Dismiss, hire, improve - the culture of your company. Radish anatomy
In the first part of the story, I argued that the main cause of cultural degradation in companies is hiring, retaining and promoting “radishes” (employees, whose lack of empathy causes interpersonal conflicts). As a systematic solution to this problem, I showed the “Productivity-Value” matrix. Let's take a deeper look and try to understand the reasons for the behavior of radishes, and how large companies can cope with it without large losses.
“Radish” is, of course, an unscientific term, but people use it quite often, as it has the same cultural meaning “you will understand exactly what it is about when you see it yourself”. My goal is to classify the pattern of behavior clearly and in a more understandable way, which you probably recognize intuitively.
If you look at the issue systemically, you can identify three main types of socially repulsive personality traits, known as the “ Dark Triad ”: psychopathy, narcissism and macchiabellism. These features can be presented as a three-dimensional system, which to some extent is applicable to all of us. However, only those who have these features appear as intensely as possible can fall under the diagnosis of a full-blown personality disorder. If you're curious, you can take a short test to see how these features are expressed in comparison with the main part of the population.
The key to understanding the Dark Triad is that, although heartlessness and a tendency to manipulate are characteristic of all three types, they do so for various reasons. Psychopaths are guided by short-term tangible benefits, and to get them, they are actively involved in reckless, antisocial behavior. Machiavellists feed on long-term tangible benefits, and build complex strategic schemes to achieve the desired. Daffodils are motivated by everything that enhances their ego, regardless of whether it is a tangible good or simple praise that strengthens their idealized image.
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Psychopaths - also known as “sociopaths,” or “antisocial personalities,” are such typical villains from movies. Their emotions project mainly heartlessness and aggression, manifested in the form of outbursts of rage or even physical violence with a small share of remorse. Their behavior is often impulsive and irresponsible; often explicitly ignore their own and others safety. They admire norms and laws with admiration, use deception and manipulation for profit, or - even more terribly - for their own entertainment.
Although only 1-2% of the population falls under the clinical diagnosis of “antisocial personality disorder” (according to the mental illness manual ), such people unfortunately are too often found in corporations, especially among CEOs. The bright film incarnations of psychopaths were Gordon Gekko ("Wall Street") and Patrick Bateman ("American Psycho").
A unique aspect of psychopaths is that they focus on short-term goals: for example, they can lie for the sake of immediate satisfaction of some immediate desire, even if this lie can compromise their long-term plans. Short-term recklessness and the search for thrills, as a rule, lead to ambitious and insane criminal behavior. For those who are curious, I recommend the book " Snakes in Costumes: When Psychopaths Go to Work ."
Machiavellist looks like a strategist and calculating manipulator, who believes that the end justifies any means. The same manipulator as the psychopath, the Machiavelist, is much more focused on the future: planning ahead, forming alliances, thoughtful alignment of his own reputation. They tend to achieve the latter, hiding their dishonest methods from close friends and family members.
Unlike psychopathy, which is genetically inherent and rarely correctable, Machiavellianism can be a more “changing state” than a permanent personality trait. Milgram's experiment , as well as the Stanford prison experiment, suggested that usually prosocial people can behave surprisingly Machiavellian when they find themselves in the right situation. I happened to see corporate leaders who seem to be absolutely sincere in their personal lives, but at the same time “turn on” Machiavellianism when their companies face difficult financial dilemmas (for example, recruiting and firing employees). In particular, the corporate culture of Silicon Valley encourages this behavior, praising leaders who "do everything they need" to ensure the survival and success of their company.
The irony is that startups say they love “Hasslers” (English hassle) - punchy and enterprising, that is, those who achieve results at any cost - although the term “Hassler” also describes someone who is always against and deceives others. Coincidence? Probably no. For those curious, I advise you to read the classics: “The Sovereign” N. Machiavelli and Sun Tzu's “The Art of War” . Of the more recent interest, the work of Robert Green "48 laws of power" deserves.
Most people are familiar with the most obvious manifestations of narcissism: grandiose self-confidence and self-centeredness, which look like complacency and concern only for their own interests. However, within himself the daffodil constantly feels insecurity and confidence, which is why he seeks to inflate his ego, ultimately resorting to self-deception. Daffodils strongly believe in a sense of self-worth, even when you can check that they are clearly exaggerating their own competence.
In terms of emotions, daffodils often experience anger and aggression if something threatens their fragile ego (this symptom is known as “narcissistic rage”). Taking into account the fact that they cannot be sufficiently vulnerable and open to truly confidential and intimate contact, their relationship is usually not empathic and artificial. They are prone to antagonistic behavior towards others — manipulation, lies, and threats — as well as engaging in various activities, often irresponsible, impulsive, and risky, allowing them to appear cool or bold.
It is important to note that a certain level of ego, in fact, is useful, and is needed in order to form a stable sense of self-worth, which allows you to not give up in difficult times. The difference is that healthy self-confidence is based on learned achievements, respect for values and respect for oneself and others, while narcissistic self-confidence is a psychological defense against the underlying inferiority of a person (therefore, it is often called “ malignant egoism ”).
According to statistics, about 6% of people will meet all the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, while among men there are more (8%) than among women (5%). Just like the rest of the Dark Triad, daffodils are widely represented among leaders, especially state leaders. For a more detailed assessment, as well as a psychoanalytic view of the development of narcissism, I advise you to read Alice Miller’s book The Drama of a Gifted Child and the Search for Your Own Self.
Unlike the Dark Triads, there is a condition that can actually be useful for work, it is called “ Autistic Spectrum Disorder ”. Previously, it was called " Asperger syndrome ". People with autism spectrum disorder are not always radishes. But at the expense of a weakened sense of empathy, they may, at first glance, seem like radishes.
The key difference is that the Dark Triads are mostly insensitive to others, while people with an autism spectrum disorder may be completely indifferent. They have difficulty selecting replicas that will help them look socially acceptable. One of the best demonstrations of this difference is the film "Social Network". I do not diagnose Mark Zuckerberg (who is my Harvard classmate and a great guy), I just want to discuss the fictional character in the film.
The film begins with the fact that Mark and Erica go on a date, as a result of which Eric leaves Mark, as he told her terrible things that she interpreted as a manifestation of his “radish behavior” (Dark Triad). However, in the final scene of the film, Marilyn (Mark's lawyer) notes that he is not really a radish at all, although, of course, he is inattentive to people (autism spectrum disorder), which causes them pain, but simply tries to imitate the tough behavior of a typical CEO .
The first scene of the film [Eric]: “ You will probably be a very successful man. And all your life you will think that girls do not love you, because you have wondered. But I want you to know, I say from a pure heart: this is definitely not the case. They don't love you because you are a radish. ”
The last scene of the film [Marilyn]: “ You are not a radish, Mark. You're just trying too hard to be one. "
Most people think that empathy is simply the ability to understand others (or confuse it with sympathy). But psychologists share two main types of empathy: cognitive and emotional. Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand the psychological state of another person, while emotional empathy is the ability to produce a suitable emotion in response to the psychological state of another person.
Imagine that you saw a man who fell and tore jeans. From the point of view of cognitive empathy, you put yourself in his place and try to understand what he thinks, most likely something like “God, how embarrassing!”. Emotional empathy in this situation is actually experiencing a sense of shame and embarrassment for the fallen, as well as a feeling of compassionate desire to help him.
As can be seen from the matrix below, people with an autism spectrum disorder generally have weakened cognitive empathy and stable emotional empathy. At the same time, representatives of the Dark Triad have inverse qualities: stable cognitive empathy and weakened emotional. Thus, people with an autism spectrum disorder find themselves in interpersonal conflicts and have difficulty communicating because it is difficult for them to understand social situations. And representatives of the Dark Triad perfectly understand social situations, but often have anti-social goals. It is important to understand that people from the spectrum of autism are asocial, while the Dark Triad is antisocial. Of course, it is possible to be simultaneously in two spectra, which leads to low cognitive and emotional empathy.
It may seem that the Dark Triad and people with autism spectrum disorder are not particularly similar to well-established friends. Especially considering that the representatives of the Dark Triad can often be (superficially) charming, while people with autism spectrum disorder often have problems integrating into society. But often such people become accomplices, because the lack of empathy allows them to complement each other in work through a strange parasitic symbiosis. You can understand how their work motivation differs by the example of an abstract entity called “box” :
My favorite movie example on this topic is the 2013 Jobs biopic. In one scene, Steve Jobs convinces his friend Steve Wozniak to help him with the creation of a new video game for Atari, but he deceives him by offering to share the $ 700 fee (in reality, it was about $ 5000). After many years, while reading a book about the history of Atari, Wozniak found out about Jobs’s deception and was upset to tears. Thus, representatives of the Dark Triad usually identify people with an autism spectrum disorder, use them as "buddies" to squeeze the most out of their loyalty and talent. And when a person with an autism spectrum disorder finds out what happened, our “heroes” often begin to press and bump even harder to protect themselves. For example, the manager may in his own interest influence the analyst so that he will give promising, but dubious data, which subsequently often leads to quarrels between them (especially often when the damage is already irreversible).
Even being very competent in their work, the representatives of the Dark Triad need correction or isolation in order to preserve the level of culture in the company. While they are with you, it is important to understand the degree of their social exclusion, and to take quick measures to mitigate damage in situations when the social dynamics of the company begins to suffer. In my experience, the Dark Triad best takes root in value-oriented companies if they succeed in taking niche roles that highlight their strengths and minimize drawbacks.
Basically, these people work much better in individual roles. Taking into account that empathy is a key aspect of the personality of a successful manager, you need to understand that sincere concern for employees directly affects their level of job satisfaction. So if representatives of the Dark Triad must often and actively interact with others, then they need special management to ensure their success and the welfare of others. The use of the “Performance-Value” matrix given in the first chapter is the key to enhancing prosocial and eliminating antisocial behavior.
It is important to understand that there are many CEOs with features that are still wildly successful and praised by everyone. The same Steve Jobs was an incredibly talented visionary surrounded by a talented team. Being surrounded by operational leaders with high emotional intelligence can be helpful in maintaining a balance between high IQ and the CEO's temperament to help the company move forward steadily.
If you want to use the successful story of the founder of Apple as an apology for showing off your dark features, just remember: you are not Steve Jobs . In contrast to this “renaissance prince”, as a CEO you’d rather be loved by employees than instill fear. Effective leaders must embody the light, understanding and controlling the dark features of their employees.
Chapter 1: The Anatomy of a Radish (The Dark Triad)
“Radish” is, of course, an unscientific term, but people use it quite often, as it has the same cultural meaning “you will understand exactly what it is about when you see it yourself”. My goal is to classify the pattern of behavior clearly and in a more understandable way, which you probably recognize intuitively.
If you look at the issue systemically, you can identify three main types of socially repulsive personality traits, known as the “ Dark Triad ”: psychopathy, narcissism and macchiabellism. These features can be presented as a three-dimensional system, which to some extent is applicable to all of us. However, only those who have these features appear as intensely as possible can fall under the diagnosis of a full-blown personality disorder. If you're curious, you can take a short test to see how these features are expressed in comparison with the main part of the population.
The key to understanding the Dark Triad is that, although heartlessness and a tendency to manipulate are characteristic of all three types, they do so for various reasons. Psychopaths are guided by short-term tangible benefits, and to get them, they are actively involved in reckless, antisocial behavior. Machiavellists feed on long-term tangible benefits, and build complex strategic schemes to achieve the desired. Daffodils are motivated by everything that enhances their ego, regardless of whether it is a tangible good or simple praise that strengthens their idealized image.
')
Psychopaths (a la Gordon Gekko)
Psychopaths - also known as “sociopaths,” or “antisocial personalities,” are such typical villains from movies. Their emotions project mainly heartlessness and aggression, manifested in the form of outbursts of rage or even physical violence with a small share of remorse. Their behavior is often impulsive and irresponsible; often explicitly ignore their own and others safety. They admire norms and laws with admiration, use deception and manipulation for profit, or - even more terribly - for their own entertainment.
Although only 1-2% of the population falls under the clinical diagnosis of “antisocial personality disorder” (according to the mental illness manual ), such people unfortunately are too often found in corporations, especially among CEOs. The bright film incarnations of psychopaths were Gordon Gekko ("Wall Street") and Patrick Bateman ("American Psycho").
A unique aspect of psychopaths is that they focus on short-term goals: for example, they can lie for the sake of immediate satisfaction of some immediate desire, even if this lie can compromise their long-term plans. Short-term recklessness and the search for thrills, as a rule, lead to ambitious and insane criminal behavior. For those who are curious, I recommend the book " Snakes in Costumes: When Psychopaths Go to Work ."
Machiavellists (a la Frank Underwood)
Machiavellist looks like a strategist and calculating manipulator, who believes that the end justifies any means. The same manipulator as the psychopath, the Machiavelist, is much more focused on the future: planning ahead, forming alliances, thoughtful alignment of his own reputation. They tend to achieve the latter, hiding their dishonest methods from close friends and family members.
Unlike psychopathy, which is genetically inherent and rarely correctable, Machiavellianism can be a more “changing state” than a permanent personality trait. Milgram's experiment , as well as the Stanford prison experiment, suggested that usually prosocial people can behave surprisingly Machiavellian when they find themselves in the right situation. I happened to see corporate leaders who seem to be absolutely sincere in their personal lives, but at the same time “turn on” Machiavellianism when their companies face difficult financial dilemmas (for example, recruiting and firing employees). In particular, the corporate culture of Silicon Valley encourages this behavior, praising leaders who "do everything they need" to ensure the survival and success of their company.
The irony is that startups say they love “Hasslers” (English hassle) - punchy and enterprising, that is, those who achieve results at any cost - although the term “Hassler” also describes someone who is always against and deceives others. Coincidence? Probably no. For those curious, I advise you to read the classics: “The Sovereign” N. Machiavelli and Sun Tzu's “The Art of War” . Of the more recent interest, the work of Robert Green "48 laws of power" deserves.
Daffodils (a la Tony Stark)
Most people are familiar with the most obvious manifestations of narcissism: grandiose self-confidence and self-centeredness, which look like complacency and concern only for their own interests. However, within himself the daffodil constantly feels insecurity and confidence, which is why he seeks to inflate his ego, ultimately resorting to self-deception. Daffodils strongly believe in a sense of self-worth, even when you can check that they are clearly exaggerating their own competence.
In terms of emotions, daffodils often experience anger and aggression if something threatens their fragile ego (this symptom is known as “narcissistic rage”). Taking into account the fact that they cannot be sufficiently vulnerable and open to truly confidential and intimate contact, their relationship is usually not empathic and artificial. They are prone to antagonistic behavior towards others — manipulation, lies, and threats — as well as engaging in various activities, often irresponsible, impulsive, and risky, allowing them to appear cool or bold.
It is important to note that a certain level of ego, in fact, is useful, and is needed in order to form a stable sense of self-worth, which allows you to not give up in difficult times. The difference is that healthy self-confidence is based on learned achievements, respect for values and respect for oneself and others, while narcissistic self-confidence is a psychological defense against the underlying inferiority of a person (therefore, it is often called “ malignant egoism ”).
According to statistics, about 6% of people will meet all the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, while among men there are more (8%) than among women (5%). Just like the rest of the Dark Triad, daffodils are widely represented among leaders, especially state leaders. For a more detailed assessment, as well as a psychoanalytic view of the development of narcissism, I advise you to read Alice Miller’s book The Drama of a Gifted Child and the Search for Your Own Self.
Chapter 2: Random Radishes (High Function Autism)
Unlike the Dark Triads, there is a condition that can actually be useful for work, it is called “ Autistic Spectrum Disorder ”. Previously, it was called " Asperger syndrome ". People with autism spectrum disorder are not always radishes. But at the expense of a weakened sense of empathy, they may, at first glance, seem like radishes.
The key difference is that the Dark Triads are mostly insensitive to others, while people with an autism spectrum disorder may be completely indifferent. They have difficulty selecting replicas that will help them look socially acceptable. One of the best demonstrations of this difference is the film "Social Network". I do not diagnose Mark Zuckerberg (who is my Harvard classmate and a great guy), I just want to discuss the fictional character in the film.
The film begins with the fact that Mark and Erica go on a date, as a result of which Eric leaves Mark, as he told her terrible things that she interpreted as a manifestation of his “radish behavior” (Dark Triad). However, in the final scene of the film, Marilyn (Mark's lawyer) notes that he is not really a radish at all, although, of course, he is inattentive to people (autism spectrum disorder), which causes them pain, but simply tries to imitate the tough behavior of a typical CEO .
The first scene of the film [Eric]: “ You will probably be a very successful man. And all your life you will think that girls do not love you, because you have wondered. But I want you to know, I say from a pure heart: this is definitely not the case. They don't love you because you are a radish. ”
The last scene of the film [Marilyn]: “ You are not a radish, Mark. You're just trying too hard to be one. "
Cognitive and emotional empathy
Most people think that empathy is simply the ability to understand others (or confuse it with sympathy). But psychologists share two main types of empathy: cognitive and emotional. Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand the psychological state of another person, while emotional empathy is the ability to produce a suitable emotion in response to the psychological state of another person.
Imagine that you saw a man who fell and tore jeans. From the point of view of cognitive empathy, you put yourself in his place and try to understand what he thinks, most likely something like “God, how embarrassing!”. Emotional empathy in this situation is actually experiencing a sense of shame and embarrassment for the fallen, as well as a feeling of compassionate desire to help him.
As can be seen from the matrix below, people with an autism spectrum disorder generally have weakened cognitive empathy and stable emotional empathy. At the same time, representatives of the Dark Triad have inverse qualities: stable cognitive empathy and weakened emotional. Thus, people with an autism spectrum disorder find themselves in interpersonal conflicts and have difficulty communicating because it is difficult for them to understand social situations. And representatives of the Dark Triad perfectly understand social situations, but often have anti-social goals. It is important to understand that people from the spectrum of autism are asocial, while the Dark Triad is antisocial. Of course, it is possible to be simultaneously in two spectra, which leads to low cognitive and emotional empathy.
Inempathetic accomplices
It may seem that the Dark Triad and people with autism spectrum disorder are not particularly similar to well-established friends. Especially considering that the representatives of the Dark Triad can often be (superficially) charming, while people with autism spectrum disorder often have problems integrating into society. But often such people become accomplices, because the lack of empathy allows them to complement each other in work through a strange parasitic symbiosis. You can understand how their work motivation differs by the example of an abstract entity called “box” :
People with an autism spectrum disorder focus on “making the best box”: how it is designed, how it can be improved, how it can be used. Often they want other people to listen to their explanations about this box and related ideas, share their enthusiasm, or at least understand or respect their enthusiasm for the “box”.
The representatives of the Dark Triad are focused on getting approval for “making the best box” (regardless of whether they made it or not). They want to look like a “box builder”, get the status of “Chief Box Creation Expert”, invent how this box can be used to make money, try to hide the fact that someone else is making the box.
My favorite movie example on this topic is the 2013 Jobs biopic. In one scene, Steve Jobs convinces his friend Steve Wozniak to help him with the creation of a new video game for Atari, but he deceives him by offering to share the $ 700 fee (in reality, it was about $ 5000). After many years, while reading a book about the history of Atari, Wozniak found out about Jobs’s deception and was upset to tears. Thus, representatives of the Dark Triad usually identify people with an autism spectrum disorder, use them as "buddies" to squeeze the most out of their loyalty and talent. And when a person with an autism spectrum disorder finds out what happened, our “heroes” often begin to press and bump even harder to protect themselves. For example, the manager may in his own interest influence the analyst so that he will give promising, but dubious data, which subsequently often leads to quarrels between them (especially often when the damage is already irreversible).
Chapter 3: Driving Darkness
Even being very competent in their work, the representatives of the Dark Triad need correction or isolation in order to preserve the level of culture in the company. While they are with you, it is important to understand the degree of their social exclusion, and to take quick measures to mitigate damage in situations when the social dynamics of the company begins to suffer. In my experience, the Dark Triad best takes root in value-oriented companies if they succeed in taking niche roles that highlight their strengths and minimize drawbacks.
Basically, these people work much better in individual roles. Taking into account that empathy is a key aspect of the personality of a successful manager, you need to understand that sincere concern for employees directly affects their level of job satisfaction. So if representatives of the Dark Triad must often and actively interact with others, then they need special management to ensure their success and the welfare of others. The use of the “Performance-Value” matrix given in the first chapter is the key to enhancing prosocial and eliminating antisocial behavior.
It is important to understand that there are many CEOs with features that are still wildly successful and praised by everyone. The same Steve Jobs was an incredibly talented visionary surrounded by a talented team. Being surrounded by operational leaders with high emotional intelligence can be helpful in maintaining a balance between high IQ and the CEO's temperament to help the company move forward steadily.
If you want to use the successful story of the founder of Apple as an apology for showing off your dark features, just remember: you are not Steve Jobs . In contrast to this “renaissance prince”, as a CEO you’d rather be loved by employees than instill fear. Effective leaders must embody the light, understanding and controlling the dark features of their employees.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/334870/
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