Toxic Workplace! : Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power

The systems antidote to "poison" personalities in the workplace Most leaders have experienced the frustration and confusion of dealing with an extremely difficult person--an individual who debilitates individuals, teams, and even organizations. Based on the authors' two-year national research study of 500 leaders, Toxic Workplace! tackles the underlying systems issues that enable toxic people to create a path of destruction, often for a long time, at the cost of talent as well as productivity. The authors show the warning signs of a serious behavioral problem, how toxicity spreads, and ultimately its effects, providing very specific actions that leaders can take to reduce both the intensity and frequency of toxic personalities at work and create communities of respectful engagement. Mitchell E. Kusy, PhD (San Francisco, CA), is an international management consultant, a Professor in the Ph.D. Program in Leadership & Change at Antioch University, and a 2005 Fulbright Scholar in International Organization Development. Elizabeth Holloway, PhD (Austin, TX), is a Professor in the PhD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a Diplomat in Counseling Psychology.