Chapter 5: Ignoring The Signposts: A Process Perspective of Unethical and Destructive Leadership

Research in organizational studies has presented alternative conceptualizations of negative, unethical, and destructive leadership, as well as the consequences of these leader behaviors (Einarsen, Aasland, & Skogstad, 2007; Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007; Schilling, 2009). Destructive leadership has been defined as repeated behaviors that work against the legitimate interests of an organization and its members including the undermining the organization’s goal, resources, and quality of working life (Einarsen et al., 2007). Destructive leadership may involve dominance, coercion, manipulation of others, and selfish leader-focused orientation (Lipman-Blumen, 2005; Padilla et al., 2007). While previous studies have considered leader and follower characteristics that may be associated with the occurrence of destructive leadership, organizations succeed or fail based on the effectiveness and resilience of their processes for strategy and human resource development (Collins, 2001; Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006). As a result, antecedents of destructive leadership must be considered within the contexts of organizational processes. The purpose of this chapter is to examine how certain key variables of leaders, followers, and organizations may interact within organizational processes to enable unethical and destructive leadership.