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Toxic Workplace!: Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power
“The day this person left our company is considered an annual holiday!” THIS QUOTE, taken from Kusy and Holloway’s research on toxic personalities, echoes the frustration and confusion that come from working with or managing an extremely difficult person. Just one toxic person has the capacity to debilitate individuals, teams, and even organizations. Toxic Workplace! is the first book to tackle the underlying systems issues that enable a toxic person to create a path of destruction in an organization, pervading others’ thoughts and energies, even undermining their very sense of well-being. Based on all-new research with over 400 leaders, many from the Fortune 500 list, this book illustrates how to manage existing toxic behaviors, create norms that prevent the growth or regrowth of toxic environments, and ultimately design organizational communities of respectful engagement. Kusy and Holloway’s research reveals the warning signs that indicate a serious behavioral problem and identifies how this toxicity spreads in systems with long-term effects on organizational climate, even after the person has left. Their two-year, cutting-edge research study provides very specific actions that leaders need to take to reduce both the intensity and frequency of toxic personalities at work. No other book provides this menu of options from a systems perspective with practical relevance in real work situations. You’ll learn how to identify the toxic personality and describe the leader reactions and approaches that typically don’t work. Toxic Workplace! provides hands-on approaches that work with research-based strategies at the individual, team, and organizational level. Toxic Workplace! will provide new insights on how leaders lead, how organizational cultures sustain themselves, and how teams deal with toxic personalities.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2009
44 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Mitchell Kusy
10 books3 followersA 2005 Fulbright Scholar in Organization Development, Dr. Kusy is a professor in the Graduate School of Leadership & Change at Antioch University. Mitch has consulted and been a keynote speaker with hundreds of organizations nationally and internationally—helping create work cultures of respectful engagement impacting individual, team, and bottom-line performance. He previously headed leadership and organization development at American Express Financial Advisors and HealthPartners. Previous to Why I Don't Work Here Anymore: A Leader’s Guide to Offset the Financial and Emotional Costs of Toxic Employees, Mitch co-authored five business books. In 1998, he received the Minnesota Organization Development Practitioner of the Year Award. He resides in Minneapolis and Palm Springs, and may be contacted at mitchellkusy@gmail.com or via his website at www.mitchellkusy.com. He can be followed on LinkedIn and Facebook Business (https://www.facebook.com/mitchkusy/).
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 1, 2019
Lots of good info here, but this is directed at managers and not super helpful for "regular" employees. Guess the "managing" in the title should've been a tip-off.
April 24, 2016
If you are now or have ever worked in a toxic work environment with toxic people, read this book. You will be reminded that YOU are not imagining this and that this is really happening.
Also you will see how you might be reacting to the environment in ways that you don't want to or leading teams in ways that allow more toxicity to leak all over the team.
And if I can give you one piece of advice...RUN!! Run like the fucking wind away from toxic people. They are hard to get out and their impact is long and can live on even after they leave.
Also you will see how you might be reacting to the environment in ways that you don't want to or leading teams in ways that allow more toxicity to leak all over the team.
And if I can give you one piece of advice...RUN!! Run like the fucking wind away from toxic people. They are hard to get out and their impact is long and can live on even after they leave.
October 13, 2018
Cá nhân mình từng chứng kiến "Cá nhân độc hại" đe dọa & kềm hãm sự phát triển của cả team, dẫn đến tổn thất cho business về sức cạnh tranh & tài chính. Điều đáng tiếc là Văn Hóa doanh nghiệp đó lại cổ xúy cho những điều đó khiến những CNDH này thao túng về quyền lực & chiếm quyền kiểm soát tuyệt đối. Việc phát hiện ra CNDH trong doanh nghiệp là điều nên làm, để thay đổi hay thậm chí loại bỏ. Cuốn sách này thể hiện rõ về tác hại của CNDH trong tổ chức nhưng giải pháp thì ko thể áp dụng được, vì tác giả ở vai trò tư vấn HR chứ ko phải là nằm trong 1 tổ chức.
May 31, 2017
Overall, this was a helpful read, but maybe not helpful to me.
Pros: Kusy addresses the topic very well and acknowledges the system dynamics most of these books ignore. He also does a great job of explaining why standard tactics, such as providing constructive feedback, do not work well to correct toxic behavior. The proposed TOCS process also seems like it would work if an organization could get buy-in from everyone to participate.
Cons: The book is written for managers, so there's very little advice on what non-managers can do to ameliorate toxic systems and behaviors. Granted, the top-down TOCS process, which focuses on defining values at the organizational level, team level, and individual level seems like it would work very well, but if you're not an official leader, how do you implement these values or encourage use of this process? And if work with toxic individuals that aren't direct reports, how do you handle them? These gaping holes leave much to be desired. Hopefully, someone will do more research on toxic systems and how to change them from an unofficial leader's perspective.
Pros: Kusy addresses the topic very well and acknowledges the system dynamics most of these books ignore. He also does a great job of explaining why standard tactics, such as providing constructive feedback, do not work well to correct toxic behavior. The proposed TOCS process also seems like it would work if an organization could get buy-in from everyone to participate.
Cons: The book is written for managers, so there's very little advice on what non-managers can do to ameliorate toxic systems and behaviors. Granted, the top-down TOCS process, which focuses on defining values at the organizational level, team level, and individual level seems like it would work very well, but if you're not an official leader, how do you implement these values or encourage use of this process? And if work with toxic individuals that aren't direct reports, how do you handle them? These gaping holes leave much to be desired. Hopefully, someone will do more research on toxic systems and how to change them from an unofficial leader's perspective.
December 19, 2020
Did not finish, I found that the The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton is more straight forward.
July 8, 2015
I stumbled across this book while trying to make sense of my workplace. This is the first book I've seen that takes a detailed look at what to do with a dysfunctional organization member and prescriptions for preventing future misbehavior. Like most business-related books, the prescriptions seem common sense but so few organizations implement them. A prerequisite for this book would be Crucial Conversations, as the authors promote some similar best practices in communication when alerting the toxic member to his behavior and how best to communicate to bring about results.
I looked at this book primarily through the lens of church discipline, as I found it quite relevant and I recommend this to anyone who reads the IX Marks literature. The authors surveyed managers and lower-level employees at hundreds of organizations to get feedback on "toxic" individuals and how they'd been dealt with. The result is a convincing argument about strategies that don't work, some of which seems counter-intuitive. Leadership intervening or confronting the person is not nearly effective as peer intervention. Firing the person, all else constant, will not solve the problem. There are cogent explanations that just to "expel the immoral brethren from among you" is not enough because you have to deal with the structures that were constructed both to enable and avoid the toxic personality. The entire culture of the organization has to be addressed. You have to build a culture with clear mission and expectations about negativity and acceptable behavior, so that everyone can be evaluated against clear standards. Exit interviews are crucial with anyone leaving your church to help identify organizational weaknesses that can be fixed.
Who is truly "toxic" or what is a "toxic environment?" Workplaces where illegal activity, like sexual harassment, are obvious but not the focus of the book. Toxic people are defined as having characteristics of intimidation, using subtle putdowns, negativity, shaming, and cynicism to assert their will on others. There is a "passive hostility" that everyone is aware of and would rather just avoid. He or she can be distrusting and territorial, often micromanaging if she's a manager, and taking an interest in other peoples' business as though its his own purview. There is a narcissism about them as well. The toxic are even willing to sabotage team efforts if things are not done to their liking. The authors find that, remarkably, the toxic individual is usually truly "clueless" of his or her toxicity. Most have lived their lives without anyone having the uncomfortable conversation with them about their behaviors.
Toxic people are often enabled because they are never confronted, or there exists no standard by which to confront the person. Many are kept on because their work is "necessary" and management is willing to put up with the toxicity so long as there is productivity. The authors write that this is a false choice-- while that individual may be productive, the overall effect on the organization is likely negative, hence he or she should be replaced with someone who could do the same job without the negativity. The authors don't mention professional sports, but after reading Michael Lazenby's biography of Michael Jordan it is clear that he is a toxic individual. I thought about him, Kobe Bryant, Barry Bonds, and others who were MVPs of their sports and often loathed by coaches, owners, and teammates for their toxic attitude. But in some cases, like Jordan, the toxic individual truly is the best at what he does and one cannot argue with a 72-win season. Toxic individuals often have "toxic protectors," a small group of loyalists who either fear or truly like the individual or at least seek his favor. Sometimes the structure of the organization or the lack of explicitly-stated values also protect the toxic.
I think there are times when I am the toxic individual. I know too much or perhaps am the "wet blanket" that extinguishes someone else's bright idea. There are individuals who I may think are toxic but many others seem to like. There are some in other departments who my own department interacts well with, but whose own department thinks are toxic. It's a bit tricky to put a finger on. But toxic people are generally avoided by others and eventually drive the "best" and most talented out to other organizations, leaving only the toxic in the organization. By the time management confronts them, if at all, it's too late-- the structures and defense mechanisms in place will still lead to organizational decay.
I most appreciated the comment recorded by the manager of a government agency, who stated that he bucked the stereotype of not being able to fire government employees. The manager set clear standards and values for his department by which every subordinate knew he or she would be evaluated. This allowed him to deal with problems and fire those who were unwilling to meet the standards could either quit or be fired. Simply restructuring, moving a person to a different position or changing the work assignments, was ineffective by itself. You must have a known system of values or the problem behavior will continue.
Part II of the book deals with how to change the culture of the organization, and communication strategies with the toxic organization member. The organization needs to include its values on the employee review form (what, conduct regular performance reviews?). "Respect" should be on the list of values, but management should also allow employees/members to state their own values and determine which values should be included on employee evaluations. (My government office actually has this, but some departments have abandoned doing them.) There need to be set rules for how feedback will be shared in the future.
The authors discuss team development surveys and 360 degree evaluation. If using 360 degree evals, do them with utmost confidentiality, with info kept even from the supervising manager. The authors have cautions about using a consultant; a consultant can help guide your organization through change (the authors are such consultants) but you cannot outsource dealing with toxic employees to a consultant. Above all, termination should be a last resort-- do the heavy lifting of changing your organizational culture and let the toxic person decide either to reform or leave. Research found that the toxic individual actually changed for the better, at least for a while, and many left when they decided they didn't like the reform. The authors discuss "renewal" and moving forward after a toxic individual leaves-- there needs to be a healing process and a time to deal with the various organizational weaknesses that were exposed. Like most business books, there are charts and diagrams for holding these types of discussions and formalizing a strategy.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has the power to influence an organization to which he is a member. It gets a bit wordy, but is very thought-provoking. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
I looked at this book primarily through the lens of church discipline, as I found it quite relevant and I recommend this to anyone who reads the IX Marks literature. The authors surveyed managers and lower-level employees at hundreds of organizations to get feedback on "toxic" individuals and how they'd been dealt with. The result is a convincing argument about strategies that don't work, some of which seems counter-intuitive. Leadership intervening or confronting the person is not nearly effective as peer intervention. Firing the person, all else constant, will not solve the problem. There are cogent explanations that just to "expel the immoral brethren from among you" is not enough because you have to deal with the structures that were constructed both to enable and avoid the toxic personality. The entire culture of the organization has to be addressed. You have to build a culture with clear mission and expectations about negativity and acceptable behavior, so that everyone can be evaluated against clear standards. Exit interviews are crucial with anyone leaving your church to help identify organizational weaknesses that can be fixed.
Who is truly "toxic" or what is a "toxic environment?" Workplaces where illegal activity, like sexual harassment, are obvious but not the focus of the book. Toxic people are defined as having characteristics of intimidation, using subtle putdowns, negativity, shaming, and cynicism to assert their will on others. There is a "passive hostility" that everyone is aware of and would rather just avoid. He or she can be distrusting and territorial, often micromanaging if she's a manager, and taking an interest in other peoples' business as though its his own purview. There is a narcissism about them as well. The toxic are even willing to sabotage team efforts if things are not done to their liking. The authors find that, remarkably, the toxic individual is usually truly "clueless" of his or her toxicity. Most have lived their lives without anyone having the uncomfortable conversation with them about their behaviors.
Toxic people are often enabled because they are never confronted, or there exists no standard by which to confront the person. Many are kept on because their work is "necessary" and management is willing to put up with the toxicity so long as there is productivity. The authors write that this is a false choice-- while that individual may be productive, the overall effect on the organization is likely negative, hence he or she should be replaced with someone who could do the same job without the negativity. The authors don't mention professional sports, but after reading Michael Lazenby's biography of Michael Jordan it is clear that he is a toxic individual. I thought about him, Kobe Bryant, Barry Bonds, and others who were MVPs of their sports and often loathed by coaches, owners, and teammates for their toxic attitude. But in some cases, like Jordan, the toxic individual truly is the best at what he does and one cannot argue with a 72-win season. Toxic individuals often have "toxic protectors," a small group of loyalists who either fear or truly like the individual or at least seek his favor. Sometimes the structure of the organization or the lack of explicitly-stated values also protect the toxic.
I think there are times when I am the toxic individual. I know too much or perhaps am the "wet blanket" that extinguishes someone else's bright idea. There are individuals who I may think are toxic but many others seem to like. There are some in other departments who my own department interacts well with, but whose own department thinks are toxic. It's a bit tricky to put a finger on. But toxic people are generally avoided by others and eventually drive the "best" and most talented out to other organizations, leaving only the toxic in the organization. By the time management confronts them, if at all, it's too late-- the structures and defense mechanisms in place will still lead to organizational decay.
I most appreciated the comment recorded by the manager of a government agency, who stated that he bucked the stereotype of not being able to fire government employees. The manager set clear standards and values for his department by which every subordinate knew he or she would be evaluated. This allowed him to deal with problems and fire those who were unwilling to meet the standards could either quit or be fired. Simply restructuring, moving a person to a different position or changing the work assignments, was ineffective by itself. You must have a known system of values or the problem behavior will continue.
Part II of the book deals with how to change the culture of the organization, and communication strategies with the toxic organization member. The organization needs to include its values on the employee review form (what, conduct regular performance reviews?). "Respect" should be on the list of values, but management should also allow employees/members to state their own values and determine which values should be included on employee evaluations. (My government office actually has this, but some departments have abandoned doing them.) There need to be set rules for how feedback will be shared in the future.
The authors discuss team development surveys and 360 degree evaluation. If using 360 degree evals, do them with utmost confidentiality, with info kept even from the supervising manager. The authors have cautions about using a consultant; a consultant can help guide your organization through change (the authors are such consultants) but you cannot outsource dealing with toxic employees to a consultant. Above all, termination should be a last resort-- do the heavy lifting of changing your organizational culture and let the toxic person decide either to reform or leave. Research found that the toxic individual actually changed for the better, at least for a while, and many left when they decided they didn't like the reform. The authors discuss "renewal" and moving forward after a toxic individual leaves-- there needs to be a healing process and a time to deal with the various organizational weaknesses that were exposed. Like most business books, there are charts and diagrams for holding these types of discussions and formalizing a strategy.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has the power to influence an organization to which he is a member. It gets a bit wordy, but is very thought-provoking. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
November 28, 2020
Well written evaluation of toxic personalities. I found the first half more useful regarding understanding the toxic environment. The second half was more about management strategies. Reassuring to understand more about how to deal with these personalities.
October 16, 2022
Read this for a seminar and really had to slog through it. Very repetitive and challenging to get through.
January 19, 2025
Intellectual nonsense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2014
I first read about this book in Saudi Aramco's Qafilah (weekly newsletter) several months ago. At that time I started my CO-OP (kind of internship program) in Saudi Aramco. I realized that I live in a work environment that has some of these so called "toxic personalities". In short, they are the kind of people you don't want to be around.
After reading this book, I realize that it isn't exactly designed for me.It is aimed to people in management positions (team leaders, supervisors, directors....etc). However, it gives you a great idea of who toxic people are and what works and what doesn't work when trying to deal with them.
The book has two parts: part one is an introduction and kind of a literature background about the subject matter; part two on the other hand, is how to deal with these kind of personalities. The whole book is based on a research study conducted by the authors.
The good thing about this book is that it has many quotes of the survey respondants who participated in the research study. At the end of the book there are two appendices which summarize the research methodology and the survey summary both in tabular and graphical format.
I think any leader in any position would benifit from reading such a book
After reading this book, I realize that it isn't exactly designed for me.It is aimed to people in management positions (team leaders, supervisors, directors....etc). However, it gives you a great idea of who toxic people are and what works and what doesn't work when trying to deal with them.
The book has two parts: part one is an introduction and kind of a literature background about the subject matter; part two on the other hand, is how to deal with these kind of personalities. The whole book is based on a research study conducted by the authors.
The good thing about this book is that it has many quotes of the survey respondants who participated in the research study. At the end of the book there are two appendices which summarize the research methodology and the survey summary both in tabular and graphical format.
I think any leader in any position would benifit from reading such a book
May 24, 2012
This book is geared more towards those with potential managerial authority over toxic individuals. That said, it has much of value in it for workers in all organizations. Some of the most important points it makes: 1) A toxic individual affects his or her entire work environment, often long after leaving the organization, and 2) an organization, for its own sake, must create a work culture that is inherently inhospitable to toxicity, or risk hurting itself overall. Definitely worth a read.
August 18, 2009
This book is quite insightful about the psychological and social responses to bullying in the workplace. Though a great deal of time is spent on detailing the various forms of this in Corporate America via testimonials, survey responses, etc, it fell a bit short on what people can do in response.
April 26, 2013
Very practical as well as theoretical. Useful strategies for managers to engage.
July 6, 2016
Starts out strong, then turns into a standard HR-y book. Hire consultants, set meetings standards, be a good leader.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews