How does it feel to have a boss who is not only bad at their job but actively makes the workplace worse? This is exactly what Simon Beramand and Linus Gahnström explored in their bachelor’s thesis, supervised by Stefan Tengblad, professor and director of the Center for Global HRM at the University of Gothenburg.
Their thesis focuses on destructive leadership, a problem that many have experienced but few discuss. It can involve managers who create conflicts, show favoritism, or simply do not take responsibility for their role.
Not all destructive leadership is obvious. Sometimes it can be more subtle, such as managers who never intervene when problems arise or who let their employees suffer without lifting a finger. What makes these managers particularly dangerous is that their behavior is not always apparent, yet it still negatively affects the workplace.
What exactly distinguishes a boss who simply makes mistakes from a destructive leader? It comes down to how frequently it happens and whether the manager is capable of acknowledging their errors and improving.
What's interesting about this thesis is that it also shows that destructive leadership is not just about personality but also about workplace culture. In some environments, destructive behaviors can even be seen as a way to advance in one’s career.
We spoke with Simon and Linus to get their perspective on the subject and to understand more about their motivation behind choosing this important research area. “The phenomenon is surprisingly common, but despite this, it is very under-researched and often overlooked in many organizations. With our thesis, we wanted to highlight the issue, expand understanding, and provide insight into how destructive leadership affects an organization and its employees,” they said.
We also asked them to give examples of the more subtle forms of destructive leadership they discovered during their research.
“During the study, we identified several different definitions of destructive leadership, but the more subtle forms of destructive behaviors mainly included manipulation, belittling, passive-aggressiveness, and ridicule,” they explained.
We congratulate Simon and Linus on their interesting bachelor’s thesis and look forward to seeing them in the future of HR. If you want to learn more about what destructive leadership can look like and what can be done about it, you can read their thesis here.
Text: Donika Nord
