Spring 2003, Vol. 11, No. 1

Dealing with Difficult Employees

Part 1: Narcissism

By Stephen Heidel, MD, MBA
San Diego, CA

Everyone has their own personality style. Employees with different styles are usually flexible enough to work together effectively. Occasionally an employee exhibits a style that is difficult to deal with, such as being ruthless, disorganized, moody, arrogant, impulsive, or suspicious. When personality styles become extreme they are called personality disorders. People with personality disorders have deeply ingrained and maladaptive patterns of behavior that do not change. Even though these individuals have severe problems, they are hard to identify because in many ways they are high functioning and healthy. Over time, however, they have a subtle, yet very disruptive effect on their entire work group and the decision-making process.

Consider the following characteristics. Grandiose, arrogant, only willing to associate with other high status people or institutions, requiring excessive praise, unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment, no concern for the feelings and needs of others, and using other people to meet their goals. These are the characteristics of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. An employee with this personality disorder may be successful in the workplace for a period of time because they are charming (superficially), intelligent, and make real contributions to the success of the organization. Often they are conscientious, hard-working, and talented individuals who are upwardly mobile and may rise to a position in senior management. Over time, however, they will be destructive because they are really promoting their own personal agenda. Their self-serving behavior will not be compatible with corporate objectives and goals, rather it will be destructive to the organization.

Case Study: Tom Boyer is a 38-year-old who was recently promoted to vice president of research and development at a successful biotech company. He had been at the company for five years and rose quickly to his current position. Some of his peers felt Tom had been promoted because he had gone out of his way to make friends with the president and senior management. Others questioned the value of his research projects, feeling Tom had exaggerated their significance. The president began receiving complaints about Tom shortly after he was promoted. The complaints were both from staff and from other vice presidents. Tom seemed to be promoting grandiose ideas which had no chance of succeeding. When his staff tried to give him honest feedback, Tom became enraged. He personally attacked those who were not completely supportive of his plans. His staff also felt exploited, with Tom taking all the credit and only promoting himself. Morale in the department deteriorated under Tom's leadership. The other vice presidents also began to resent him. Though he had previously reached out to them, Tom now seemed to only want their praise and was unresponsive when they came to him for help. The president was initially perplexed. Tom seemed to be a capable person who sought him out and was willing to talk to him and senior vice presidents about issues of importance. The president continued to receive complaints about Tom's style and finally he scheduled a meeting to discuss his concerns. Tom seemed overly sensitive to the president's comments. He perceived these comments as criticism and reacted by attacking others. Tom's insensitive and arrogant behavior continued despite further conversations with the president. Eventually, Tom accepted a job at another biotech company. Though there was concern about losing a bright and talented vice president, the group cohesiveness and morale quickly improved after Tom left.

Interventions:

1. When an individual exhibits characteristics of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, such as arrogance, grandiosity, taking advantage of others for his/her own goals, lack of empathy, and reacting to criticism with rage, it is advisable to contact a mental health professional to act as a consultant to the organization. This mental health professional can help the business clarify the underlying personality style and establish a plan to deal with the individual. This will be especially important if the organization values the employee and wants to try to retain them.

2. An employee exhibiting these characteristics must be given realistic feedback about the effect of their actions on other employees. Negative feedback should be given in a constructive manner. The employee should also be given positive feedback about things he/she has done well. This will help the employee maintain their self-respect and hopefully allow them to accept the feedback without being completely devastated. If the narcissistic employee understands that their behavior is having negative effects on others and those effects will hurt the narcissistic employee, there may be enough motivation to change their behavior.

3. The employee may benefit from coaching to better understand how changing their behavior will make them more effective in the workplace. This coaching should be provided by a mental health professional who is familiar with personality disorders and their impact on the workplace. Although an employee's personality will not change in this interaction, often an employee can be taught to behave in a more acceptable manner.

Individuals who are very narcissistic are often destructive in an organization. It is hard for them to align their goals and their work efforts with those of the organization because they ultimately are only interested in themselves. Efforts may be made to change their behavior, but if these are not successful the organization must decide if the employee's positive attributes outweigh their negative ones.

 
Return to Top