Toxic bosses may thrive at work, but the office pays the price, new research finds

Managers with narcissistic and other dark personality traits may rise through the ranks and even deliver results, but the wider effect can be stress, burnout and falling morale, according to an international research collection led by Durham University Business School

David Brent-type bosses with narcissistic tendencies can get ahead and even deliver workplace gains, but may leave behind toxic offices, stress and burnout, according to new research.

Self-absorbed managers – along with others driven by status, manipulation and darker personality traits – can sometimes look effective in the short term.

But the wider damage to colleagues and workplace culture can be severe, according to an international research collection led by Durham University Business School.

The research, published this month as a special issue of the Journal of Managerial Psychology, suggests “dark side” traits can go unchecked because they do not always look destructive at first glance.

In some workplaces, they can be mistaken for confidence, decisiveness or strength, helping people win influence and rise into leadership.

The collection also warns that significant gaps remain in understanding and mitigating their full impact, meaning such behaviour can go unchecked and unchallenged, in part because followers may experience what the researchers describe as a dark allure.

The special issue, titled Heroes or Villains? Advancing the Understanding of Dark Personality Traits in Organizations, was brought together by Susanne Braun of Durham University Business School, alongside Sandra J. Diller of Seeburg Castle Private University, Dritjon Gruda of Universidade Catolica Portuguesa and Porto Business School, and Daniel N. Jones of the University of Nevada.

Professor Braun said fear of power loss, fascination and greed can all contribute to downward spirals inside organisations, while the collection recommends more diverse hiring, selection and promotion approaches to strengthen resilience.

“Toxic work environments created by dark personalities can contribute to stress, burnout, and mental health problems among employees, which in turn erode job satisfaction, performance, and retention,” she added.

The researchers say organisations can reduce the damage by fostering psychological safety and lowering anxiety among staff.

READ MORE: ‘Why control freaks never build great companies‘. The illusion of control has become management’s deadliest habit, breeding anxiety at the top and apathy below. Every collapsing culture begins with a boss who can’t let go, warns Andrew Horn. 

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_{Main image: David Brent, Ricky Gervais’s cringeworthy boss in The Office – a comic touchstone for workplace narcissism and self-importance. Picture: BBC Press Office.}