Ever wondered if your boss is a psychopath?
Published: 29 March 2023 at 14:30
ARU pioneer to explore how toxic personalities reach the top in business and politics
The rise of ‘corporate psychopaths’ to the top of the hierarchy in organisations and politics will be explored during a fascinating free talk this Saturday (April 1) by pioneer in the field, Dr Clive Boddy of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
Dr Boddy has researched the subject of corporate psychopaths – people whose uncaring attitude towards others is driven by a lack of conscience and emotion – for almost 20 years.
During the talk as part of the Cambridge Festival, he will draw on his own and other researcher’s work to explain how they rise to the top through ruthless self-promotion, and how they act when they get there.
Dr Boddy will also explain the dangers of corporate psychopaths in corporate and political organisations, and how their traits are associated with crimes against humanity, betrayal, fraud and destruction of organisations.
His research also explains how these individuals are not always as easy to identify as presumed, and how it has taken time for academia to believe in the phenomenon of the corporate rather than criminal psychopath.
Dr Boddy has published more academic research papers on the effects of corporate psychopaths on employees, organisations and society than anyone else and his work is in the top 1% most referred to by other business and ethics researchers globally.
Dr Boddy, Deputy Head of the School of Management at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“It took a long time for people to recognise that psychopathy in the corporate world was a genuine concept, because most previous research was carried out within the sphere of the criminal world and the paradigm was that psychopaths were criminals and not corporate executives.
“However, corporate psychopaths are real and they are among us and, unchecked, they can do a lot of damage to organisations, society, and even global sustainability.
“The quest for money, power and control is what drives the corporate psychopath and they are ruthless and efficient in gaining these.
“If the psychopathic are allowed to continue to lead us in corporate and political organisations, then the likelihood of nuclear war is much higher and meeting grand societal challenges such as equality and global sustainability will be jeopardised. As we stand at a tipping point for the future, humanity must choose between uncaring and caring leadership.”
The talk is taking place on Saturday, 1 April at 6pm at ARU’s campus in East Road, Cambridge. It is free to attend, but tickets must be booked at https://www.aru.ac.uk/community-engagement/cambridge-festival/psychopaths-and-the-impetus-to-power
ARU is hosting a variety of talks and events during this year’s Cambridge Festival. Details of all these sessions can be found at https://aru.ac.uk/community-engagement/cambridge-festival