Most research into leadership has presented leaders as heroic, charismatic and transformational 'visionaries'. The leader, whether in business, politics or any other field, is the most important factor in determining whether organizations succeed or fail. Indeed, despite the fundamental mistakes which have, arguably, directly led to global economic recession, it is often still taken for granted that transformational leadership is a good thing, and that leaders should have much more power than followers to decide what needs to be done. The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership confronts this orthodoxy by illustrating how such approaches can encourage narcissism, megalomania and poor decision-making on the part of leaders, at great expense to those organizations they are there to serve. Written in a lively and engaging style, the book uses a number of case studies to illustrate the perils of transformational leadership, from the Jonestown tragedy in 1978 when over 900 people were either murdered or committed suicide at the urging of their leader, to an analysis of how banking executives tried to explain away their role in the 2008 financial crisis This provocative and hugely important book offers a rare critical perspective in the field of leadership studies. Concluding with a new approach that offers an alternative to the dominant transformational model, The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership will be an invaluable text for academics interested in leadership, students on leadership courses requiring a more critical perspective, and anyone concerned with how people lead people, and the lessons we can learn.

Most research into leadership has presented leaders as heroic, charismatic and transformational ‘visionaries’. The leader, whether in business, politics or any other field, is the most important factor in determining whether organizations succeed or fail. Indeed, despite the fundamental mistakes which have, arguably, directly led to global economic recession, it is often still taken for granted that transformational leadership is a good thing, and that leaders should have much more power than followers to decide what needs to be done. The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership confronts this orthodoxy by illustrating how such approaches can encourage narcissism, megalomania and poor decision-making on the part of leaders, at great expense to those organizations they are there to serve. Written in a lively and engaging style, the book uses a number of case studies to illustrate the perils of transformational leadership, from the Jonestown tragedy in 1978 when over 900 people were either murdered or committed suicide at the urging of their leader, to an analysis of how banking executives tried to explain away their role in the 2008 financial crisis This provocative and hugely important book offers a rare critical perspective in the field of leadership studies. Concluding with a new approach that offers an alternative to the dominant transformational model, The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership will be an invaluable text for academics interested in leadership, students on leadership courses requiring a more critical perspective, and anyone concerned with how people lead people, and the lessons we can learn.

The Christian world has been rocked by the number of prominent leaders, in both church and parachurch organizations, who have been compromised by moral, ethical, and theological failures. This pace-setting volume addresses this alarming problem and offers Christian leaders valuable guidance in dealing with the inherent risks of their work. Using biblical and current examples, the authors describe the characteristics of five types of leaders and the problems that are most likely to develop if their particular dysfunctions develop unrestrained. McIntosh and Rima offer a series of steps for leaders to consider so they can take control of their dark side and learn to harness its creative powers. This edition includes a new introduction, updated information throughout, a self-assessment tool, and other additional material. Includes endorsements from John Maxwell, Leighton Ford, Leith Anderson, and Rob Angel.

Leadership, Work, and the Dark Side of Personality uses an interpersonal psychological perspective to unite general theories of both personality and leadership. By focusing in on the interpersonal, the book characterizes social behaviors by their agency (how dominant they are) and by their communion (how relational and nurturing they are). It argues that these interpersonal dimensions align closely with the traditional structure of leader behaviors—both task-related and relationship oriented behaviors—and uses those frameworks to orient trait theory for both normal-range personality traits and subclinical (dark side) traits. After overviewing the history of leadership theory, reviewing normal range personality traits (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Openness) and subclinical traits, such as the Dark Triad (Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy), the book moves on to thoroughly bring the perspective of interpersonal psychology to bear on questions of personality and leadership, and ends by narrowing in on how the dark side of personality affects the leadership process—for better and for worse. - Discusses the role of personality in job performance and satisfaction - Critiques both historical and contemporary leadership approaches - Includes lesser known approaches to leadership, such as paternalism and empowerment - Narrows in on the dark side of personality and the role it plays in the leadership process - Distinguishes between effective leaders and successful leaders

Corporations of every size have experience of employees who are guilty of lying, stealing, sabotage, hacking, destruction of files and data, and more than a few corporations have been, and continue to be, devastated by the activities of whistleblowers. Profits, secrets and staff morale are all threatened. This book provides a background to the psychology of deviance and offers practical advice about identifying the causes of and prescriptions for reversing disloyalty.

Volume 14 examines critical topics at the intersection of leadership, stress, and well being including: leaders’ networks, personality and development, workaholism, followership, the role of leaders in helping promote employees’ mental well being and taking a holistic view of a leader’s life at and away from work.

Contrary to the notion that leaders contribute to positive behaviour within organisations, this book reflects growing interest in the ‘dark side’ of leadership: the unethical and immoral personalities that can reside in positions of power. Drawing on empirical and theoretical analysis, the author examines immorality within leadership and the underlying causes behind this behaviour. Focusing on the impact of institutional pressures, this book analyses how such behaviour is influenced by internal and external factors. By employing a theoretical framework, the author seeks to demonstrate that institutions either compel leaders to be ethical and moral, or in contrast, they actually provide legitimacy for immoral actions. An insightful and thought-provoking read, The Dark Side of Leadership will be of interest to those studying leadership, HRM, and business ethics, as well as social psychology scholars.