Narcissism In Organizations Research Articles

Rhetorical Construction of Narcissistic CSR Orientation

This paper takes a critical perspective on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and examines the ways in which an industry organization discursively manages the relationship between the industry and its stakeholders in a situation where the legitimacy of the industry is called into question. Drawing on the literature on organizational narcissism and sensemaking the paper develops the construct of narcissistic CSR orientation and empirically elaborates on three defensive rhetorical strategies through which the organization makes sense of the accountability and responsibility of the industry for the negative societal effects of their business. The paper advances knowledge in the field of critical CSR by proposing a new framework for critically examining organization-stakeholder relationships and organizational responses to stakeholder demands in contexts where the interests of organizations are in conflict with the public good.

Deferring to expertise versus the prima donna syndrome: a manager’s dilemma

Deference to operational or engineering expertise is considered critical for maintaining safety in many industries. At the same time, legitimating specialized knowledge can help create "prima donnas," expert operators who attain considerable organizational status and informal power. Safety can be used as a lever to gain industrial advantage or maintain inequitable perquisites. This paper first considers the common consensus about the need to defer to expertise in safety---critical organizations and industries and assesses available research on the relationship between deference to expertise and safety. Then, it reviews two psychological literatures that illuminate some of the cognitions, behaviors and organizational dynamics behind a prima donna syndrome: one on entitlement and another on organizational narcissism. Conclusions and recommendations center on how to defer to expertise (not necessarily experts) while dealing with "prima donnas."

Organizational Narcissism Scale (ONS)

Narcissism is a kind of psychological case can be experienced by people or organizations with healthy or pathological dimensions. The goal of this work is to develop a scale for measuring organizational narcissism. This scale is developed in in two phases, and every dimension (leadership and authority, anticipation of recognition, grandiosity, self admiration and exhibition) of the scale strongly, positively correlates with the other dimensions, as well as with the scale as a whole. Test-retest process is used. To the first phase 762 managers and workers from small to mid-sized companies in various sectors have contributed to the second one the same group have participated and 718 of them answered. The validity and reliability analysis done by providing a reliable measurement tool, the scale will help determine whether organizational narcissism is healthy or pathological. It is ready to be used by the company managers who want to learn the narcissism level of their organizations.

Information systems user security: A structured model of the knowing–doing gap

The corporate information systems users often engage in risky behavior that can threaten the security and integrity of an organization by exposing sensitive information or weakening the existing technological perimeter security. This risky user behavior can be intentional or unintentional, but in either case can cause severe damage to an organization’s reputation as well as potentially extending harm to the organization’s clients and customers. Information systems users not following the corporate security policies, even though they know the policies, is known as user omissive behavior, also known as the knowing–doing gap. This research examines the information assurance understanding and security awareness at the user level by developing a structured model of the user knowing–doing gap. The model examines the role of organizational narcissism and its affect on user attitudes towards following the organization’s information security policies and procedures. It also includes perceived threat as a factor affecting user attitudes towards following information security rules, as well as subjective norms and perceived behavior control consistent with the theory of planned behavior. This structured model provides a framework and description of user information security behavior and the knowing–doing gap.

Narcissism in Organizations: A Multisource Appraisal Reflects Different Perspectives

The majority of employees state that their manager is the worst aspect of their job. Over the past decade, a considerable amount of research has been devoted to identifying factors that contribute to immoral and ineffective leader behavior. Researchers have continually linked personality, and in particular narcissism, to the proclivity of leaders to behave ineffectively and unethically. This study represents an initial attempt to examine the relationship between narcissism and leadership in an organizational setting to determine the extent to which narcissism is related to managerial effectiveness and integrity. Results indicated that narcissism was negatively related to supervisor ratings of interpersonal performance and integrity. In contrast, narcissism was unrelated to subordinate ratings of interpersonal performance and integrity. Furthermore, narcissism was unrelated to supervisor and subordinate ratings of conceptual performance. The unique relationship between narcissistic leaders and their followers is offered as an explanation for these findings.

Organizational Narcissism and Virtuous Behavior

Extreme narcissistic organizations are unable to behave ethically because they lack a moral identity. While such organizations are not necessarily unethical intentionally, they become self-obsessed and use a sense of entitlement, self-aggrandizement, denial, and rationalizations to justify anything they do. Extreme narcissistic organizations might develop formal ethics programs, but such programs will have little effect on behavior.

Commentary on Working with Narcissism in Organizations

Commentary on Working with Narcissism in Organizations

Working with Narcissism in Organizations

Abstract In his work using a Gestalt approach in organizations, the author meets individuals and systems that have narcissistic tendencies. This article describes the way the author works with his clients to moderate their behavior between the opposite poles of healthy and unhealthy narcissism. The author then describes a useful diagnostic tool and reflects on how his own narcissism both helps and hinders his work.

Working with Narcissism in Organizations: Response to Commentaries

Working with Narcissism in Organizations: Response to Commentaries

The Narcissistic Tightrope Walk: Using Gestalt Therapy Field Theory to Stabilize the Narcissistic Client

Abstract One of the difficulties of working with highly narcissistic individuals is their extreme sensitivity to even the mildest negative feedback. Helpful suggestions can be experienced as such devastating criticisms that the clients either fall into self-hating depressions or angrily defend themselves by devaluing the therapist. Greenberg attributes this sensitivity to the inherent instability of narcissistic self-esteem, one of the themes touched on by Bentley in his article, “Working with Narcissism in Organizations.” Using Gestalt therapy field theory, Greenberg redefines narcissism as two alternating and mutually contradictory ways of organizing the organism/environment field that narrowly focus on self-esteem issues: The inflated organization makes figural only those cues that enhance the person's sense of being special and perfect, and the deflated organization makes figural only those cues that confirm the person's sense of being inherently worthless and inadequate. She explains three ways a therapist can use Gestalt therapy field theory to help narcissistic clients stabilize their mood and form a realistic and integrated sense of their own worth.

Unbounded Irrationality: Risk and Organizational Narcissism at Long Term Capital Management

This article focuses on the near collapse of the highly prestigious hedge-fund Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) in September 1998, causing widespread fears that its demise may lead to global financial meltdown. Explanations pivoting on the idea of bounded rationality - that rationally functioning organizations may collapse because of a lack of information or the capacity to process such information - are found not to apply. The article postulates the irrational functioning of LTCM, and proposes a psychoanalytic theory of organizational narcissism as a means of explanation. This theory comprises well-explored themes of organizational narcissism such as hubris, omnipotence and omniscience, as well as newer themes of contempt, triumph, and the embeddedness of narcissism in the organization's socio-technical system. The article concludes by examining these ideas in relation to other theories of risk as well as the implications for practice.

Organizational Narcissism

This article is a critical examination of discourses on technology in a nongovernment organization (NGO). In it, the author elaborates on the organization’s use of “appropriate technology” discourse, its framing of information and communication technology (ICT) in the NGO, and the development of a for-profit ICT system in the organization. The author argues that the NGO’s use of appropriate technology discourse serves to produce and perpetuate an overall market bias. Alongside this, a limited conception of information and communication results in the NGO defining its rural constituents in terms of a passive market. This has consequences for the NGO’s identity, which it conceives of in terms of its own legitimacy rather than public accountability. The term organizational narcissism is used to explain this phenomenon. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.