A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF TOXIC LEADERSHIP
Abstract
Toxic leadership in the military is often seen in the form of bad command climate and/or inefficient mission execution and is contrary to the military's core identity of strong leadership. However, there are differing explanations as to the cause, solution, and even the definition of toxic leadership. This research contains collected and analyzed findings from the military and civilian sectors with a focus on the following aspects of toxic leadership: definition, characteristics and behaviors, cause and effects, and solutions to provide a systemic view of the problem of toxic leadership. The overall finding revealed little difference between the military and civilian sector as it relates to this topic. Across all environments, the human element is the biggest similarity. Toxic leaders have a deep-seated sense of inadequacy that arrests their personal development or a failure to personally achieve Maslow's fourth level related to esteem. However, a systematic solution set (implements solutions at the leader, follower, environment, system and human nature levels) offers the appropriate guard against the damaging effects of toxic leadership.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 05, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1037497
Entities
People
- Quincy L. Davis
Organizations
- Air War College