‘Power-induced abuse actually harms the abuser, too,’ says professor
When a manager abuses a subordinate at work, it isn’t just the staffer who feels the hurt — the leader does too, according to a new U.S. study.
“Conventional wisdom says that when people feel powerful, they treat others poorly. When we think of abuse, we typically consider the target as the only victim. What we show here is that the abuser suffers too,” said Trevor Foulk, a University of Florida assistant professor and co-author of the study Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown: An Actor-Centric Approach to Daily Psychological Power, Abusive Leader Behavior, and Perceived Incivility.
The study “flips the script” on the effect of abuse within workplace relationships, he said. By researching the effects of psychological power on the abuser, it reveals “power-induced abuse actually harms the abuser, too.”
When workplace leaders feel powerful, they are more likely to perceive incivility from their colleagues and act in an abusive manner, found the researchers. But the after-effects render leaders unable to relax at home and feeling poorly about themselves.
“There are consequences to feeling powerful,” said Foulk. “This is interesting because most of us want power and seek it indiscriminately. This view should be tempered, and we should consider both the costs and benefits of power.”
The study surveyed 116 workplace leaders for 10 consecutive days, using experience-based sampling and power manipulation methods. It looked at how powerful leaders feel — a changing status throughout the workday.
Effect on the workplace
The study’s findings should alter the way abusive relationships in the workplace are viewed, said Foulk.
“At the very least, it could cause the victims of power-induced negative behaviours to have some empathy.”
Even very minor cues associated with power can cause managerial power trips, meaning such acts are “not so much fully deliberated conscious acts on the part of someone who just wants to torture others, but rather the outcome of a very subtle psychological process,” said Foulk. “We are all subject to this process, so while you might be the victim in one case, you should consider that you may very well be the abuser in another.”
Victims can now consider that the abuser is suffering, too.
“In this way, powerholders who abuse are not unaffected jerks, but rather they suffer as a result of their own bad behaviour, too,” he said.
Employees facing the brunt of explosive behaviour are not responsible for the bullying manager’s well-being, but summoning empathy could help, said Lea Brovedani, a leadership expert and author based in Philadelphia, Pa.
“It’s not their responsibility but if that’s the reality, there’s a difference between fair and reality,” she said. “Sometimes it’s not fair, but if you’re working for this person and if you want to keep the job because aspects of it are really good, then you keep the job.”
Poor interpersonal skills and poor stress tolerance in a leader is the basic bully profile, she said.
“It’s always really helpful if someone can navigate their own emotions by having a better understanding of the other person,” said Brovedani. “Regardless of how this bully boss is reacting, if you’re able to navigate your own emotions and recognize they’re acting out, and maybe understand so you know what their triggers are and respond effectively, then it definitely helps.”
Finding good leaders
This is the tip of a bigger iceberg in that we do not properly develop and prepare people for leadership roles, said Ravi Tangri, a strategy and leadership expert based in Halifax.
“We’ll often promote whoever’s the best performer… which, honestly, to me, is kind of brain-dead, because it’s a different skill set to manage,” he said. “A lot of people are put into these situations. They don’t know how to interact with people, so they will often go into poor patterns such as getting upset at people… because they haven’t learned how to lead.”
The findings may result in a process change in terms of how leaders are selected, said Tangri. Currently, an employee’s tenure spurs her ascent into a leading role, rather than leadership ability.
In a shifting workplace where generational differences are wide-ranging, employee engagement is critical, with millennials wanting to work for coaches rather than domineering managers, he said.
“That’s where the real leadership is required. Companies that have this sort of abusive leadership are not going to have anybody because they will drive all the younger workers away,” said Tangri. “Leadership is about behaviours and it can be changed, but you have to take it from being this warm and fuzzy abstract stuff to concretizing.”
Old-school leaders who prefer autocratic command-and-control management will need to change their ways for organizations to have success, he said.
“If you want people to change their behaviours, you have to hold them accountable. Most organizations don’t do that,” said Tangri. “So we are still stuck with the same behaviours everyone’s grown up doing because that’s what you know. They don’t know how to do differently. They don’t like to do it, but they don’t know how else to behave.”
Agreeableness is a beneficial leadership trait, as it diffuses the link between power and abusive behaviour, found the study.
Optimism and strong stress tolerance also help, as managers need to withstand problem situations with emotional intelligence and integrity, said Brovedani. A strong leader will admit his mistakes, disclose bad news and give hope for the future.
“If you have leaders who hide and deny all of their own mistakes, then you’re perpetuating a culture where people are afraid to disclose their mistakes, and that just causes huge problems,” she said. “The best leaders are people who are trustworthy.”
Practical advice for HR
The study offers a variety of practical applications for leaders and organizations alike, said Foulk.
It reveals that a sense of psychological power can be activated by minor encounters with stimuli, and power can interfere with a leader’s ability to relax at home.
To combat those risks, HR should encourage regular meetings between leaders and their superiors to ensure accountability and honest feedback on behaviour, he said. Additionally, relaxation opportunities such as mid-day breaks or, at the very least, moments of disengagement and mindfulness, should be offered at work.
“By knowing what is happening, it is possible that organizations and individuals can temper its effects,” he said. “It may be prudent for organizations to have structures in place to give leaders and managers honest feedback about their behaviour to help them keep from abusing others.”
But HR can only help if given the authority, and that is gained by collecting data such as exit interview commentary and turnover rates, said Brovedani.
“From an HR perspective, you have to have the facts to back it up, because if you have someone who’s saying, ‘Well, he’s a bully and he’s scaring people away,’ that’s an opinion. It may be true but, a lot of times, what is going to make a difference is the actual facts,” she said.
“I would say, ‘Don’t put these people in charge…’ If you have a manager, even if he is a high performer, you have to look at the damage that they’re doing in the rest of the company.”
