Originally found at Inverse.

To date, researchers in organizational psychology have primarily focused on the role of leaders in promoting or preventing success. There is a lot of research on bad bosses. But what about bad employees?

In a 2019 study, published in the journal Academy of Management Perspectives, scientists asked that very question: What if employees are guided by the wrong values, lack a moral compass and compassion for others, and use their positions to pursue their own goals?

The research highlights the power of individual “bad actors” at work, whose behavior can toxify a company. The study also reveals how one can spot a “dark triad” behavior among their coworkers: What, exactly, should you do if your coworker is acting like a psychopath, narcissist, or Machiavellian?

Continue reading the original article at Inverse.

Read  the original research in Academy of Management Perspectives.

Also read  this AOM Insights summary citing this research.

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work:

• Birgit Schyns, Neoma Business School
• Barbara Wisse, University of Groningen and Durham University
  
• Stacey Sanders, University of Groningen