Narcissism

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Narcissism Self Independence

• Inhibitors to Interdependence Ultimately
  Sustainable Leadership

Group 5 Daniel Hall Lucia Nedelcu Siarhei Novik
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What is Narcissism?
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)
an enduring pattern of inner experience and
behaviour that deviates markedly from the
expectation of the individual's culture, is
pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in
adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over
time, and leads to distress or impairment. from
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, 4th edition, 1994, commonly referred
to as DSM-IV, of the American Psychiatric
Association
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder -2
At least 5 (out of 9) patterns of behavior should
be present in order to qualify for the top
prize. For example
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European View
A good news for most of us is that in Europe this
disease is not considered that serious. The
ICD-10 does not explicitly define the
characteristics of this personality disorder. The
International Statistical Classification of
Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th
edition World Health Organization, Geneva, 1992
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Greek mythology
Historically, the term narcissism comes from
the Greek myth of Narcissus. In one of the more
common versions of this myth, Narcissus is a
physically attractive young man, who, upon seeing
his own reflection in a pond, is so taken with
himself that he withers away while staring at his
own reflection in the water. And so he turned
into a flower.
Dont look into a pond!
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Theories

• Freud - On Narcissism (1914)
• Childhood fantasies and adult reality
• Normal versus pathological development
• Kernberg - Borderline Conditions and
  Pathological Narcissism (1975)
• Narcissistic personality as a response to
  parents coldness, indifference, or hidden
  aggression
• Kohut - The Restoration of the Self (1977)
• The Self object, or the mirroring person,
  concept
• Lasch - The Culture of Narcissism (1979)
• Culture interacts with personality
• Contemporary culture encourages narcissism

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Gender differences

• Different degrees of natural narcissism in male
  and female leaders
• Possible causes- mothers treat differently
  their sons than their daughters - balance/lack
  of balance between being and doing
• Famous male leaders (politicians, army
  commanders, tyrants, etc) had been worshiped by
  their mothers and rejected or ill-treated by
  their fathers
• Common traits for some successful male business
  leaders - freeing themselves at an early stage
  from the childhood homes and mothers mirroring
  and dominance- good relationship with their
  fathers

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Gender differences (2)

• Henning and Jardim (both Harvard Business School)
  conducted a study on 25 successful female leaders
  in the US
• What did the female leaders have in common?
• - only child- mother educated, housewife,
  caring, warm, having high expectations from the
  daughter- father Daddys little girl
  attitude, role-model, business or political
  leader, caring, encouraged sharing of activities
  - good relationship with male bosses, perceived
  as supporters- no need for friendship at work-
  decided to change their relationship with the
  environment after personality crisis

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Examples of Narcissism
Jim, 43, Salesman
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Spectrum of Narcissism
Healthy or Natural Narcissism
Pathological Narcissism

• Self-belief
• Believe in own abilities
• Competitive
• Not considered above social norms
• Good awareness of own thoughts and needs
• Respect for others

• Need for constant attention admiration
• Sense of entitlement
• Interpersonally exploitative
• Lacks empathy
• Envious of others
• Believes others are envious of them
• Pre-occupied with fantasies of unlimited success,
  power, beauty, brilliance
• Believe they are special or unique

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Company meeting
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Relevance for the leadership (1)
Example CEO and the meeting Your reaction?
Correct answer This was the most important
meeting of the year, and CEO just walked out. No
one, not one person, objected. Everyone told him
what he wanted to hear. It was as if the CEO were
in a hall of mirrors.
Note The president was a very wealthy man who
used to brag that he would need ten lifetimes to
spend all his money. His office was filled with
enormous statues and paintings of himself.
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Relevance for the leadership (2)
Narcissism spiral
Another good news is that all people especially
leaders need a healthy dose of narcissism in
order to survive. Assertiveness,
self-confidence, tenacity, and creativity can't
exist without it. But once a narcissist gets
into a position of leadership, funny things start
to happen. Because narcissistic leaders are often
charismatic, employees start to project their own
grandiose fantasies onto the narcissistic leader.
And suddenly everything becomes surreal.
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Types of Narcissism

• Overt versus covert
• Aggressive contact-shunning
• Healthy versus unhealthy
• Productive destructive

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Narcissism in business context

• Leadership and management
• Decision making
• Communication and feedback
• Group and team dynamics
• Organizational culture
• Motivation and incentives
• Fairness and justice

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Leadership and management

• Benefits
• Narcissists are driven and willing to make
  personal sacrifices in order to succeed and lead
• Their illusions can be beneficial in terms of
  choices, effort, and perseverance
• Narcissists are often charismatic, skilled
  orators and attract followers
• The narcissistic leaders bold and transformative
  vision of the future can inspire loyalty and
  dedication
• Risks
• Narcissists are emotionally volatile and may be
  prone to a variety of dysfunctional behavior
• Narcissists can exploit the organization in order
  to attain their own goals
• In a quest to maintain fragile self-esteem,
  narcissists can ignore or deny reality
• Narcissists may become distrustful and paranoid
  when they sense danger or dissent
• Recommendations
• Be mindful about potential consequences of
  recruiting, hiring, and promoting narcissistic
  managers
• Consider impact of narcissism on all aspects of
  the social psychology of the workplace
• Create a context in which benefits are maximized
  and risks are minimized

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Decision making

• Benefits
• Narcissists can make tough decisions without
  being distracted by empathy, sadness, or guilt
• Narcissists can see the big picture and
  anticipate trends
• Narcissists fear of failure can lead to a
  rigorous assessment of potential risks and
  rewards
• Risks
• Narcissists decisions are often unduly
  influenced by mood
• Narcissists often make decisions for the wrong
  reasons
• Recommendations
• Surround the narcissistic leader with capable and
  confident advisors who are willing to disagree
  with him or her
• Monitor the risks that narcissists are taking
• Encourage rationality and long term thinking

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Communication and feedback

• Benefits
• Narcissistic leaders can be talented
  communicators and can take advantage of different
  media to spread their message
• Narcissists can communicate their concerns and
  expectations very clearly
• Narcissists may seek out and pay careful
  attention to the feedback of superiors and
  clients or customers
• Risks
• Narcissistic leaders tend to select loyal and
  uncritical stuff
• Narcissists are generally unwilling to seek out
  or accept feedback and may throw tantrums if they
  are questioned and criticized
• Narcissists are less likely to provide
  performance feedback, mentoring, or coaching
• Recommendations
• Provide incentives to give and learn from
  feedback
• Find indirect or non-threatening ways to give
  feedback to the narcissist

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Group and team dynamics

• Benefits
• Narcissistic identification with a group or team
  can lead to commitment and dedication
• Healthy competition both within and between teams
  can provide benefits to the organization
• Risks
• Narcissists insistence on appearing
  self-sufficient makes it problematic for them to
  work interdependently in teams
• Narcissists reluctance to share credit or to
  take blame can be a source of frustration for
  teammates
• Groups working for narcissistic managers can be
  split along the lines of whom the manager does or
  does not favor
• Recommendations
• Consider what role a narcissist can and should
  play in a team
• Evaluate and motivate group rather than
  individual performance

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Organizational culture

• Benefits
• Healthy narcissism can benefit groups and
  organizations by inspiring loyalty and pride
• Myths can be a productive way in which
  organizational narcissism is expressed
• Risks
• Organizations that are run by narcissists may
  suffer from a high, possibly dysfunctional level
  of internal competition
• Organizations that are constituted by too many
  narcissists are not likely to be fortified by
  strong social bonds
• Recommendations
• Cultivate a sense of pride in the organization
  that is rooted in reality
• Do not denigrate competitors or demonize critics
  as a way of building organizational pride

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Motivation and incentives

• Benefits
• Narcissists can inspire people to make sacrifices
  in pursuit of their compelling visions
• There are often rational reasons why it makes
  sense for people to support a narcissistic
  business leader
• Employees can be motivated and feel rewarded by
  even a slight amount of attention or regard from
  a powerful narcissist
• The narcissists pursuit of perfection can
  motivate employees to produce high quality work
• Narcissists can be highly motivated both by
  self-esteem and by social esteem, which can be
  inexpensive to provide
• Risks
• Narcissists are unlikely to empathize enough to
  know what motivates others
• Narcissists are less likely to appreciate or
  encourage subordinates who take the initiative
• Recommendations
• Ensure that narcissists esteem rewards are
  aligned with organizational goals
• Monitor the incentives that narcissists provide
  to lower level stuff

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Fairness and justice

• Benefits
• Narcissists may be motivated to be fair and even
  generous if they can win praise or gain status
• Narcissists are likely to be concerned about the
  treatment of people or groups with whom they
  identify or for whom they feel responsible
• Risks
• The narcissistic tendency towards
  exploitativeness, entitlement, and splitting can
  lead to real or perceived injustices
• Narcissists are less likely to give their staff
  voice or the opportunity to air grievances
• Narcissists may overwork their staff without any
  consideration or acknowledgement of the personal
  cost
• Recommendations
• Establish checks, balances, and oversight
• Make fairness judgment part of 360 feedback

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Retention and succession planning

• Benefits
• Narcissists who remain challenged and rewarded by
  their work may stay in their jobs
• Narcissists can successfully use power and
  resources to provide strong incentives for
  employees to stay
• Due to their concern for what legacy they will
  leave, productive narcissists pay careful
  attention to succession
• Risks
• Turnover is often higher for those reporting to
  narcissistic managers
• Narcissists may not pick up or groom a successor
• Narcissists may pick the wrong successor
• Recommendations
• Track turnover statistics for every manager over
  time
• Ensure that there are incentives for managers to
  retain staff and to coach, mentor, and cultivate
  successors

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Narcissism and Self Independence
Definition of Independence 1. the
successful ending of the American Revolution
2. freedom from control or influence of another
or others Source http//www.hyperdictionary.com

• There is a gentle borderline between narcissism
  and self independence in terms of perceived
  actions but a fundamental difference in terms of
  personalities
• An independent person is likely to accept
  criticism, critically assess its positive
  features, and probably incorporate them
• A narcissist may sometimes aggressively reject

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Narcissism and Interdependence

• Todays challenge for narcissistic leaders no
  mountains to climb
• Dramatic change in attitude towards authority in
  the West- leaders are openly challenged by
  colleagues at all levels- mass media acts as
  defenders of man in the street against the high
  and mighty- employees tend to criticize more
  the leader they are dependent on
• Detecting narcissism in groups/organizations-
  resistance to change in process or structure-
  increased pressure exercised on subordinates-
  character assassination
• Dealing with narcissism in organizations -
  accountability skills used in group settings-
  building an excellent emotional boundaries system

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Final Conclusions

• Difference between natural and pathological
  narcissism
• Narcissistic personality or degree of
  narcissism?
• Our behavior and relationships reflect our early
  encounters with authority our parents
• A balanced relationship between being (mother)
  and doing (father) is necessary for
  pathological narcissism not to set in
• Increased pressure is exercised nowadays on
  (narcissistic) leaders
• Dealing with it in organizations is hard, but not
  impossible

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QA
Your questions are kindly welcomed but
think about narcissism before you ask!