New Delhi : Claims that a huge number of business leaders are psychopaths or that leadership positions attract high numbers of psychopaths are overblown, according to new research. If you have ever worked for an impulsive or vengeful boss, headlines like “CEO is the profession with the most psychopaths,” or “1 in 5 CEOs is a psychopath, study finds,” may not seem so far-fetched. But when researchers started digging into the science behind the headlines, they found such claims to be overblown. Contrary to public perception, they say the relationship between leadership and psychopathy is weak. “We found people with psychopathic tendencies were somewhat more likely to become leaders, but nothing to suggest every executive suite is staffed by psychopaths. There is simply no evidence that is the case,” says Marcus Credé, an assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State University.
The researchers did identify some important distinctions that have implications in the workplace, even with a small effect size. They analysed 92 studies to determine patterns in leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness of people with psychopathic tendencies. The results of their meta-analysis appear in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The influence of gender was one point of particular interest to researchers. Women leaders who showed psychopathic characteristics were evaluated negatively, but men were not. The researchers measured leadership effectiveness using job performance ratings from supervisors, peers, and subordinates as well as self-reports. The double standard is troubling, says Peter Harms, an associate professor at the University of Alabama. “Men are getting away with it. There is a gender bias here and it’s simply not fair. Women are being held accountable for their behaviours and men are not. We shouldn’t be tolerating or excusing bad behaviour from men.” The researchers say all managers and CEOs need to be held accountable regardless of gender. They say it’s important to recognise that the rate at which people with psychopathic tendencies land management positions can be quite dramatic if organisations do not screen for these traits when hiring or promoting managers.
