Is your boss a psychopath?

They ooze charm and charisma but have no emotional depth. How to spot a corporate psychopath.

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OPINION: A lot has been written about bad bosses but there is a phenomenon we have all run into from time to time: the corporate psychopath.

Not a murderer, vicious criminal or rapacious scam-meister, but a manager who oozes charm and charisma with no emotional depth - more sizzle than steak.

These are the ones who are manipulative and ruthless enough to do whatever it takes to succeed and will stick the knife into anyone standing in their way.

With their finely honed political skills, sharp timing and chameleon-like abilities, they thrive on risk, chaos and upheaval. And they are cold-blooded enough to claim later that they did nothing wrong.

Research done by psychologists Dr Robert Hare and Dr Paul Babiak indicates the psychopath usually seduces and takes over in five stages.

First is the entry phase, in which the psychopath charms the hiring team into selecting him or her for the job.

Then comes the assessment phase. Here, the psychopathic employee identifies the potential support network of Patrons (those who will protect and defend the psychopath), Pawns (those who can be unwittingly manipulated into using their power in service of the psychopath's aims), and Organisational Police (staff in such control functions as audit, security, human resources who might get in the way).

Stage three is manipulation: the psychopath works the patrons and pawns, building the influence network through close and intense one-on-one relationships and at the same time moving up the organisation.

The next stage is confrontation. Individuals no longer deemed useful discover they've been wiped, relegated from close friend to Patsy.

Two factions start forming: influential supporters (Pawns and Patrons); and powerless detractors (Patsies and Police). Finally, there's ascension. That's when all that planning and manipulation pays off - the Patrons are betrayed, the boss is shoved aside and the psychopath moves in.

The question is whether being a psychopath comes with the territory of being a boss. Not that all bosses are psychopaths, most are decent. 

But do the traits of a workplace psychopath, the charm and the ruthlessness, make it easier to become a boss? Research in the past suggests that most psychopaths are of normal intelligence. More like Tony Soprano than Hannibal Lecter.

According to research cited, managers scored higher on measures of psychopathy than the overall population. Some who had very high scores were candidates for, or held, senior positions. 

"The very skills that make the psychopath so unpleasant (and sometimes abusive) in society can facilitate a career in business even in the face of negative performance ratings," the researchers said.

Another study When Executives Rake in Millions: Meanness in Organizations found that bosses who make big bucks are much meaner to their employees compared to executives who aren't earning massive salaries.

What are the danger signals? Jo Owen at BNET identifies six traits to watch out for: they are highly egocentric and the world revolves around them; they have superficial charm and will say anything to get their way; they feel no guilt or shame about their actions; they take excessive risks; they blame others or completely deny there are problems and they are highly manipulative.

And of course, they will will back stab anyone they think is in their way or anyone deemed to be unnecessary.

All these traits helped them climb the greasy corporate ladder. Still, one of the problems in identifying the corporate psychopath is that it's a world in which some of the defining characteristics are commonplace. Many successful managers and executives can be grandiose and narcissistic. That doesn't necessarily mean they're psychopaths, they're just awful people.  Similarly, many organisations are set up in ways that foster these kinds of behaviours.

Still, there are enough corporate psychopaths out there and there are warning signs to watch out for.

- © Fairfax NZ News