Development and Evaluation of a Model to Identify Perceptions of Toxic Leadership
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Authors
Willis, Danielle L.
Issue Date
2022-12
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Armed Forces , Command of troops , Dissertations, Academic--United States , Leadership--Evaluation , Leadership , Military studies , Organizational behavior , Public administration , United States. Air Force , Work environment
Alternative Title
Abstract
The perception of toxic leadership or a toxic work environment in a military organization can negatively impact the unit's health and the organization’s ability to carry out military operations. While much of the literature on toxic leadership explores its impact on employees and organizations, little attention has been paid to the decision making processes followers use to evaluate toxic behaviors. This study hypothesized that introducing a force field analysis to explain the relationship between leadership, followership, and the environment could help identify and ameliorate the perception of toxic or destructive leadership in U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force organizations.
This project used exploratory, sequential mixed-methods with qualitative and quantitative phases to test an intervention tool designed to identify the factors leading to the perception of toxic leadership. The quantitative phase was a single-factor design, group comparison using a pretest-posttest of current and former Department of the Air Force personnel who self-identified as having experienced toxic leadership. The data were interpreted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study also explored whether demographic differences exist in those perceived as toxic leaders.
The study found that using a force field analysis of an organizational system allowed participants to identify the factors that impact toxic leadership and changed their perception of negative influences on followership and the environment. Further, the study found that racial-ethnic and female leaders were disproportionately perceived as toxic compared to their representation in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.
Keywords: toxic leadership, toxic triangle, toxic environment, followership, human reasoning, perception, military
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.