Leader as Anti-Hero: Decoding Nuances of Dysfunctional Leadership

Leaders behaving like villains or anti-hero are most appalling in social as well as organizational contexts. On large number of occasions, high-handed behaviour of leaders remains unreported thus reinforcing dysfunctional leadership patterns at the cost of organizational success and employee well-being. The consequences of dysfunctional leadership behaviour are beyond measure. Organizations lose out on competitiveness due to withholding of discretionary efforts on the part of the employees as a result of being victimized by their toxic bosses without any valid grounds. On the other hand, the employees working under dysfunctional leaders suffer from annoyance, psychological stress and trauma and transfer their frustration on to their family members in terms of being indifferent and violent. This paper provides perceptive view on the issue and suggests curative strategies to mitigate ill-effects of dysfunctional leadership.