Employee perceptions of responses to toxic leadership in the modern workplace: a Q methodological study

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explain why people respond to toxic leadership in different ways. The toxic triangle was applied as a lens and extended followership by investigating unsusceptible followers and susceptible followers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed Q methodology to illustrate the subjective viewpoints of 31 employees. Participants sorted 41 statements ranging from “most uncharacteristic” to “most characteristic” according to their beliefs using a forced distribution. We used qualitative data from the survey and follow-up interviews to document participant motivations.

Findings

Findings from this Q study demonstrated three distinct perceptions of responses to toxic leadership: Suffer in Silence (Perspective 1), Confront and Advocate (Perspective 2) and Quiet yet Concerned (Perspective 3). This study found that Perspectives 1 and 3 helped to explain differences in susceptible followership, whereas Perspective 2 helped to explain unsusceptible followership. Our research supports the need for organizations to provide safe whistleblowing channels for reporting unethical behavior by adopting clear policies for handling unethical behaviors and sharing those policies with all constituents within the organization.

Practical implications

Our research supports the need for organizations to provide safe whistleblowing channels for reporting unethical behavior by adopting clear policies for handling unethical behaviors and sharing those policies with all constituents within the organization.

Originality/value

Our study adds to the developing literature on followership by building a conceptual framework for response types that better explains the motivation and subsequent actions of susceptible and unsusceptible followers. This framework helps us identify new ways to combat toxic leadership by providing a more nuanced view of how employees perceive and respond to toxic leadership.