Toxic leadership is a serious issue that can certainly have many different facets and causes. For today management is still an area that is fairly dominated by male employees. This paper aims to take a closer look at the socio-cultural causes of toxic leadership that could lie in the role of the traditional man. I ask myself the question: How does our cultural understanding of how male leadership should look influence how leaders deal with subordinates could find expression in toxic leadership?
This paper introduces the reader to a recently proposed organizational culture called masculinity contest culture (MCC), where negatively expressed masculinity norms serve as a fertile breeding ground for toxic leadership. Furthermore, I introduce another study that connects toxic leadership with the Social dominance orientation (SDO) and status enhancement motive, which could be closely related to the MCC. The last study deals with gender differences aligning with characteristics of follower groups from Padilla et.al. (2007) toxic triangle and gender differences in the perception of toxic leadership. They found that women view toxic leadership more negatively, as well as detect significantly more subtle forms of toxic leadership than men.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and idea of the Paper
2. Research Methods
3. Male norm expectations and the Masculinity Contest Culture
4. Toxic Leadership and the MCC
5. Social Dominance Orientation and Status Enhancement Motive
6. Perception of Toxic Leadership and Followers
7. Conclusion
Research Objectives & Core Themes
This paper explores the socio-cultural origins of toxic leadership, specifically investigating how traditional masculine norms and organizational "Masculinity Contest Cultures" (MCC) contribute to the emergence and persistence of abusive leadership behaviors in the workplace.
- The relationship between organizational Masculinity Contest Culture (MCC) and toxic leadership.
- The role of Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and status enhancement motives in leadership behavior.
- Gender-based differences in the perception and processing of toxic leadership cues.
- The impact of hierarchical organizational structures on sustaining toxic work environments.
Excerpt from the Book
Male norm expectations and the Masculinity Contest Culture
Matos, O’Neill, and Lei (2018) state, that while we know from prior findings that leadership and culture are related, researchers often don’t put these two together, when dealing with the topic and that the cultural context and follower group can even completely reverse the leading style. When speaking about organizational culture it is defined as “the shared values, beliefs, systems, policies and procedures that guide the behavior of individuals at the workplace.” (Samdani, Kamal, Arif & Sindhu, 2017, p.347) That provides not only guidelines for accepted and appropriate behavior for leaders, but also employees. Berdahl et.al. (2018) labeled the superordinate dimension Masculinity Contest Culture (MCC), which explores the idea of typically stereotypically associated male norms integrated into the organizational culture.
These organizational cultures are thought to encourage cultural traits that men are supposed to have, like “being aggressive, assertive, independent, ambitious, competitive, and strong” (Berdahl et.al., 2018, p.430), while at the same time discouraging typically feminine associated traits that men aren’t supposed to have like “sensitivity, naiveté, weakness, insecurity, gullibility, uncertainty, and indecisiveness.” (Berdahl et.al., 2018, p.430) Whereas conventional understandings of gender assumed that these where indeed natural inborn expressions, newer findings suggest that while biology also plays a part, race, social class, and culture are deeply involved. (Berdahl et.al., 2018) In many cultures around the world, males enter manhood through asserted dominance. (Berdahl et.al., 2018) While they view womanhood as an inborn characteristic for any girl past menarche (Lee, 1994), men need to prove that they are worthy of being called a man repeatedly. There are phrases like “Man up!” (Berdahl et.al.,2018, p.427) or “Stop crying like a girl.”, which shows that in order to be valued as a man, you must behave a certain way. Behaving like a girl is devaluing being a man.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction and idea of the Paper: This chapter introduces the parallels between primate group behavior and human business leadership, framing toxic behavior within the context of cultural male norms.
2. Research Methods: Describes the literature selection process, focusing on academic journals and the "toxic triangle" framework involving leaders, followers, and the work environment.
3. Male norm expectations and the Masculinity Contest Culture: Explores the definition of MCC and how stereotypical masculine traits like aggression and competitiveness are reinforced in organizational environments.
4. Toxic Leadership and the MCC: Analyzes the connection between perceived threats to status (inherent in MCC) and the propensity for leaders to engage in hostile, toxic behaviors.
5. Social Dominance Orientation and Status Enhancement Motive: Examines how individuals with high social dominance orientation use organizational hierarchy to justify and maintain power through aggression.
6. Perception of Toxic Leadership and Followers: Discusses how men and women differ in their ability to detect subtle workplace abuse and why different genders align with specific follower categories.
7. Conclusion: Summarizes findings on how negative masculinity norms perpetuate toxicity and suggests future research into interventions and organizational structures.
Keywords
Toxic Leadership, Masculinity Contest Culture, MCC, Social Dominance Orientation, SDO, Status Enhancement Motive, Organizational Culture, Gender Differences, Abusive Supervision, Workplace Aggression, Masculine Norms, Toxic Triangle, Followership, Workplace Stress, Leadership Styles
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper examines the socio-cultural roots of toxic leadership, specifically investigating how "Masculinity Contest Cultures" within organizations foster environments where toxic behavior can emerge and persist.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The core themes include the intersection of traditional male norms with leadership, the impact of hierarchical structures, the psychological motives of leaders like status enhancement, and gender-based differences in perceiving toxic workplace dynamics.
What is the main research question?
The author explores how our cultural understanding of male leadership roles contributes to work atmospheres that help toxic leaders gain power, sustain their behavior, and make it difficult for employees to resist.
Which scientific methodology does the paper utilize?
The paper employs a comprehensive literature review, drawing on academic studies from databases like EBSCOhost, with a focus on psychological frameworks such as the "toxic triangle," social dominance orientation, and masculinity contest culture scales.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main sections analyze the definition of MCC, the correlation between McC and hostile workplace outcomes, the motivation for toxic leadership through status seeking, and the role of information processing in how followers perceive toxic figures.
Which keywords define this research?
Key terms include Toxic Leadership, Masculinity Contest Culture (MCC), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), status enhancement, and workplace aggression.
How does the "Masculinity Contest Culture" (MCC) impact organizations?
MCC creates an environment where employees are pressured to constantly prove their masculinity by showing no weakness and prioritizing work over all else, which often rewards hypercompetitive and aggressive ('dog-eat-dog') behaviors over cooperation.
Are there gender differences in perceiving toxic leadership?
Yes, research cited in the paper indicates that women are generally more adept at detecting subtle cues of toxic leadership and process such information more negatively than men, who are more likely to adopt schema-based processing and potentially conform to or imitate toxic leaders.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Nicola Stevens (Autor:in), 2020, Work as a masculinity contest. How masculinity norms relate with toxic leadership, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1397505
