What Is a Psychopathic Personality?
Alongside these widespread conduct problems, a growing body of research and evidence shows that psychopathic personality traits are present among people working in the business and corporate sector. Such traits have been identified at senior levels of the corporate world, including among those in roles such as Chairman, Director, Chief Executive Officer and Manager. A psychopathic personality is marked by callousness or a tendency toward meanness, together with recklessness and a general proneness to disinhibition. In addition, psychopaths are often bold and dominant, treating life as a game to be won. When breaking down the traits and features, many of the key aspects associated with this personality include: charming and charismatic; fearless and calm under pressure; limited or minimal anxiety; shallow and superficial emotional experiences; ruthlessness and cruelty; interpersonally exploitative; a lack of empathy and callous disregard for others; deceitfulness and manipulation; pervasive lying; sexual promiscuity and excitement seeking; grandiosity and boldness; a tendency to blame others and deny responsibility; impulsiveness and recklessness; an absence of moral concern and a lack of loyalty; and the pursuit of dominance and a desire for control.
Corporate Psychopathy
Psychopathy, together with other problematic personalities in the workplace, has been linked to unethical behaviour, bullying, destructive leadership, large-scale Ponzi schemes, insider trading, mortgage fraud, internet fraud, embezzlement, and intimidation and violence. Estimates suggest that psychopathy affects between 3-12% of some business and executive populations. Corporate psychopathy is a problem for organisations, harming staff wellbeing and putting a business's reputation at risk. A psychopathic personality is linked to poorer work performance and creates a toxic, disordered work environment through bullying, deceit or even fraud. Businesses have a duty of care to their staff, and this starts with appropriate steps in employee recruitment. Failing to implement screening and assessment at the recruitment stage can have enormous implications for an organisation and can expose a business to negligence claims. Psychological assessment instruments are needed during recruitment to support the hiring and interview process. Beyond recruitment, it is essential that organisations have suitable management policies in place for conduct issues, since failing to detect problems and support staff can lead to reduced profits and higher employee turnover. Organisations regularly face risk and threats from internal and external parties, and personality is an essential aspect that should be built into threat screening and issue management.
Recognising these traits early helps organisations protect staff wellbeing and safeguard their reputation. Building personality assessment into recruitment and conduct management gives businesses a clearer picture of the risks they face, both internally and externally.