they are doing, they should be suspended from duty on the grounds of diminished
responsibility and the provisions of the Mental Health Act should apply.
Clarke says workplace psychopaths have the same psychological make-up
as killers. The only difference is that they have the ability
to hide their psychopathic tendencies behind the front of a respectable, white-collar
job. Employers should beware liars, cheaters, smooth-talkers, people who appear
bored, those who change jobs quickly and those who believe they should be higher
up in the company; all are potential psychopaths. (Note that recent studies
have discovered that 15% of top executives misrepresent their education, and
one-third of all CVs contain lies.)
Psychopaths aren't mad: they're sane, rational, often highly intelligent
individuals. What separates them from the norm is a series of character traits
- among them impulsiveness, egocentricity,
lack of empathy and irresponsibility - which make them
a highly dangerous and destructive force in society. No-one is certain exactly
what causes a person to be
psychopathic, although it is now generally believed that psychopaths are
born, not made. As yet, psychopathy can neither be cured nor successfully treated.
(Harvard Business Review) Chances are good there’s a psychopath on your management
team. Seriously. I’m not talking about the “psycho” boss that employees
like to carp about—the hard-driving supervisor who sometimes loses it.
He’s just difficult. Nor am I referring to the sort of homicidal “psychopath”
Hollywood likes to serve up—Freddy Krueger, say, or Brando’s Colonel Kurtz.
Neither is, clinically speaking, a psychopath.
I’m talking about the real thing, the roughly 1% of the population that is
certifiably psychopathic. True psychopaths are diagnosed according to
very specific clinical criteria, and they’re nothing like the popular conception.
What stands out about bona fide psychopaths is that they’re so hard to spot.
They’re chameleons. They have a cunning ability to act perfectly
normally and indeed to be utterly charming, as they wreak havoc on the lives
of the people around them and the companies they inhabit.
Many of psychopaths’ defining characteristics—their polish, charm, cool decisiveness,
and fondness for the fast lane—are easily, and often mistaken for leadership
qualities That’s why they may be singled out for promotion. But
along with their charisma come the traits that make psychopaths so destructive:
They’re cunning, manipulative, untrustworthy, unethical, parasitic, and utterly
remorseless. There’s nothing they won’t do, and no one they won’t exploit,
to get what they want. A psychopathic manager, with his eye on a
colleague’s job, for instance, will doctor financial results, plant rumors,
turn coworkers against each other, and shift his persona as needed to destroy
his target. He’ll do it, and his bosses will never know.
That makes them particularly dangerous to organizations, says Robert Hare,
a University of British Columbia psychologist whose psychopathy checklist, the
PCL-R, is used worldwide to screen for psychopathic personalities. Hare
believes that psychopaths are increasingly common in business because they’re
attracted to the pace and volatility of today’s hypercompetitive workplaces.
And because companies unwittingly nurture them. Hare and his colleague
Paul Babiak, a New York-based industrial psychologies, think they’re rising
through the ranks. To find out, this summer Hare and Babiak began testing
a screening tool specifically devised to expose psychopathy at work.
Some of these people are undoubtedly in your organization, and you certainly
don’t want to promote them. How do you tell a true high-potential from
the likely psychopath? Hare’s track record in the field suggests that
the experimental screen he and Babiak are currently testing, the 360-degree
B-Scan, could become the standard tool for exposing corporate psychopaths.
But it will be some months before the preliminary data are in and the tool’s
validity can be evaluated.
In the meantime, companies can do several things to contain psychopaths at
work. Hare and Babiak say. First, make it easy for rank-and-file
workers to express concerns about colleagues. Have an ombudsman
or an anonymous tip line. Because regular
employees are less useful to a psychopath than leaders, the psychopath’s mask
will often come off in front of staff, and employees will pick up on psychopath’s
game before management does.
Second, thoroughly cross-check your impressions
of your high-potentials with colleagues who know them well. A psychopath
will tell you exactly what you want to hear, and it may be quite different from
what he tells others. When the stories don’t jibe, take a closer look.
Finally, be self-aware. Leaders are famously conscious of their strengths
but often clueless about their vulnerabilities. A psychopath will manipulate
you by exploiting personal weaknesses. Learn about your weaknesses (a
coach can help), and beware when someone seeks advantage by playing on them.
Reprinted with permission by Harvard Business Review
www.hbr.org/
A reader from
Santa Fe, NM , July 16, 1998
A good description of the problem and some solutions This book contains
well-written descriptions of obsessive-compulsive disorder -- it's informative,
clear, and a pleasure to read. And for those of us who either suffer from these
disorders or are close to someone who does, it's an eye-opener: you are NOT
the only person who's ever had to deal with this problem, and there IS hope
for curing it! For all these reasons, I highly recommend the book. Two cautions,
however: (1) The book gave a good description of the ways of treating OCD as
of the date it was written. Since then, however, there have been many new developments,
so, if you're specifically interested in treatments, you'll need to look up
some more recent books and articles. (2) "Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder"
(OCPD) is a related but different condition, and it's possible that someone
who exhibits similar symptoms but doesn't have full-blown OCD suffers from this
instead. (My mother has never gone in for compulsive hand-washing, but she's
rigid, intolerant, controlling, and a pack rat on a truly monumental scale.
That's OCPD.) The treatments for the two conditions differ -- drugs are more
helpful for OCD than OCPD, for example. As with any mental condition, it's absolutely
necessary to have a thorough professional diagnosis; don't just march into your
doctor's office demanding Prozac, or stock up on St. John's Wort at your local
herbalist's.
Dr Paul Babiak: Insincere, arrogant, untrustworthy, manipulative,
insensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others, remorseless, shallow, meaning
the person seems not to have feelings, is incapable of experiencing or understanding
the feelings of others.
"Insincere, arrogant, untrustworthy, manipulative,
insensitive to the thoughts
and feelings of others…"
Tends to blame others for things that go wrong,
has low frustration tolerance and is therefore impatient
with things.
Erratic, unreliable, unfocused, and is selfish, parasitic, they take advantage
of the goodwill of people they work with as well as the company itself.
... ... ...
If this sounds like someone you know, grab and pen and try this quick quiz.
Answer Yes or No to the following ten questions:
- Does your boss or workmate come across as smooth, polished and charming?
- Do they turn most conversations around to a discussion about them?
- Do they discredit or put others down in order to build up their own
image and reputation?
- Can they lie with a straight face to their co-workers, customers, or
business associates?
- Do they consider people they’ve outsmarted or manipulated as dumb or
stupid?
- Are they opportunistic, ruthless, hating to lose and playing to win?
- Do they come across as cold and calculating?
- Do they sometimes act in an unethical or dishonest manner?
- Have they created a power network in the organisation, then used it
for personal gain?
- Do they show no regret for making decisions that negatively affect the
company, shareholders, or employees?
They're charming and plausible, but they hide a dark secret. Kate Hilpern on
psychopathic colleagues and why there are more of them than you might imagine
September 27, 2004
(The
Guardian ) If you've ever secretly harbored thoughts
that a colleague - or even your boss - behaves like a psychopath,
you may be closer to the truth than you dared to imagine. A study
has found that there are far more sub-criminal psychopaths - self-serving,
narcissistic schemers who display a stunning lack of empathy, but
are not criminally inclined - at large in the population than had
previously been thought. Some even end up in managerial positions.
"The
world of unfeeling psychopaths is not limited to the popular images
of monsters who steal people's children or kill without remorse,"
explains Robert Hare, a professor emeritus at the University of
British Columbia in Canada, who conducted the study. "After all,
if you are bright, you have been brought up with good social skills,
and you don't want to end up in prison, so you probably won't turn
to a life of violence. Rather, you'll recognise that you can use
your psychopathic tendencies more legitimately by getting
into positions of power and control. What better place than
a corporation?"
"Corporate psychopaths" tend to be manipulative, arrogant, callous,
impatient, impulsive, unreliable and prone to fly into rages, according
to Professor Hare. They break promises, and take credit for the
work of others and blame everyone else when things go wrong.
"Psychopaths are social predators and like all predators they
are looking for feeding grounds," he says. "Wherever you get power,
prestige and money, you will find them."
But with today's employers increasingly focusing on anti-bullying
policies, how do they get away with it? Paul Babiak, an organisational
psychologist, explains that psychopaths have the ability to demonstrate
the traits that the organisation wants and needs, as well as coming
across as smooth, polished and engaging. They can appear to employers
to be the perfect manager. "The psychopath is the kind of individual
that can give you the right impression, has a charming facade, can
look and sound like the ideal leader, but behind this mask has a
dark side," he says. "It's this dark side of the personality that
lies, is deceitful, is manipulative and that bullies other people."
Dr Babiak claims to have dealt with corporate psychopaths who
not only demonstrate the defining characteristics of lack of remorse
and empathy, but also enjoy causing others pain. "I
have seen individuals fire people and take great pleasure in doing
it," he says.
Frances Collins was driven out of her job after just a few months,
whilst her psychopathic boss remained in his. "One shining example
of his lack of empathy was the day of my graduation," she says.
"There was an event happening at work that day, which I had worked
extremely hard to help them prepare for. It was all set to go like
clockwork, so I was able to take the day off. On the same day, I
found out that my stepdad had cancer, so wound up having to comfort
my mother, as well as deal with my graduation. When I returned to
work, and my boss discovered this, he simply pulled me up on the
fact that I hadn't rang to check if the event had gone OK."
He would turn up to work at 10am and leave by 4pm almost every
day, "due to family issues," she says. "Yet it was almost as if
no one else had a family or life, for that matter. Then, when people
complained that the communications team was never there, he tried
to imply that it was myself or the other PR officer at fault when
we were out covering his meetings."
In some organisations, corporate psychopaths pose a threat not
only to individuals, but also to the entire workforce, according
to Dr Babiak. They build up a power base and turn everyone in the
organisation paranoid, everyone becomes afraid of everyone else
and the work culture begins to reflect the personality of the leader.
Dr Babiak adds that bullying isn't the only characteristic displayed
by the corporate psychopath. "Many even promote fraud in the organisation
and steal the company's money," he says. Recent research by accountants
MacIntyre Hudson demonstrates just how much of a concern to companies
this is. Almost four out of 10 business owners in Britain view the
possibility of fraud - particularly being ripped off by one of their
own employees - as the single biggest threat to their company, the
study found.
In an attempt to root out such undesirable employees, Dr Babiak
and Prof Hare have teamed up to design a test aimed at enabling
companies to detect corporate psychopaths before they can do serious
damage in the workplace. The "Business Scan 360" test will assess
managers who come across as ideal corporate leaders, but who may
carry psychopathic traits. Colleagues and a supervisor of the person
being tested will be asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire that
considers four aspects of the subject's personality - anti-social
tendencies, organisational maturity, interpersonal relations, and
personal style.
But the idea is not to smoke out these people and give them the
boot, insists Prof Hare. "Some organisations would value some of
the traits, such as being remorseless and manipulative. Used-car
salesmen, for example, will probably need to be cut-throat," he
says. "The major problem is that psychopaths get into organisations
as they interview well and can convince people that they are right
for the job. But as soon as the person is hired all sorts of problems
start."
Tim Field, author of Bully in Sight and a recognised
expert on bullying in Britain, believes the test is good news for
victims of corporate psychopaths. "'At the moment, there is very
little that they can do to regain control of their career other
than leave their job altogether," he says.
"You cannot negotiate or mediate with this kind of bully for
two reasons. First, because they have a different kind of mindset
to everyone else and second, because they are very good at pulling
the wool over their employers' eyes. In fact, if you try to negotiate
or mediate, they will simply see you as vulnerable, which can put
you in even more danger. They get their kicks out of causing other
people pain, so a vulnerable person is a prime target."
Mr Field's own research has identified four types of "serial
bully" in the workplace, and the one he claims is most dangerous
is what he calls the "sociopath". "The sociopath - which is short
for 'socialised psychopath' - is basically my term for the corporate
psychopath," he says. "I just chose to emphasise the 'socialised'
aspect because these people have brought their behaviour to just
within what is socially and legally acceptable."
Sociopaths, he says, tend to sit at middle, or just above, middle
management and while Professor Hare has found they often gravitate
towards roles in business, the media, law and politics - where scheming
and bullying is just part of everyday working life - Mr Field has
spotted them in others sectors too. "I get a lot of calls from victims
in the caring professions - nursing, social services and education,
for example. I believe that's because they prey on vulnerable people
and vulnerable people often choose to work in this sector."
Corporate psychologist Ben Williams agrees that the corporate
psychopath is at large in management throughout Britain. "But I
would argue that there are fewer than in the past because we now
have laws against discrimination and unfair behaviour," he says.
Others disagree. The quickly changing corporate world is increasingly
susceptible to the psycho in a suit, Dr Babiak believes. The old,
staid, bureaucratic organisation filled with rules, policies and
procedures was too frustrating and unattractive to the psychopath,
he says. "Now, because the pace of business has accelerated so much,
only organisations that move fast can survive. It also makes it
more fun to work there, not just for you and I, but for the psychopath
as well."
Not all corporate psychopaths get away with their antics, however.
Alan Ross recalls working for a particularly mercenary one in an
investment bank. "I was just out of university and she almost screwed
me up completely," he says. "She had ambitions to move into a new
area of work and did this primarily by getting her researchers -
us - to translate and plagiarise equity research from all the continental
banks and sell it as her own research. This proved highly successful
and she was getting a name for herself as an expert."
Just before she was offered a major job in her new "expert" role,
however, Ross decided to put an end to her reign of terror. "First
we supplied a dossier to a magazine, which duly printed an exposé
of her. Finally, to rub it right in, we sent copies of the article
to every fund manager she ever had dealings with - ie all the bank's
best and wealthiest customers. Job done - she was suspended pending
an investigation and then sacked."
· Some names have been changed.
|
psychopaths –- defined as those unburdened by conscience
who selfishly use people “callously and remorselessly
for their own ends” –- don’t merely exist in corporate
America, but are now more than ever harbored in the
business environment.
In his study involving a half-dozen companies, renowned
industrial psychologist Paul Babiak found that the rapid
changes the economy has recently undergone have fed
corporate psychopaths, who thrive on the thrills of
fast transformations.
Apparently, these people succeed because those around
them assume they are not fundamentally different from
the average compassionate person and that they do care
about others’ feelings. This assumption allows corporate
psychopaths to prey on those around them. “They have
an element of emotional intelligence, of being able
to see our emotions very clearly and manipulate them,”
says Michael Maccoby, a psychotherapist interviewed
for the article who has consulted for major corporations.
But how do you know if your boss is afflicted with
this state of mind? Take
this quiz, which is based on the standard clinical
test for psychopathy. The quiz focuses on the so-called
nonviolent “corporate psychopath.” Fast Company
notes that this quiz is a “strictly amateur exercise.”
[1] Suspect flattery. Sincere compliments from a coworker
or a boss are nice, but outrageous flattery is often an attempt to draw
you into a psychopath's snare. If you feel your ego is being massaged, you
may be dealing with a psychopath. Be careful.
[2] Take labels and titles with a grain of salt. Just
because someone is older, has a higher position or more degrees, or is wealthier
than you are does not mean his or her moral judgment is better than yours.
[3] Always question authority when it conflicts with your own
sense of right and wrong. This may be hard to do, but it is crucial
to your own career and well-being.
[4] Never agree to help a psychopath conceal his or her suspicious
activities at work.
[5] If you are afraid of your boss, never confuse
this feeling with respect.
[6] Realistically assess the damage to your life. If
it's too great, you may have to leave. Remember that living well is the
best revenge.
I had a job I loved for six months got a substantial raise after three
months and then a management change. I was assigned to a woman who had a
reputation for not keeping assistants. I went in with an open mind the first
week of June. She never gave me a chance - gave me assignments and then
told me she never told me to do it; talked about me within earshot; consistently
set me up to fail. I finally resigned after seven weeks. I have never ever
worked for a more manipulative person. However, anyone who did not work
for her would say she was the nicest person - always remembering birthdays
etc. Yes, a definite psychopath. Thanks for the enlightening article.
My boss is a psychopath. He is the most ruthless, selfish person I've ever met.
It is so difficult working for him. He takes credit for everything others do.
He sounds so elegant when he talks in public, he would fool you all. Gosh, now
that I know he is actually a psycopath, kind of scares me but he fits this article
to the letter!
I joined the "managed by a psycho boss" society years ago - assumed a new
position with a new manager who spent the first 6 months trying to get me fired.
In my case, I beat him at his own game - developed strong one-on-one relationships
with his clients who praised my work and "his obvious good management". It fed
the ego need and he backed off. But I watched the charm and venom pattern -
co-workers and even management really didn't know how to respond to it, which
kept him on the payroll for years. But happily, time wounds all heels and his
maniacal need to skirt chase resulted in eventual HR actions and dismissal.
[Oct 1, 2004] Is there a psychopath in your office? by
Barbara Bartlein
The Business Journal of Milwaukee
Masters of manipulation, it is estimated that approximately only 1 percent
of the general population are psychopaths. Yet their numbers are overrepresented
in business, politics, law enforcement agencies, law firms and the media, according
to research done by Dr. Robert Hare, at the University of British Columbia and
his colleague, Dr. Paul Babiak.
"In the business world, if I was a good psychopath and I was well educated,
bright, intelligent, grew up in the proper way, knew how to talk and dress and
how to use a fork, I'm not going to go out and rob banks," reports Hare. White
collar crime offers more "acceptable" opportunities.
Recent events in the business world do raise questions of a darker side to
leadership. There are thousands of people who were affected by Kenneth Lay's
decision to unload more than $1 billion of Enron stock between January 1999
and July 2001 while telling employees and investors to buy more. Executives
at Global Crossing were receiving bonuses and stock options as the value of
the company was shrinking.
The business world offers unique opportunity for a psychopath to ooze charm,
manipulate people, and misrepresent his or her way to the top. But one of the
problems in identifying the organizational psychopath is that they often display
characteristics that are commonplace for high-level executives. Many managers
and executives display personalities that are grandiose and narcissistic. That
doesn't mean they are psychopaths.
According to Hare and Babiak, there are five distinct phases for psychopathic
behavior that put him or her in a power position.
- The Entry Phase. The psychopath leaches charm during
the interview and hiring process. He quickly determines the decision makers
and then pulls out all stops to impress and influence. Some members of the
interviewing team may report their reactions of uneasiness or discomfort,
but they often ignore or discount such feelings because the candidate is
"well liked."
- Identification of Patrons, Pawns and Police. The patrons
are those in the organization who can protect and defend the psychopath.
They tend to be trusting and dedicated employees, the perfect people to
be used and manipulated. The pawns tend to be in more influential positions
and are unwittingly put into service to help the psychopath achieve his
aims. The organizational police are those staff and positions that
handle the control functions in the company. These positions include
human resources, internal audit,
security and the comptroller. The psychopath figures out systems to bypass
the people who might get in the way.
- The Manipulation. This is where the psychopath really
gets to work. The patrons and pawns are exploited, usually on a one-to-one
basis, so the psychopath can pursue his self-interest and goals. Quickly
moving up the organization, she is a master of building the network of influence
through intense relationships.
- The Confrontation. At this stage, the psychopath confronts
or ignores those individuals no longer viewed as useful to his career and
advancement. Often the pawns and patrons are
shocked to learn that the warmth they thought they experienced in the relationship
was nothing more than a façade. The psychopath has moved
on and only spends time with those who are influential supporters.
- The Ascension. This is the point where all the planning,
manipulation, and working the networks pays off. The psychopath
moves into a power position and may use the newfound influence primarily
for her own gain. There is a notable lack of empathy for other employees,
subordinates and stockholders. In fact, a distinguishing characteristic
of the psychopathic boss is a sense of entitlement where the personal gain
can be justified.
This new research puts an interesting spin on the claims for some in the
leadership field that a leader must have charm and charisma. Perhaps, it is
time to rethink some of the essential personal characteristics necessary for
great leadership.
Barbara Bartlein is president of Great Lakes Consulting Group L.L.C. She
can be reached at 888-747-9953 or barb@barbbartlein.com or visit her Web site
at www.ThePeoplePro.com.
|
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
One of history's most scandalous cases of corporate skulduggery culminated in
a righteous clap of thunder this week, after former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth
Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were found guilty on multiple counts of conspiracy,
securities and wire fraud."Justice has been served. The jury's verdicts help
to close a notorious chapter in the history of America's publicly traded companies,"
Rep. Michael Oxley, the Ohio Republican who co-wrote the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate
reforms, told reporters.
"This is a sign to any and all pending white-collar cases that corporate
crime does not pay," said Anthony Sabino, a law professor at St. John's University
in New York. "It is a huge memo to corporate officers and other chieftains.
Stay within the law, and don't cheat your shareholders and don't lie to the
market, or your next address is the federal penitentiary."
Among all the crowing, it was almost forgotten that some of the major players,
including Enron's former chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow, made plea bargains
with federal prosecutors in exchange for their testimony.
"It often is those with a heavy dose of psychopathic features who forget
any pledges or notion of loyalty as soon as there is a chance to save their
own skin," notes Robert Hare, co-author of a chilling new book called Snakes
in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work.
Prof. Hare, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of British
Columbia, is one of the world's leading experts on psychopathy. In 1980, he
defined the mental disorder for modern scientists with an internationally recognized
diagnostic tool called the Psychopathy Checklist.
Paul Babiak is a New York-based industrial and organizational psychologist
who studies psychopathic behaviour in corporations.
Together, they have designed a new tool, the Business Scan 360 Test or B-Scan,
which could help to determine if the arrogant, bullying SOB who occupies the
corner office is just your average boss from hell or a malevolent psychopath,
capable of causing untold damage.
The story of how these cunning creatures successfully slither into high-powered
managerial roles is bracingly told in Snakes in Suits. Prof. Hare and
Mr. Babiak include numerous case studies and tips for peeling back the charming
façade worn by those completely untrustworthy colleagues in the next cubicle.
The book may even prompt you to take a closer look at the narcissistic neighbour
across the street.
In Prof. Hare's estimation, the average incidence of psychopathy in North
America is 1 per cent of the population. That would mean there are about 300,000
psychopaths in Canada -- and close to 3,000 reading this very newspaper today.
Perhaps you know one. Or are one.
There's no need to run for your life. The corporate psychopath is not necessarily
a shower-stalking killer. Nor is he (or she) a "psycho," the pejorative term
for someone who is psychotic.
Psychosis is a serious mental illness defined by paranoid delusions and a
disconnection with reality. Psychopathy, on the other hand, is a personality
disorder, characterized by a deep lack of conscience, empathy and compassion.
(Then again, there's Patrick Bateman, the Wall Street banker on a sadistic
murder streak in the Brett Easton Ellis novel American Psycho, who displayed
elements of both. "That was good," Prof. Hare says of the character,
with a shiver of repulsed awe.)
Corporate psychopaths are greedy, selfish, deceptive, unreliable and prone
to fits of rage. They are also charming and confident, give perfect interviews
and quickly become everybody's favourite employee. They are social predators
and quite possibly capable of murder.
But if they're bright, and have been brought up with good social skills,
they will probably shun violence and use their psychopathic tendencies to win
power, prestige and money.
Where do they go? Increasingly, straight to the top of today's flexible,
fast-paced, high-risk corporations, where callousness and egocentricity have
become acceptable trade-offs for fearless leaders who can rattle cages and get
things done quickly.
Dave's first day on the job created much excitement as he was shown around
the department and introduced to the staff. There was a buzz about the new person
who had been hired away from a larger player in the industry, and who would
help them regain some of the lost ground resulting from the problematic new
product introduction cycles. Everyone came out to greet Dave, and all who met
him immediately liked him. He had personality and good looks, not to mention
his strong technical background in the company's major research area, and he
projected rock-solid confidence.
After introducing Dave around to most of the department, Frank took him
to his new office.
"Oh," muttered Dave, a bit disappointed in what he saw. "I thought it
would be a little closer to the action," he paused, "and a tad bigger."
"Well, we're growing very rapidly and office space is at a premium," offered
Frank, wondering why he was feeling apologetic, "but you'll be moving around
here soon enough, as we occasionally shuffle staff around. In fact, it's quite
the joke here."
Dave wasn't amused, but as he turned to face Frank, he threw on a smile
and said, "That's great! So I better settle in and start being productive."
-- from Snakes in Suits
"Dave" is a real corporate executive, studied by Mr. Babiak, who triggered
shockwaves of trouble at a highly profitable U.S. electronics company in the
mid-1990s.
After Mr. Babiak was called in by the company to assess the problems, and
had pinpointed the trouble maker, he contacted Prof. Hare. They didn't know
each other at the time, but Mr. Babiak had read a lot of Prof. Hare's research
on psychopathic behaviour -- which, until then, had focused on the criminal
justice system.
Prof. Hare, who is a member of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's
research-advisory board on serial killers, was intrigued.
"I always said that if I wasn't studying psychopaths in prison, I'd do so
at the Vancouver Stock Exchange," he says, recalling the days when the VSE was
still up and tumbling like the Wild West.
Prof. Hare and Mr. Babiak became good friends. They shared materials. Prof.
Hare included a short case study on Dave in his 1999 book Without Conscience.
A much longer version of Dave's story is woven through this new, co-written
book.
In the meantime, Dave is still running amok at the top of the business world,
and Mr. Babiak is still tracking his illustrious career.
"Not everyone is so lucky," Prof. Hare says. "Some flame out or are caught
or quietly move on to another organization. But in other cases, they become
the boss -- or marry the boss."
It is not difficult to imagine how Dave and others like him arrived at their
opportunistic positions to deceive. The past two decades have been tumultuous
times for large corporate organizations. With dot-coms booming and collapsing,
older firms merging or shrinking, the accelerated pace of change has inadvertently
increased the number of attractive opportunities for psychopathic personalities.
The thrill-seeking nature of these entrepreneurial pretenders draws them
to situations where a lot is happening. Being consummate rule-breakers, they
find the flexibility of these flatter companies and lack of formal rules to
their liking.
"When dramatic organizational change is added to the normal levels of job
insecurity, personality clashes and political batting, the resulting chaotic
milieu provides both the necessary stimulation and sufficient cover for psychopathic
behaviour," Prof. Hare and Mr. Babiak write.
While Nicole Kidman was preparing for her role as a psychopathic deviant
in the 1993 thriller Malice, she requested a private meeting with Prof.
Hare. She wanted to let the audience know, early in the film, that she was not
the sweet, warm person she appeared to be. He gave her a spooky scenario to
practise.
"You are walking down the street and come across an accident," he told her.
"A young child has been struck by a car and is lying in a pool of blood.
"You walk up to the accident site, look briefly at the child, and then focus
on the grief-stricken mother. After a few minutes of careful scrutiny, you walk
back to your apartment, go into the bathroom, stand in front of the mirror and
practise mimicking the facial expressions and body language of the mother."
The psychopath's understanding of emotion is purely intellectual. They can
understand sadness, fear, guilt and regret on a cognitive level, but because
of a genetic deficiency, often influenced by social environments, the feelings
are missing.
This hollow core is the key element that differentiates the corporate psychopath
from your typical Machiavellian. It is a systemic way of being, in all aspects
of life.
"We're not talking about somebody like Jimmy Pattison, one of our very tough
entrepreneurs," Prof. Hare says. "He takes a tough stand at work, but he's not
psychopathic. There are a lot of Machiavellian people who can adopt a given
persona in a business environment, but have a good family life and genuinely
love their family and friends."
But because some organizations seek people who can make hard decisions, keep
their emotions in check and remain cool under fire, it makes it that much easier
for the real deal to con his way into an organization, cultivate the pawns and
patrons that can assist his ascent, outflank those who could stop him and wrest
control.
The difference between a genuinely strong leader and the corporate psychopath
is that the latter has no conscience or concern for anyone but himself. He will
use his influence to abuse the trust of colleagues, manipulate supervisors and
cut a swath of destruction through the workplace.
Public-relations director John Lute, of Toronto's Lute & Company, is reluctant
to label anyone a psychopath, but he says he has been bitten by these sorts
of snakes before. "You certainly see a lot of guys who think that they're smarter
than anybody else and it's a real problem," he says.
There was one incident about five years ago that still burns. "He was certainly
clever," Mr. Lute says of the snake. "He believed that everybody was stupider
than he was. The basic rules of human behaviour didn't really apply to him,
especially when he was dealing with inferiors.
"He screwed up on one project and pinned it on me. It did permanent damage
to my relationship with the CEO. I had to move on and write it off."
And the snake? Is he still with the company? "Oh, yeah," Mr. Lute chuckles
ruefully.
Is the modern corporation psychopathic in its very nature? The Corporation,
the award-winning Canadian documentary, has suggested that it is.
The film even uses an interview with Prof. Hare to bolster its position that
the "institutional embodiment of laissez-faire capitalism fully meets the diagnostic
criteria of a psychopath."
Dysfunctional as some corporations might be, however, Prof. Hare has trouble
with the metaphor. "To refer to the corporation as psychopathic because of the
behaviours of a carefully selected group of companies is like using the traits
and behaviours of the most serious high-risk criminals to conclude that [every]
criminal is a psychopath," he writes in the book.
Instead, there are routine procedures that can help detect the psychopathic
saboteurs before they do too much damage -- including exhaustive background
checks, rigorous auditing of expenses. But as Prof. Hare and Mr. Babiak have
discovered, these checks aren't enforced nearly often enough.
In 2003, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) reported that 37 per cent of 3,600
companies in 50 countries had suffered from fraudulent acts, with an average
company loss of more than $2-million. (The actual average loss, Prof. Hare says,
was likely much higher, because most frauds are never reported, or are written
off as commercial losses.) One-quarter of the frauds recorded were committed
by senior managers and executives.
Despite public outrage over the recent spate of high-profile scandals, the
incidence of corporate fraud is getting worse. For the same PWC global survey
last year, the percentage of fraudulent acts increased to 45 per cent.
Prof. Hare and Mr. Babiak have designed a test that may some day decrease
the incidence of fraud. Their Business Scan 360, or B-Scan, is a 111-point questionnaire
that can help companies detect the corporate psychopaths in their midst. It
is filled out by colleagues who work not just above or alongside the suspect,
but also below.
"At Enron and WorldCom, there were certainly people at the top of both cases
who were aware of a lot of things that were happening," says Prof. Hare, who
also advocates a more aggressive role for stockholders. "But below them, there
were people who knew precisely what was going on."
Last September, federal Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro shocked the country
when he declared that the Liberal sponsorship scandal could be viewed as either
"a triumph of entrepreneurship" (in the wake of federalism's near-defeat in
the 1995 Quebec referendum) or a "triumph of theft."
The line separating virtue and vice is a thin one, not just in the cor
