Narcissists tend to be especially good at self-promotion and
ensuring that their contributions are not only known but recognized. A 2017
study found that most of the time narcissists’ high appraisal of their own
performance does not match objective measures of their actual achievements.
A new study conducted in Italy surveyed 200 Italian CEOs and had them answer
in-depth questionnaires about the management of their firms. The researchers,
Rovelli and Curnis, also had the CEOs complete a Narcissistic Personality
Inventory. Overall, they found that those with a high degree of narcissism had
about a 29% faster career progression to their leadership position of CEO. It
was noted that there was only a small number of female CEOs in their sample,
but that there did appear to be some gender differences in that women tend to
have slightly lower narcissism scores.
Rovelli and Curnis feel these results have serious implications for the workplace since it seems clear that narcissistic behavior and people still are favored and rewarded, even despite the well-known problems that they present to companies. Narcissistic leaders tend to make rash and risky decisions which could jeopardize a company’s standing; they tend to instill a more individualistic culture which reduces collaboration; and they have been found more likely to engage in fraudulent and even illegal activities.
Smarter recruitment of candidates can help minimize the effects of a narcissist on an organization. Engaging diverse hiring panels with people from all levels of the organization is key. Narcissists tend to be very adept at “managing up” but don’t come off as well to peers or subordinates at work. For more information on managing narcissists in your own workplace, check out this BBC article.
