Bullying & the Undercover Workplace IV- Machiavellianism

Alright, we've reached part four of this series on bullying, so let's drive the point home-for now.

We've all asked these questions before at some point: why do we continue to deal with workplace bullying and negative behaviors? Why hasn't there been a viable solution to this? Why don't leaders seem to care about these types of issues?

And why are people like this??

I'm not officially a psychologist, so I can't really answer that last question for you, without conjecture.

However, there is an identifiable, albeit undercover reason why bullying, manipulation, and abuse runs rampant in organizations everywhere- Machiavellianism and its prominence in our society.

Machiavellian personalities have been shown to be the most likely people to engage in bullying and other control and manipulation tactics in the workplace.

What is Machiavellianism?

In the field of personality psychology, Machiavellianism is the name of a personality trait construct characterized by manipulativeness, indifference to morality, lack of empathy, and a calculated focus on self-interest. It is part of the dark triad of traits, along with psychopathy and narcissism.

An article on The Learning Mind blog 7 Signs of a Machiavellian Personality - Learning Mind states:

“The term Machiavellian derives from the early 16-century Italian Renaissance philosopher and writer Niccolò Machiavelli. Machiavelli was the political adviser to the powerful ruling Medici family in Italy.

Before Machiavelli came along, politics was considered to be a matter of ethics and morals. Machiavelli realized there was a better way to gain and maintain control.

He believed that the end justified the means and that rulers should use any tools at their disposal. This included deception, manipulation, and fear to achieve power.”

Did your antennas go up?

Think about how this shows up in the workplace. Do these sound familiar?

• Needing to frame everything in terms of money, data and profit- otherwise no one is going to understand or care

  
  

• Focusing on image and 'how' things are said or packaged, not necessarily 'what', along with being overly focused on how things 'look' to others

  
  

• Thinking of soft skills like emotional intelligence as a waste of time, since they can't see the connect to immediate results

  
  

• Charisma and charm are used to build relationships for the purpose of being able to use and manipulate people later

  
  

• Disregard for concerns that impact employee's well-being- the only focus is on activities that directly impact the bottom line

• Campaigns, lobbying, and corporate influence often prioritize winning over ethics

  
  

• Aggressive competition, strategic layoffs, and ruthless decision-making are common

  
  

• Power struggles, deception, and strategic maneuvering dominate political life and are considered high-level, good skills all people (especially leaders) should have and operate by

  
  

• The emphasis on personal ambition and self-interest can encourage strategic maneuvering and a "whatever it takes" attitude

The Workplace is Inherently Machiavellian

Well, now you have your answers. Machiavellianism is built into the fabric of our society for better and for worse.

For Machiavellians, the end justifies the means, and the positives of their character outweigh the negatives. They believe if you need to lie, cheat, gossip, steal or abuse to achieve your desired end result- then the actions are worth it. And, sadly, most people agree with this. After all, most of us may have been taught that this thinking is the 'right' way to be- if you want to win and not get abused and used by others. This mindset is actually another Machiavellian trait- the belief that others think and act as they do, so they must act first and "win"- by any means necessary. Yikes on a bike.

People tend to feel that the charisma and charm of a Machiavellian type is a good thing, and useful for getting people to cooperate and achieve common goals. Strategic thinking, adaptability, and interpersonal skills are often stated as being useful strengths of the Machiavellian personality. Emotional detachment is thought of as a necessary trait for doing business, which allows people to stay focused on objectives, facts, and data. As long as benefits are attainable by unscrupulous means, there will be people willing to engage in those tactics to get what they want. We've woven these traits - as destructive as they are- into the very ways we interact with and engage with society, and each other.

This is why surface level solutions for workplace bullying don’t work and will not work. We can't legislate a way around these types- they'll just manipulate the system to work in their favor. We can't just have people click through an online training and expect they'll stop the behaviors that have rewarded them up to this point. Solutions like documenting behaviors and jumping through other hoops may provide short-term relief or feelings of accomplishing something but in reality, they do not solve the problem. Are we willing to continue ruining lives and destroying people to 'benefit' from a Machiavellian's 'good side'?

The issue is systemic. Lack of accountability, short term wins, power, control and authority are the name of the game, and the average person will embody Machiavellian traits if it means them getting ahead in the rat race- even those people who may not normally display Machiavellian traits. A solution lies somewhere in creating environments where those behaviors no longer generate rewards.

If you're interested in exploring this further (discussing how these behaviors impact not only employee well-being, but productivity and organizational outcomes) click here to learn more and pre-register for that workshop.

Stay tuned for the last article in this series, in which we'll tie everything together.

In the meantime, I'd like to know your thoughts- do you agree or disagree? What do you think are potential solutions to this ongoing problem? Add your thoughts to the comments!

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Hi! I'm Nicole, an organizational consultant and personal coach, who is passionate about inspiring the changes our society needs for all to thrive. Using lessons learned from my own experiences and challenges, I hope to help people within organizations by creating mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy workplaces for all. Check out the other resources on this site for more ways to do just that!