Followers tolerance of the toxic behavior of their leaders: a follower-centered perspective on leaders immoral and illegitimate practice.

Managers receive more pay and benefits than do lower echelon employees. High-paid leaders may develop a taste for perquisites, especially those leaders who ascend quickly in organizations. This "winner wants all" mentality suggests that leaders feel that rules do not apply to them and that they deserve the trappings of power. Recent examples of Enron and Lernaut & Hauspie indeed showed that managers often were toxic by acting in their own self-interest at the expense of the organization. While the causes of toxic behavior are multiple, one such cause that has been largely understudied is the followers' role. Research has not addressed why followers "allow" leaders to engage in such behavior. After all, if followers did not comply, most leaders would have insufficient power to carry out many of their toxic actions. Leaders are dependent on followers to be successful. This includes followers' commitment and motivation and acceptance of leader's decisions. Followers' role is especially important for leaders who behave immorally or engage in illegitimate practices. Although followers don't have formal authority, this does not imply that they don's have power and influence, such as by supporting toxic leaders by being deferential. Thus, whereas previous research mainly focused on the consequences of leader's behavior for followers, we explore why and when foolowers do not provide a check on leaders' toxic behaviors. Doing so or not, we argue, will ultimately motivate the leader to initiate or maintain toxic behavior. Such a perspective will allow for a more comprehensive view on leadership, in which followership will take a more central position.

Keywords:Leadership, Organizational behavior, Ethics, Integrity, Toxic leadership, Followership, Ethical behavior

Disciplines:Applied psychology