Being a leader in organizations is, and will undoubtedly become even more, crucial in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. In fact, leadership, in my opinion, is the most important differentiating factor for organizational success! Everything that goes well or not well in organizations is connected to effective or ineffective leadership! However, it is confirmed, both by practical experience and scientific research, that a remarkably high percentage (77 percent and above) of organizations are experiencing significant leadership gaps and ineffective leadership at all management levels, including top management, middle management, and lower management levels. The lack of leadership leads to neglect of the organization and the people within the organization. Considering these factors, the demand for effective business leaders is greater than ever!

 

There is a significant emphasis on inspiring and personal leadership, yet the negative aspects of leadership are often overlooked, despite many individuals recognizing and experiencing 'destructive leadership' within organizations. How is this paradox possible? This article aims to address the following questions: What is destructive leadership? What are the types of destructive leadership? What contributes to destructive leadership in organizations? What are the consequences of destructive leadership for people and organizations? How can organizations address destructive leadership?

 

What is destructive leadership?

Destructive leadership refers to a style of leadership characterized by actions, behaviors, or attitudes that have harmful effects on individuals, teams, and organizations. It involves leaders engaging in behavior that undermines the well-being, morale, and productivity of their subordinates and can ultimately lead to negative outcomes for the organization as a whole. More specifically, it is the systematic and repeated behavior of a manager or executive that violates the interests of the organization by undermining or sabotaging goals, tasks, resources, as well as the effectiveness and/or motivation, well-being, or job satisfaction of the employees.

 

All forms of destructive leadership involve persistent behavior on the part of managers. Incidental unavailability or an angry outburst from a manager who usually exhibits constructive behavior are therefore not included. Destructive leadership can take various forms, and some common characteristics include abuse of power, lack of empathy, poor communication, micromanagement, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, lack of integrity, and resistance to feedback.

 

Types of destructive Leadership:

Destructive leadership can manifest in various forms, and different types of destructive leaders may exhibit distinct behaviors. Here are several types of destructive leadership:

1. Abusive Leadership: Leaders who engage in verbal, emotional, or physical abuse toward their team members. This creates a hostile work environment and can have severe psychological effects on employees.
2. Micromanagement: Leaders who excessively control and monitor every aspect of their team's work. This can lead to frustration, demotivation, and a lack of autonomy among team members.
3. Narcissistic Leadership: Leaders with an exaggerated sense of self-importance and a lack of empathy for others. In this regard leaders prioritize personal success over organizational well-being and disregard the needs and opinions of others.
4. Authoritarian Leadership: Leaders who demand strict obedience and expect unquestioning loyalty. This can result in a fear-based work environment and hinder open communication.
5.Toxic Leadership: Leaders who create a negative and unhealthy work environment and who may engage in bullying, harassment, or manipulation, causing stress and low morale among team members.
6. Exploitative Leadership: Leaders who exploit their position for personal gain at the expense of the organization and its members and who may engage in corruption, fraud, or other unethical practices.
7. Incompetent Leadership: Leaders who lack the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively lead, the so called “incompetent survivors”. They just can't do it, but they manage to stay out of sight. This can lead to poor decision-making, confusion, and a lack of direction within the organization.
8. Passive-Aggressive Leadership: Leaders who express negativity and resistance indirectly, undermining the team or organization. This can lead to a toxic work culture and hinder collaboration.
9.Laissez-Faire Leadership: Leaders who are overly hands-off and provide little guidance or support. This can result in a lack of direction, confusion, and a feeling of neglect among team members.
10.Unethical Leadership: Leaders who compromise ethical standards, engage in dishonest practices, or encourage unethical behavior. This can damage the organization's image and reputation, and lead to legal consequences.
11.Dishonest Leadership: Leaders who consistently deceive or manipulate others for personal or organizational gain. This erodes trust and undermines the integrity of the leadership.
 

It's important to note that these types of destructive leadership are not mutually exclusive, and a leader may exhibit a combination of these traits. Additionally, destructive leadership can have varying degrees of impact, ranging from subtle negative influences to severe and widespread consequences for both individuals and organizations. Addressing destructive leadership involves recognizing these characteristics and implementing strategies to foster positive leadership behaviors, promote accountability, and create a healthy organizational culture.

 

What contributes to destructive leadership?

1. Proficiency/competence level:

Translated into leadership, this statement suggests that the capacity (competence) of leaders determines how effectively they function and perform in their roles. In other words, leadership competence directly influences the level of effectiveness of leaders. This implies that the higher the degree of competence (the level of competence), the greater the effectiveness and impact of leaders on people and organizations. Conversely, the lower the degree of competence, the lower the effectiveness. Additionally, this concept underscores that the competence level (capacity/ability) of leaders cannot surpass their effectiveness (functioning and performance), a principle often referred to as the "law of the lid."

 

2. Ineffective scope of control:

Nowadays, we observe an increasing number of self-managing organizations and teams. Organizations often implement self-management as a cost-cutting measure or because it has proven successful elsewhere and is trending. The consequence of adopting self-management in organizations and teams is that managers become responsible for a larger number of individuals. No matter how skilled and professional a manager is, having to lead a substantial number of people makes it challenging to give everyone the attention they deserve. This lack of personal connection may result in an insufficient understanding of your team members. An ineffective span of control also leads to 'flawed leadership,' characterized by imperfections, mistakes, or shortcomings such as ineffective communication, poor decision-making, lack of vision, lack of accountability, lack of management attention, and ego-driven leadership that can have adverse effects on individuals and organizations.

 

3. People are not well prepared for leadership roles in organizations:

Research and practical experience have demonstrated that the absence of leadership development, career planning, and succession planning can create an environment conducive to destructive leadership behaviors. The reason for this is that individuals within organizations are not proactively, timely, structurally, and systematically educated, trained, and developed in their new roles and the associated required competencies. They are not provided with the opportunity to cultivate and acquire a new mindset and competence, contributing to the emergence of destructive leadership behaviors.

 

(Business) political reasons also play a role in this, where people are placed in leadership positions while they are not at all equipped for that role and function. All too often, they do not have the required leadership experience and competencies.

 

Colleges and universities also don’t pay enough attention to leadership in their curriculum. The focus of the curriculum is primarily on the professional-technical aspects of the study. Students also do not take the initiative to educate themselves in this area. The result of this is that graduates are sent out into the wider world without any ‘basic’ knowledge of what 'effective leadership' entails. Years later, they end up in a leadership position for which they are not at all prepared. Combined with the situation in which organizations do not develop employees in a structured and systematic manner for that role and position, and that the employees themselves have not taken the initiative to do so, one ends up in a situation where people are placed in lower, middle, and senior management positions without the 'basic knowledge of leadership’.

 

4. Leadership mindset:

Research and practical experience have demonstrated that the thinking framework (ideas), belief frameworks, perspectives, attitudes, values, and norms of leaders influence and determine the leadership style, strategy, and approach of leaders within organizations, as well as their leadership effectiveness. These, in turn, have a major impact on an organization's climate, influencing the organization's overall performance. Thus, an ineffective leadership mindset can significantly impact the development and manifestation of destructive leadership behaviors.

 

5. The development from technical to managerial position:

Due to the absence of a comprehensive leadership development program, as well as career and succession planning, individuals in organizations who excel technically (referred to as technicians) are frequently promoted to managerial positions without possessing the requisite leadership thinking framework (ideas), belief frameworks, perspectives, attitudes, values, norms, and competencies necessary for the transition from an expert (technician) to a Manager and Executive. The outcome hereof is that organizations ‘lose’ a skilled technician and gain an ineffective leader instead. This situation has adverse effects on the organization's functioning, performance, services, image, reputation, and long-term sustainability, as well as on the individuals within the organization, as the promoted leaders do not know or understand their role as leaders and the corresponding responsibilities and accountabilities.

 

What are the consequences of destructive leadership for people and organizations?

When one thinks of destructive leadership, the immediate association is often with ‘intimidating and or transgressive behavior’, and rightly so. Fraud is also commonly linked to this perception.

 

Poor leadership usually surfaces through boundless behavior, such as bullying or misbehavior. However, destructive leadership extends beyond these actions and also includes a 'lack of leadership,' which is prevalent in many organizations. Unfortunately, a leader who overtly behaves inappropriately as this behavior is visible can be dismissed. However, the absence of effective leadership and frameworks is frequently less conspicuous, yet more serious. Moreover, mitigating such deficiencies proves challenging.

 

Destructive leadership can have profound and far-reaching consequences for both individuals and organizations. Here are some potential outcomes:

 

1. Destructive leadership can lead to stress, anxiety, emotionally damaged employees, and even depression among employees who are subjected to toxic behaviors.

2. Employees may become dissatisfied with their work environment, leading to decreased morale motivation, satisfaction, and engagement.

3. Employees don't feel heard and not seen. In this regard a mentality of 'we'll solve it ourselves' arises. As a result, everyone does it in their own way. And that's not always the organization's way. The risk is the creation of islands. The importance of informal culture is increasing.

4. Constant exposure to destructive leadership may drive talented employees away, resulting in higher turnover rates. Losing skilled employees can have a detrimental impact on organizational knowledge and expertise.

5. Destructive leadership can hinder teamwork and collaboration as employees may be hesitant to share ideas or work together.

6. Destructive leadership leads to disbelief and distrust in organizations.

7. Teams led by destructive leaders may experience increased internal conflicts and division.

8. Destructive leadership contributes to the development of a toxic organizational culture, which can persist even after the departure of the leader.

9. Core values and ethical standards may be compromised, eroding the foundation of the organization.

10. Employees under destructive leadership may become demotivated, leading to lower productivity levels.

11. The overall functioning, performance and service delivery of the organization may suffer due to a lack of innovation, collaboration, and employee commitment. As a result, long-term sustainability, among other factors, is facing significant challenges.

12. Destructive leadership can tarnish the organization's reputation, making it less attractive to potential employees, customers, and business partners.

13. Destructive leaders may engage in unethical practices, exposing the organization to legal risks and potential lawsuits.

14. Failure to adhere to ethical standards and regulations can have severe consequences for the organization.

15. Organizations with a history of destructive leadership may struggle with identifying and preparing suitable successors, leading to leadership vacuum or instability.

16. Lack of vision and strategic direction for the organization.

17. Insufficient emphasis on strategy formulation, implementation, and realization at strategic, tactical, and operational levels.

18. Inadequate and unsustainable addressing and resolution of (complex) issues, problems, and bottlenecks ((organizational constraints).

19. Lack of accountability.

 

How to address destructive leadership in organizations?

Addressing destructive leadership in organizations is crucial for maintaining a healthy work environment and sustaining long-term success. It requires an integrated and multi-faceted approach, including leadership development, organizational culture change, and the establishment of effective mechanisms for feedback and accountability.

 

Here are several strategies that organizations might consider tackling destructive leadership are among other:

1. Encourage leaders to engage in regular self-reflection and assessments to identify their leadership styles and potential destructive behaviors.

2. Invest in and offer leadership development programs (an integrated leadership development program and curriculum) that focus on a.o. emotional intelligence, self-awareness, effective communication, conflict resolution, and people management skills.

3. Investing in a comprehensive culture transformation program with a focus on developing and embedding constructive leadership styles within the organization.

4. Investing in developing and implementing an integrated career, succession, and promotion program in which employees are well-prepared and developed in a timely, structured, and systematic manner for a leadership role in the future.

5. Clearly define and communicate expectations for leadership behavior by means of a leadership profile, emphasizing the importance of ethical conduct, respect, and positive communication.

6. Establish channels for employees to provide (anonymous) constructive and actionable feedback on leadership, fostering a culture of openness and transparency. To this end, use 360-degree feedback mechanisms where leaders receive input from peers, subordinates, and superiors to gain a comprehensive view of their performance.

7. Conduct regular surveys or focus groups to assess employee satisfaction and identify areas of concern.

8. Establish consequences for destructive behavior and consistently enforce them. This may include disciplinary actions, coaching, or in extreme cases, removal from a leadership position.

9. Hold leaders accountable for creating and maintaining a positive work environment.

10. Align organizational values with leadership behaviors, emphasizing the importance of integrity and ethical decision-making.

11. Implement policies that protect whistleblowers who report destructive leadership behaviors.

12. Conduct regular performance evaluations for leaders, taking into account their impact on team dynamics, employee satisfaction, and organizational culture. To this end, use performance metrics that go beyond financial results to include leadership effectiveness.

13. Even if it is outside the direct sphere of influence of organizations, I advocate that colleges and universities make leadership development an integral part of their curriculum, especially in the final year of study.

 

Addressing destructive leadership is an ongoing process that requires commitment from both leaders and employees. By fostering a positive and ethical culture, organizations can create an environment where destructive leadership is less likely to thrive.

 

Sources: Theory and Practice of Leadership in Neglected Organizations, Joost Kampen, 2023 (book). Destructive Leadership, the Dark Sides of Leadership - Boom Management, 2023 (article).