Question

In your opinion, people with which Dark Tetrad (Machiavellianism, Narcissistic, Psychopathy, Sadism) trait (e.g., an individual high on Dark Trait X) would be the least likely to thrive in a workplace setting. Explain and include at least one external source/article

Answer 1

In my view, the presence of psychopathy can create enormous damage in an organisational setting, particularly when it is observed in senior management roles. Psychopaths possess characteristics such as superficial charm, grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, manipulative, lack of remorse, emotional shallowness, callousness and lack of empathy. They can therefore occupy higher levels in workplace settings, which allows their actions to have a ripple effect throughout an organization, and sets the tone for an entire corporate culture. Some reported of detrimental effects are increased bullying, conflict, stress, staff turnover and absenteeism; reduction in productivity and in social responsibility (Body, 2011).

References:

Boddy, C. R. (2011). The corporate psychopaths theory of the global financial crisis. Journal of Business Ethics (Vol. 102, pp. 255–259). Netherlands: Springer.