Uber’s toxic corporate culture may begin at the top, but it doesn’ t end there
In times of organizational crisis, some companies are able to right the ship, while others sink under the pressure. Recently, Uber has been under fire for a, which promoted, among other things, sexism and other forms of toxic behavior. This led to a and pressure from the board for founder and CEO Travis Kalanick to. He as CEO on June 20 after several major investors demanded he step down. Unfortunately, Uber is not the only company to come under public scrutiny in recent months for its toxic culture. and have also been accused of widespread sexual harassment. And other companies, such as, and, have been in the media spotlight for unethical behavior. have focused on the role of leaders in allowing toxic cultures to fester, which is what led to the ousting of Fox founder Roger Ailes and Kalanick’s departure. While this is certainly a necessary step, it’s not enough. that companies need also to root out a bad leader’s followers among the rank and file and make other important internal changes. Otherwise, a moral meltdown like Uber’s is likely to happen again. Sexual harassment is a widespread problem in U. S. workplaces, and its effects are pervasive and corrosive. It is have encountered potentially harassing behaviors at work, while 24 percent have experienced sexual harassment. Victims in many ways, including through lower job satisfaction, damaged physical and mental health and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Employees who witness sexual harassment at work are the same negative outcomes. Harassment in organizations in which managers have a lot of unchecked power over lower-level employees, as seems to be the case at Uber and Fox, with their powerful and charismatic founders. Importantly, these toxic behaviors do not start and stop with those at the top. They may become embedded in the organization’s underlying culture, which begs the question: Once a toxic culture takes hold, what can a company do to reverse it? demonstrates how toxic, unethical, flawed or otherwise ineffective leaders can do a lot of damage in organizations. But the damage can also run both ways. Susceptible followers, a lack of checks and balances and other cultural elements can help create or reinforce bad leadership. Thus, while it is easy to fire leaders when a culture becomes toxic, there are many other factors that must be addressed for true organizational transformation to occur. Our research suggests some best practices for addressing these factors and reversing a culture gone wrong. With respect to followers, there are certain types of individuals who are likely to remain obedient to toxic leaders, turn a blind eye to their behavior and even participate in the leader’s destructive activities. Based on established theory and research across a wide range of scientific disciplines, proposes five types of followers who are particularly susceptible to the influence of toxic leaders. We break these groups into two overarching categories: “conformers” (individuals who are prone to obedience) and “colluders” (those who actively align themselves with toxic leaders) . In terms of conformers, “lost souls” are insecure individuals who lack a clear sense of self and who find a sense of identity, purpose and belonging through their affiliation with strong, powerful leaders and their groups. “Authoritarians” are those who rigidly adhere to social hierarchies and tend to simply follow orders, whether ethical or unethical, from senior leaders.
