Both management professionals and researchers are increasingly interested in the “dark side” of leadership. On the extremely dark end of the leadership spectrum, we find supervisors who put their subordinates down in front of others, lie and break promises, yell at subordinates, and blame subordinates for their own mistakes. One might feel tempted to view such abusive behavior as a mere exception – but think again: Recent research suggests that in the U.S. alone, more than 13% of subordinates become victims of abusive supervision each year, with annual costs for the U.S. economy estimated at almost $24 billion. Lees verder →

Accounts of leadership in academic and practitioner-oriented publications often paint a romanticized picture. Leaders are described as visionary, energizing role models that establish high-quality relationships with their followers and motivate subordinates to go the extra mile on behalf of the company. Sure, such leaders exist, and the beneficial consequences of such leadership have frequently been demonstrated. Nevertheless, this positive picture is far away from what many employees experience in their day-to-day work. Lees verder →

Customer service employees are often required to perform “service with a smile” – expressing positive feelings and suppressing negative feelings in customer interactions. Even beyond a service context, however, rules that govern appropriate dis

Change initiatives often face considerable resistance from within the company that endangers their success. Frequently, such resistance results from employees’ negative, cynical attitudes about ongoing changes. What happens, however, if leaders themselves hold negative attitudes toward change initiatives?
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From an ethical perspective, most people would agree that companies and managers should treat their employees fairly. But is there also a business case? Does it make a difference for performance outcomes if companies establish fair procedures and policies and managers treat their employees with respect? A recent study of 869 military personnel and civil servants, conducted by Michael Cole, Jeremy Bernerth, Frank Walter, and Daniel Holt, strongly suggests that there is indeed such a business case – with employees’ fair treatment producing tangible, important outcomes that few companies can afford to neglect.
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It is a defining feature of human resource management and organizational behavior that its questions and problems revolve around human preferences, needs, behaviors, and decisions. Many relevant theories, models, and practical guidelines in these areas assume that there is a rational basis for these issues. Recent research has shown, however, that this assumption is far from justified. In fact, as Dan Ariely – professor for behavioral economics at Duke University – convincingly demonstrates in his exciting book, humans can rather be characterized as Predictably Irrational. Although Predictably Irrational is not written with a focus on HRM, many of the topics noted here clearly apply to this area.
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