From USC
Sooo, the secret's out -- or confirmed -- about that nasty, explosive boss: S/he just feels incompetent, threatened and lashes out at subordinates to build up the ol' ego, researchers say, noting that this abusive, belligerent conduct further undercuts executives who employ it. By running four studies, in workplaces and the lab, and by tapping field data and by employing role-playing and role-recall, researchers found that insecure bosses, the more they felt themselves incompetent and threatened, savaged their underlings, including, in one game simulation, denying subordinates chances to win money even if it had no effect on them. The researchers say that if these churlish execs can be taught to focus on their whole lives, especially areas like family and friends where they can exert competence and control, they're less likely to blow up. It's critical for directors and those who hire people in leadership to consider all their qualities, including how they treat those lower in the food chain because there's another negative to ballistic bosses: They typically lack the self-reflectiveness to fix their issues. Sigh.
Companies urged to consider personal traits of chiefs to avoid the abusive
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