Raising Awareness and Recovering Agency in the Face of Narcissistic Leadership

The idea that "statistics are enough" is prevalent within stable organizations; however, this framework is not enough to understand organizational change. Data-especially less visible data-is necessary. This book explores the intersecting social systems of organizations and looks at organizational challenges in a new light. Each chapter is written by a different author and provides thoughts useful in context; rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, the authors construct pathways for exploration and experimentation, starting with the "why" behind organizational challenges before moving on toward "how:" practical ways to change. Business leaders and followers will benefit from this text, learning to uncover and frame the dynamics that influence change and crisis on all levels-individual, group, and organizational. Businesspeople can and should look into the less visible parts of organizational life; this can change the world of work. Chapter 4 discusses narcissistic leadership and how to survive it. Narcissistic characteristics are sometimes seen as beneficial for leadership positions, but narcissists create toxic work environments. An explanation of narcissism and examples are given. Narcissistic leadership involves three components: arrogance and a sense of entitlement, a strong need for power and recognition, and difficulty managing emotions and accepting faults. There are both pros and cons to having narcissistic leadership, but experiences working under narcissistic leaders are predominantly negative. Employees may use various coping strategies, including influence, relationship-building, self-protection, avoidance, and ground-standing strategies. Having a sense of agency is the most effective tool when dealing with toxic work environments. Its main components are sense of self, sense of responsibility, and sense of choice. Self-reflection and awareness are necessary. The challenge of narcissistic leaders can be survived by striving to learn from it.

• Behavioral science
• Managerial behavior
• Psychology
• Leadership
• Narcissism
• Social psychology