Toxic Leadership and Voluntary Employee Turnover: A Critical Incident Study By Richard P. March III B.A. in German, May 2002, Franklin & Marshall College M.A. in German and Second Language Acquisition, May, 2005, Georgetown University A Dissertation Submitted to The Faculty of The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education May 17, 2015 Dissertation Directed by Neal Chalofsky Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University certifies that Richard P. March III has passed the Final Examination for the degree of Doctor of Education as of February 24, 2015. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. Toxic Leadership and Voluntary Employee Turnover: A Critical Incident Study Richard P. March III Dissertation Research Committee Neal Chalofsky, Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, Dissertation Director Maria Cseh, Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, Committee Member Thomas Reio, Professor of Adult Education and Human Resource Development, Florida International University, Committee Member ii © Copyright 2015 by Richard P. March III. All rights reserved. iii Abstract of Dissertation Toxic Leadership and Voluntary Employee Turnover: A Critical Incident Study Contributing to the burgeoning corpus of literature examining the deleterious impacts of toxic leadership upon employees and organizations, the present study utilizes 15 study participants’ reported critical incidents of toxic leader targeting to conceptualize and to narrate the relationship between toxic targeting and voluntary employee turnover. The study found evidence to support a direct link between toxic targeting and voluntary employee turnover and reports the categories of leader characteristics study participants’ identified as toxic. Utilizing data gleaned from study participants’ experiential narratives, the study presents an original metanarrative conceptual model to illustrate the stages of an overarching process all study participants reported having traversed as they reached their decision to resign in order to escape their respective toxic leaders. The process study participants traversed is examined within a broader organizational context which reveals complex organizational support systems among human resource practitioners and senior organizational leaders, who are found to collude in protecting toxic leaders to the detriment of employees. The study found that while much scholarly and practitioner-oriented literature has traditionally presented organizational leaders from a positive perspective, the negative characteristics of some leaders, and the consequences of these leaders’ actions, require overt analysis and discussion because of the harm they inflict upon employees and organizations. The study concludes with recommendations for future empirical research and with practical recommendations for organizations seeking to neutralize toxic leaders and their deleterious impacts upon employees and organizations. iv Table of Contents Abstract of Dissertation…………..………………………………………..……..………iv List of Figures………………………………………………………….…………………xi List of Tables…………………………………………………….………………………xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………1 Overview…………………………………………………………………………..1 Statement of Problem……………………………………………………………...1 Problem of Practice………………………………………………………..3 Problem of Research………………………………………………………6 Purpose Statement and Research Question………………………………………..8 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………….9 Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………..……11 Toxic Leadership………………………………………………………...11 The Unfolding Model of Voluntary Employee Turnover……………….12 Summary of Methodology…………………………….…………………………15 Limitations……………………………………………………………………….17 Delimitations……………………………………………………………………..18 Key Definitions…………………………………………………………………..18 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE………………………………………20 Overview…………………………………………………………………………20 Purpose of the Literature Review………..………………………………20 Literature Review Method…………….…….…………………………...20 Organization of the Literature Review.………………………………….24 Conceptualizations of Toxic Leadership……….…………………...…...25 v Contextual and Environmental Factors in Organizations………….…….………30 Leader Characteristics, Psychopathologies and Predispositions…….….……….35 Destructive Leadership Behaviors…………….………………………….……...39 Empirical Research on Toxic Leadership………………………………..44 Consequences of Toxic Leadership……………………………………...46 Remaining and Suffering with a Toxic Leader……………….………….50 Implications of the Present Study: The Toxic-Turnover Shock……........52 The Unfolding Model of Voluntary Employee Turnover…….….……….……...54 Shocks and Voluntary Employee Turnover…………...….…….………….…….59 Conclusion………………………………………………..……………..….……62 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………64 Ontological Orientation………………………………………………………….64 Epistemological Orientation……………………………………………………..64 Research Design Framework………………………………………………….…66 The Qualitative Interview……..………..…………….………………….67 Qualitative Approach……………………….……………………………70 The Critical Incident Technique…………………………………………70 Population and Sample…………………………………………………………..76 Sample Selection Method……….…….……………………...………………….77 Sample Size………………………………………….…………………………...80 Data Collection Method…………………………….…………………………....80 Data Collection Procedures………………………….…………………………...81 Data Analysis……………….…..…………………….………………………….82 Trustworthiness…………………….……..…………….………………………..83 Subjectivity Statement……………...……………………………………………86 vi Ethical Statement………………………..………………………………86 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS……………………………………………………………….88 Characteristics of a Toxic Workplace Environment……………………………………..94 Hegemony……………..…………………………………….…………...94 Abdication of Responsibility and Promotion of Apathy……..…….…….96 Greed…………………………………………………………...………...97 Misrepresentation of Material Facts……..……………………………....99 Senior Leader and HR Department Tolerance of Toxicity……..………100 Triggers and Toxic Targeting……………………………………..……102 Questioning of Leader or Leader’s Decisions……………………..…...104 Requesting the Leader’s Assistance…………………….……..………..107 Correcting the Leader’s Mistakes…………………………..…………..109 Victim of Lies of Cronies…………………………………..…………..111 Having Physical Qualities Unappealing to the Leader……..….……….114 Refusing to Cover up Wrong-Doing…………………….…..………….118 Pursuing Graduate School…….………………………….….………….119 Going to a Competitor to Ensure Employment…….….…….………….120 Continued Targeting………………………………….…….…………..122 Belittling, Threatening and Devoicing…………………...……………..123 Exhibiting Jealousy………………………………………...………...…128 Exhibiting Croynism/Favoritism or Discrimination ..……...…………..129 Overtasking ……………..………………………………...……………133 Displaying Toxic Tantrums……….……..………………..……………135 Micromanaging………………………………………….…………...…137 Stealing……..….………………………………………..……………...139 vii Reasons for Targeting Specific Employees……………………………..140 Jealousy……………….……….……………………….……….140 Exhibiting Cronyism………….……………………….………..143 Raising Concern to or About the Leader…….………….……...145 Gender and Generational Issues………………………….……..147 Turnover Decisions……………………………………………………..149 Unsuccessful Handling of Toxic Targeting……...…..…………150 Confronted the Leader, Then Did Nothing…..…..…….……….151 Confronted the Leader’s Supervisor, Then Did Nothing….……153 Consulted the HR Department, Then Did Nothing……….…….154 Confronted the Leader, Then Confronted HR Department…….156 Confronted Leader, Then Confronted Leader’s Supervisor…....157 Did Nothing…………………………………………………….159 Length of Departure Time………………………...……………161 Reasons for Length of Departure Times…………..…….…...…162 Confronted with Poor Job Market……………..…….………….162 Fear that Another Workplace Would be Worse….…..………....168 Hopeful Things Would Improve………………….…..………...170 Lacked Self-Confidence to Get a New Job………..…....………172 Could No Longer Tolerate the Toxicity………...…..…………..174 Needed to Fulfill Employment Contract…………….………….176 Valued Longevity in a Job……..………..……………………...178 Liked Co-Workers…………….……….….…………………....178 Needed Time to Start New Business…….….….………………179 Reactions to Toxic Leadership and Toxic Targeting……..…….181 viii Physical Consequences…………………………………………181 Developed Sleeplessness……………………………………….181 Experienced Exhaustion……………………………….……..…183 Experienced Tension Aches…………………………….……....184 Began Alcohol Use……………………………………………..186 Developed High Blood Pressure………………………………..187 Developed a Serious Illness…………………………………….187 Psychological Consequences…………………………………...188 Feeling of Depression and Low Self-Confidence………….…...188 Feeling of Anxiety……………………………………………...191 Feeling of Fear……………………………………………….....192 Feeling of Decreased Enjoyment Outside of Work/Dread….….193 Feeling of Paranoia……………………………………..………196 Feeling of Entrapment……………………………….…….……197 Feeling of Hopelessness, Irritability and Frustration………...…198 Feeling of Being Controlled, Pressured and Silenced.................201 Feeling of Isolation……………………………………………..205 The Turnover Event…………………………………………….206 Life After Leaving a Toxic Leader……………………………………..209 Feeling of Relief………………………………………………..209 Freedom………………………………………………………...211 Experiencing of Positive Emotions……………………………..212 Feeling of Empowerment……………………………………….215 Lingering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms…………217 Summary………….……………………………………………………218 ix CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………219 Introduction……………………………..……………..………………..219 Interpretation of Findings……………….….………….…………….…220