From Boss Science by Steve Fishman
...In many offices, the boss's focus tends to be on himself, in a mirror, heroically distorted. Take Michael Scott, Steve Carell's character in The Office. Scott is craven, self-admiring, clueless, the Ur-narcissist. Others' feelings and talents register little, if at all. Subordinates exist to serve—one, in fact, does Scott's laundry. Scott's only redeeming trait is that he's a buffoon, the butt of the running joke. Still—and this is a crucial insight into the narcissistic boss—he is among the few who don't see this. “Narcissists have unrealistically exaggerated views of their abilities and achievements,” reports University of Florida professor Timothy Judge, whose 2006 study of narcissists was titled “Loving Yourself Abundantly.”
As a TV character, Scott is laughable, in part, because we assume no one quite like that could really be boss. Yet the sad irony of office life is that a large and growing body of evidence argues that narcissistic personality traits are some of those that propel the jerk up the ladder. Research suggests that he who climbs quickly is likely more talkative, social, and at the same time more obviously—obviously is the key word—dominant than his peers. “He answers to himself,” as one management consultant puts it. He's self-referential—“I believe … ” is the way he starts most every sentence. He has a talent for manipulating others' impressions. One way he sometimes does that is by flashing a little anger. “Leadership research shows that subtle nasty moves like glaring and condescending comments, explicit moves like insults or put-downs, and even physical intimidation can be effective paths to power,” reports Robert Sutton, a Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule.
And so, the research shows, employees tend to see the jerk, the narcissist, and yes, even the asshole, as boss material. “Yeah, the narcissist has advantages,” Adler says, as if fingering a nemesis. Most important among them, the narcissist believes that it's his natural right to be the boss. “Narcissism,” says Adler, his hands flapping the air, “makes a person feel that he should be a leader. He's the one motivated to sell himself to peers.”
Certainly no one in the corporate-psychology business wants to be seen as soft-minded about nasty, brutish workplace tactics. If the jerk who shoves others aside to rise in fact makes the best boss, so be it. If employees have to suffer, so be it. That's why they call it work.
But the one who reaches the top fastest doesn't necessarily make the best boss. A foundational bit of research on this issue was done by Fred Luthans at the University of Nebraska. “What do successful managers—those who have been promoted relatively quickly—have in common with effective managers—those who have satisfied, committed subordinates and high-performing units?” asked Luthans. “Surprisingly, the answer seems to be that they have little in common.”
And the problem isn't easily controlled. Dysfunction at the top tends to infect an organization. When the boss is disagreeable, disagreeableness spreads. Sutton and others see assholicness as a disease vector. “There's powerful evidence from longitudinal studies that if you're around jerky people you'll become like them if you don't leave,” Sutton tells me. “Specifically, studies show that if you work for a bully boss, you will become a bully.
“Being an asshole,” he says flatly, “is a contagious disease.” ...
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