Backstabbers and Bullies: How to Cope with the Dark Side of People at Work

by Adrian Furnham

Overview

The idea of leadership failure and derailment has been brushed under the carpet for far too long and only now are statistics appearing on the sheer number of leaders who fail at their jobs. Backstabbers and Bullies provides the latest psychiatric and clinical perspectives on dark-side behaviour, including:

- recognising and coping with over-confident, narcissistic and psychopathic leaders;
- causes of leadership derailment and failure;
- corrupt corporate cultures; and
- the criminal personality.

Fascinating reading for anyone who has worked alongside a corporate psychopath, business narcissist or histrionic show-off, Backstabbers and Bullies goes beyond the science to explain how to better understand, manage and prevent dark-side behaviour, as well as presenting advice for reducing derailment potential for yourself, your colleagues and your organisation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472915511
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	06/04/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Adrian Furnham is Professor of Psychology at UCL. He has written over 1000 scientific papers and 70 books and is among the most well-known and productive psychologists in the world, noted for his motivational speaking. Adrian is a newspaper columnist - previously at the Financial Times, now at the Sunday Times.
Adrian Furnham was Professor of Psychology at UCL, and is a renowned speaker on psychology issues in the workplace. He writes regularly for the FT, Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph, and is a contributor to national and international radio and television (including BBC, CNN, and ITV). He currently has teaching roles at both the Norwegian Business School and Exeter Business School. He is the author of 92 books.

Table of Contents

Preface

1. The incidence and cost of management failure
2. Management derailment
3. Management incompetence and derailment
4. Corrupt countries and sick corporate cultures
5. The criminal personality and criminal gangs
6. Five accounts: Explaining the cause of leadership derailment
7. The successful psychopath at work
8. Arrogance, hubris and narcissism: The overconfident leader
9. The paranoid, schizotypal, histrionic and obsessive-compulsive leader
10. The sick executive
11. Prevention and management of the dark side

Bibliography
Appendix
Index

Editorial Reviews

At a time when loyalty, honor, and faithfulness seem old fashioned and out of date, the business world couldn't be more in need of this handy guide to identifying and dealing with leaders who are out for themselves more than the greater good. With penetrating insight and a ton of research brought to life with powerful examples, Professor Furnham sheds light on how to prevent a leader's dark side from wreaking havoc on employees and the organization.” —President, Kaiser Leadership Solutions and Editor, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research

“Professor Adrian Furnham has played a pivotal role in highlighting the potential for disaster in even the most successful of people through personality attributes that are generally highly regarded and frequently very effective. His research and numerous publications have brought this important and fascinating topic to the attention of a wide international audience of professionals and to the general public. This very comprehensive and perceptive treatment is a most welcome addition to the literature.” —Managing Director, PCL

“Adrian Furnham is a rare jewel of a psychologist whose natural curiosity and enthusiasm for his subject have driven him throughout his career. In his latest book on the dark side of leadership, his approach is typically comprehensive in coverage and assured in its judgments. This book will appeal to a wide range of readers from scholars, who seek thorough and well-researched treatment of the subject matter, to leaders and HR professionals who need clues about how to deal with the awkward few who dominate their lives and take their time.” —Chairman, Edgecumbe Consulting

“This is an immensely important book, not just for those who are painfully exposed to cycles of backstabbing and bullying, but in particular for all of us who want our organizations to yield higher returns, resilience, flexibility and sustainability. As Adrian Furnham makes abundantly clear, through examples and statistics, there is growing evidence of a strong relationship between healthy leadership and longer-term stock-market success. Conversely, if any book can help you reflect on (and let go of) your own tendencies towards backstabbing and bullying, or on how you are keeping the bullies and backstabbers in place, then it is this one.” —Director of the Ashridge Centre for Coaching

“Many more corporate careers end in failure rather than success. Professor Adrian Furnham has lifted the lid on this crucial area in this comprehensive, deeply researched but also highly readable and entertaining book.” —co-founder and Chairman, YSC London

“The widespread prevalence of managerial incompetence is the dirty little secret in organizational studies. This book provides a timely and briskly written survey of the causes, consequences, and potential remedies of this curse of the working class. Adrian Furnham is unstoppable.” —Hogan Assessment, Tulsa, Oklahoma

From the Publisher

The widespread prevalence of managerial incompetence is the dirty little secret in organizational studies. This book provides a timely and briskly written survey of the causes, consequences, and potential remedies of this curse of the working class. Adrian Furnham is unstoppable.

Hogan Assessment

Many more corporate careers end in failure rather than success. Professor Adrian Furnham has lifted the lid on this crucial area in this comprehensive, deeply researched but also highly readable and entertaining book.

YSC London co-founder and Chairman

This is an immensely important book, not just for those who are painfully exposed to cycles of backstabbing and bullying, but in particular for all of us who want our organizations to yield higher returns, resilience, flexibility and sustainability. As Adrian Furnham makes abundantly clear, through examples and statistics, there is growing evidence of a strong relationship between healthy leadership and longer-term stock-market success. Conversely, if any book can help you reflect on (and let go of) your own tendencies towards backstabbing and bullying, or on how you are keeping the bullies and backstabbers in place, then it is this one.

Director of the Ashridge Centre for Coaching

Adrian Furnham is a rare jewel of a psychologist whose natural curiosity and enthusiasm for his subject have driven him throughout his career. In his latest book on the dark side of leadership, his approach is typically comprehensive in coverage and assured in its judgments. This book will appeal to a wide range of readers from scholars, who seek thorough and well-researched treatment of the subject matter, to leaders and HR professionals who need clues about how to deal with the awkward few who dominate their lives and take their time.

Edgecumbe Consulting Chairman

Professor Adrian Furnham has played a pivotal role in highlighting the potential for disaster in even the most successful of people through personality attributes that are generally highly regarded and frequently very effective. His research and numerous publications have brought this important and fascinating topic to the attention of a wide international audience of professionals and to the general public. This very comprehensive and perceptive treatment is a most welcome addition to the literature.

PCL Managing Director

At a time when loyalty, honor, and faithfulness seem old fashioned and out of date, the business world couldn't be more in need of this handy guide to identifying and dealing with leaders who are out for themselves more than the greater good. With penetrating insight and a ton of research brought to life with powerful examples, Professor Furnham sheds light on how to prevent a leader's dark side from wreaking havoc on employees and the organization.

President