Everest Turyahikayo, PhD[1]
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Published on 14th September 2024
Introduction
If you are currently suffering at the hands of an idiot boss, do not mourn or lament because you are not alone. If you have ever escaped from the jaws of an idiot boss, take a vacation or celebrate because surviving an idiot boss is the toughest challenge. So many workers silently suffer under idiot bosses, some remain resilient, others have been indoctrinated into idiots. But what is the etymological context of an idiot boss? The concept of “idiots” in organizational settings, particularly when applied to supervisors or “bosses,” has gained increased attention in recent years. An “idiot boss” refers to a leader who exhibits traits such as incompetence, greed, malice, envy, tyranny, sloppiness, indecisiveness, and indifference to staff welfare. These bosses are often driven by self-interest, which can be encapsulated in the motto “for God and my stomach,” prioritising personal gain over organisational success (Kets de Vries, 2016). Such individuals tend to sabotage office work by undermining efforts of high performing staff, fuelling conflict, withholding cooperation, and fostering an unhealthy environment of competition and mistrust (Hogan et al., 2020). They are known to withhold labour even when compensated well, complaining all the time, offering no constructive input during meetings, blaming others when there is no fault, and resisting any positive change (Gentry et al., 2016). In extreme cases, these “idiot bosses” might create chaos in the workplace to protect their positions, even if it means damaging the organisation’s assets (Benson, 2018). If promoted, their behaviour can escalate, leading to destructive actions against those perceived as threats, even when they enjoy more privileges than they deserve (Smith, 2021). But are these idiots born or made?
How Idiot Bosses Emerge
Idiot bosses are perverse in almost every organisation, though they are less talked about because of their high propensity to retaliate. Idiots are ruthless, barbaric, and uncouth. Workers simply keep them in their hearts, yet the fundamental question remains: are these “idiot bosses” born or made? Is it possible that after nine long months of pregnancy, with all the prenatal suffering that come with it, a woman in labour is rushed to the hospital, the doctors, in their surgical scrubs and with their shiny tools, ready for the big moment, perform a C-section, cutting carefully, as they pull out the baby, instead of a typical newborn, they deliver a future “idiot boss”—someone who’s already programmed to be clueless, self-centred, and a master of creating chaos at work? Imagine the costs incurred on such an idiot such as baby shower parties, gifts brought to the mother and baptism costs! The contention that idiots are born has existed for millennia. When Jesus was talking about his betrayer over 2000 years ago, he said, “Woe to that person (idiot) by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for him (the idiot) if he had not been born,” Mark 14:21. Of course, Jesus was aware of the Idiot here referred to which explains his use of pronoun “he” rather than “she” but in organisations, men and women alike have that tendency to become idiots. Away from the biblical revelations, research in psychology provides insights into this question by exploring innate personality traits. For instance, narcissism, characterised by an excessive sense of self-importance, envy, such as discarding your skirt because a colleague has bought the exact type, or harassing a workmate who has bought a car similar to yours, exploitative behaviour, arrogance, a sense of entitlement, and a lack of empathy can act in concert to predispose individuals to becoming idiots (Nevicka et al., 2018). While environmental factors can influence narcissism as a psychological disorder, it is largely a genetic problem. Idiot bosses have the feeling that other workers do not deserve a salary. Idiots can have a tendency to chop the allowances of the juniors they dislike. They can use formal structures to steal from other workers. For instance, there are several staff savings associations that idiots have dominated to steal from fellow workers through embellished wasteful expenditures. An idiot can allocate himself to five company vehicles when entitled colleagues have none. An idiot boss can allocate herself funds to attend training abroad every three weeks in order to earn per diem.
Revisiting Personality Disorders Among Idiot Bosses
In this section, we revisit personality disorders displayed by idiot bosses in the day to day social interactions at work. Idiot bosses pretend to know it all. In meetings, they may dominate discussions and interrupt others (Hogan & Kaiser, 2021). When fellow workers are busy performing team tasks, an idiot boss is busy blackmailing them and backstabbing smart juniors. But, when the CEO is happy with the work done, the idiot supervisor runs to the CEO for recognition and to earn credit for other people’s sweat. Idiot managers may mistreat employees through manipulative, deceitful, or hostile actions (O’Boyle et al., 2021). There are idiot bosses who, for instance, may borrow money from their juniors with an intention of not paying back because they influence renewal of their contract. The junior cannot speak out because this idiot has manipulative tools.
Idiot bosses can be absent from work for long periods, often attending imaginary funerals on a weekly basis. When pressed to provide details about the deceased or burial, they evade questions, retreating in discomfort like a cat hiding its tail. Their dishonesty extends beyond personal matters, as they dodge organizational activities under the guise of family emergencies, further destabilising workplace operations. Such bosses may impose arbitrary restrictions on their subordinates, for instance, prohibiting them from interacting with colleagues in other departments. Sometimes, this isolation tactic backfires. When it does, they deny ever playing such games. They may even take drastic measures, such as abolishing their position out of envy, shortly before leaving or retiring, to ensure nobody fills their position. Driven by insecurity, these idiot managers harass their high-performing subordinates, ensuring no one outshines them. Their leadership style fosters a toxic environment, stifling innovation and cooperation while perpetuating a culture of mistrust and dysfunction.
The foregoing discussion has shed some light on narcissistic idiots. Below, the discussion focuses on impulsive idiots. Impulsivity refers to acting without forethought or consideration of consequences, often leading to reckless decision-making and workplace dysfunction (Dickman, 2019). For instance, an idiot executive may decide to create staff posts not aligned to the organisation’s functions, leading to an increase in wage bill, redundancy and decreased morale. An idiot boss may act impulsively to establish a regional branch disguised as part of the strategy to expand the company when the motive is to use it as a conduit to steal company finances. Low intelligence or cognitive limitations exist alongside impulsivity, creating a situation where idiot bosses struggle with complex problem-solving, resulting in short-sighted decisions and organisational stagnation (Kaufman, 2020). For instance, an idiot college principal may abolish subjects which students are failing instead of questioning teaching methods, learning environment, status of curriculum updates and qualifications of the instructors. There are several idiot bosses who create five problems trying to solve one, and create solutions for non-existing problems. With time, the solutions turn into problems. This is a revelation of low cognitive levels or low intelligence. Bosses with a high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) with high analytical skills have no room for taking low quality decisions, heaping garbage solutions into the problem cans, some of which are empty.
Some Idiot Bosses are Made just like Ghee
While some “idiot bosses” may exhibit personality disorders from birth, research suggests that organisational factors can also transform otherwise competent workers into idiots. This shift is often driven by the broader corporate culture, particularly at the top of the hierarchy. Poor role models can influence a leader’s style, encouraging the perpetuation of negative behaviours such as indifference, greed, and unfair treatment (Luthans et al., 2015). Organisational culture also contributes to the making of incompetent leaders. A toxic culture that rewards sycophancy, tolerates or prioritises short-term gains over long-term success can produce leaders who embody the worst traits of leadership (Einarsen et al., 2020). In such environments, even individuals with potential may adopt poor leadership practices to fit in or to survive, reinforcing the idea that “idiot bosses” are not just born but made through systemic failures in their development and work environments.
Studies reveal that when upper management displays unethical behaviour, promotes a culture of blame, or rewards self-serving leadership, these practices trickle down and shape the behaviour of lower-level managers (Kish-Gephart et al., 2019). For example, organisations that prioritise personal accolades over teamwork and integrity create environments where rising managers feel pressured to adopt manipulative or dishonest behaviours to succeed. Over time, such an environment crafts a manager who is more concerned with her personal advancement than the well-being of teams. This leads them to engage in behaviours that would have been unthinkable earlier in their careers (Schyns & Schilling, 2013).
When organisations cannot provide structured feedback or encourage open communication, managers often become disconnected from the realities of their teams and departments. Research shows that without proper checks and balances, managers can become authoritarian, isolated, or even paranoid about being outshined by junior employees (Einarsen et al., 2016). This is common in organisations where CEOs are idiots themselves, absent from office and managing through social media platforms, pushing for paperless operations disguised as a cost saving strategy when the motive is to minimise accumulation of records and distorting evidence in case stakeholders demand accountability in the future. Creation and sustaining informal groups to increase the spy network and doubling structures for illegal expenditures. Consequently, even though certain individuals may have a natural inclination towards problematic behaviour, the organisational culture and leadership practices help to convert capable employees into “idiot bosses” who continue to dysfunction within the workplace.
Corporate hierarchies and power dynamics often create environments where poor leadership flourishes. In agreement with current research, individuals with weak leadership skills can ascend the ranks because of manipulative practices. There is this saying that every followership begets the leadership it deserves. Conversely, in organisations, every top leadership begets the followership it deserves. Idiot CEOs will recruit idiot juniors and ensure they are well positioned in strategic positions such as procurement, auditing, human resource, finance and asset management. Where a junior is recruited in error and cannot align with the idiot CEO’s “vision” efforts will be made to terminate such recruitment through tactics such as allocating similar roles to the indoctrinated idiot juniors, abolishing the position, or frustrating the competent junior as a strategy of forcing him or her out of the organisation. An idiot CEO may even identify sycophantic subordinates of the victim manager and assign them roles of their boss behind his back (Schuh et al., 2017). These sycophants lack the competence to challenge authority, viewing their undeserved promotions and favours as blessings from above.
Groupthink and obedience to bad authority further compound problems. According to recent research, idiot managers go unchallenged because of fear and coerced loyalty (Fehr et al., 2020). Idiot bosses may cloak themselves under deceptive slogans like “we are a family” to suppress dissent, discouraging team members from criticising their decisions, as condemning a “family member” becomes taboo. While the sense of the “we are a family” is good in itself, idiot managers forget other “family members” during deciding who should get the promotion or attend the training. They offer privileges to a select few of undeserved “family members.”
Can “Idiot boss syndrome” be reversed?
Most idiot bosses stay longer in organisations because they have nowhere else to go. They can only survive in a few organisations because they hardly have anything useful on their CVs to attract anyone’s attention. But if luck strikes and an idiot CEO leaves, it is not time to celebrate yet. An idiot CEO who is also a long serving one, five years, ten years, fifteen years, creates several idiots below him. When he or she leaves, these idiots remain behind and can even supersede their mentor in terms of brutality, greed, envy, tyranny and self-aggrandisement.
The new competent CEO usually faces a heavy burden in dealing with the surviving idiots. The possibility of fixing them depends heavily on whether they were born idiots or became one after birth. If a new CEO identifies managers who were “born” idiots, it is recommended to swiftly dismiss them provided legal processes are followed. Just as polio cannot be undone, an inherently flawed leadership style cannot be fixed. Keeping born idiots in supervisory roles is counterproductive, as it diverts attention away from high-level strategic decisions, forcing the new CEO to manage dysfunction rather than lead effectively. In contrast, when supervisors have been “made” into idiots through exposure to top idiot executives, particularly after being groomed for over 5 years, their character becomes deeply ingrained. These individuals are unlikely to improve with training and should also be fired.
However, sometimes poorly performing leaders can be rehabilitated through targeted interventions. Leadership training programs, if tailored to specific needs, can help reverse bad leadership traits in those who are still teachable and willing to improve. Research shows that 360-degree feedback mechanisms and performance appraisals, which offer constructive feedback from peers, subordinates, and superiors, can be effective in improving leadership skills and self-awareness (McCarthy & Milner, 2020). Organisational culture plays a crucial role in shaping leadership. A shift toward a culture that promotes accountability, ethical behaviour, and open communication can root out idiots and foster more effective leadership styles (De Vries, 2019). Therefore, while some idiots may be beyond repair, others can be salvaged through a combination of cultural reform and personalised development programmes.
Conclusion
The concept of Idiot Bosses is a complex phenomenon rooted in both inherent traits and environmental influences. As the discussion highlights, individuals who exhibit idiocy because of innate characteristics, such as manipulative behaviours and poor interpersonal skills, are beyond remediation. Like a congenital disability, these traits are resistant to training or developmental interventions, making dismissal the most effective course of action (McCarthy & Milner, 2020). On the other hand, those who have been transformed into “idiot bosses” by toxic executives pose a more complex and intricate problem. While some individuals, especially those who have been conditioned for a long time, become firmly rooted in oppressive and selfish actions that cannot be reversed, there are others who may still retain the potential for transformation (Schuh et al., 2017). These latter individuals could benefit from targeted leadership training and organizational culture reforms, provided the interventions are timely and robust (De Vries, 2019).
Ultimately, the decision to rehabilitate or dismiss an “idiot boss” hinges on the extent of their indoctrination and openness to change. While born idiots and deeply entrenched made idiots should be removed to avoid further damage, teachable individuals might be salvaged through feedback mechanisms, leadership development programs, and organizational culture shifts. However, leaders must be discerning in assessing who can be reformed and who should be let go, as the long-term health of the organisation depends on it (Fehr et al., 2020).
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[1] The author is currently writing a book entitled, “How to Deal with Idiot Bosses.” This paper is derived from one of the book chapters