The Dark Side of Management

Mirroring a parallel movement in psychology, one recent trend in the study of organizations has been an increased focus on positive management and organizational behavior. However, while contributing to an enhanced understanding of organizational phenomena, this focus tends to ignore negative aspects of workplace behavior, which can have very serious consequences for individuals, groups, and organizations. Given what many of us have seen over the past year in terms of the handling (mis-handling) of downsizing, restructuring, and compensation, it seems clear that the darker side of management is a topic of great concern.

Thus, Volume 8 of Research in Management is devoted to exploring what has been called “The Dark Side” of management and organizational behavior. It includes seven chapters that are written by leading experts on a diverse range of topics, including abusive supervision attributions, dysfunctional mentors, destructive executives, social exclusion, public and private deviance, instrumental counterproductive behavior, and an examination of the difference between abusive and supportive leadership.

Each of these chapters makes a unique contribution to understanding negative workplace behavior and each should stimulate a future stream of research in the same or related domains. Comments by the editors are also provided, highlighting other areas where the study of “dark side” behavior and phenomena would seem particularly beneficial for the advancement of knowledge about organizations and their effective functioning.