Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work (16 page)

119

The cold-blooded actions of these killers, and the stunning

“emotional disconnect” between these actions and the feelings and rights of the victims, effectively were hidden from view in most social interactions.

The attitudes and behaviors of the corporate psychopath in the next cubicle are much less extreme than those of serial killers, and presumably
much easier to disguise
.

Second, organizations actively seek out people who are able to get along with others and possess the traits that make them easy to get along with in return. Readers will easily recognize, based on their own work experience, that this makes good business sense, as agreeable people tend to be easier to work with in general; “getting along”

makes work life a lot more enjoyable, and cooperation leads to greater productivity with minimal conflict. The psychological labels sometimes used for these personality traits include “need-affiliation,”

“agreeableness,” and “socialization,” among others. Many organizations test for these during their selection process, but even if not done through formal testing, there is usually an attempt to glean information about these and similar characteristics during the interviewing process. On the surface, however, people with psychopathic personalities can and do easily come across as friendly and agreeable—they get along with the other “kids” at work or play. It is only beneath the surface, well hidden from view, that darker tendencies lie.

Third, most people who join an organization do so because they want to work in order to make a living; the work ethic is ingrained in them from their earliest years. While “work” can take on many different forms, the basic concept involves exchanging goal-oriented efforts for money or reward; essentially, an exchange takes place between employee and employer that satisfies the needs of both.

There may be misunderstandings or disagreements about amount of effort expended, how well the goals were accomplished, and level of
120

S N A K E S I N S U I T S

reward, but the basic model is pretty much part and parcel of any employment relationship. Having a sense of entitlement and being parasitic, however, psychopaths do not adhere to this fair-exchange model of work, wanting instead large rewards for mediocre effort or poor performance. Their work ethic is geared more to making themselves look good than to doing a decent job. This attitude is concealed, of course, from their employers and coworkers.

The Psychopathic Fiction

We know that psychopaths are self-centered, manipulative, and irresponsible, and that they are unlikely to give an employer an honest day’s work, so how do they mask these traits once they’re hired and expected to interact with others on a daily basis? The answer lies in their ability to create a fictional story about themselves that fulfills the global requirement and expectations of the company and its members. Once the fiction is firmly established in the collective mind of the group, it is easy to hide negative, counterproductive traits. A company’s standards are not too difficult to discover, as companies openly share descriptions of ideal members, and encourage adherence to these descriptions, through performance objectives, mission statements, standards of performance, codes of conduct, value statements, and other such communications. Companies also publicly reward those who are good corporate citizens with bonuses, promotions, “employee of the month” awards, and similar forms of recognition. By acknowledging the contributions and successes of its members, a company (or any social group for that matter) hopes to inspire the same productive behaviors and values in others. This is a good thing for everyone as profitable companies create job security, and job security increases the ability of employees to buy goods and services, raise a family, and pursue other socially desirable outcomes.

However, astute psychopaths or fraudsters are capable of mimicking those in the company who are perceived to be good perform-Pawns, Patrons, and Patsies

121

ers and high potentials without actually being one. In this sense, the persona they readily adopt is more a reflection of the demands of the situation than an indication of who they really are. Recall that the chameleon may mimic a leaf but does not turn into one. The resemblance is strictly on the surface and designed (instinctually in the lizard, cognitively in psychopaths) to offer protection while “hunting”

and scanning for chances to take advantage of the situation.

While masking one’s true intentions through role-playing may be easy in social intercourse, it is a much harder task to maintain the façade over the course of full-time employment, which involves interacting in close quarters with a large number of coworkers on a daily basis. The first step toward success is to build one-on-one relationships with important individuals in the company who will ultimately, often unwittingly, provide protection and cover for the intended plan of action. The sometimes rather elaborate charade or

“psychopathic fiction” that is ultimately woven throughout the organization also fulfills the psychopath’s needs for game playing, thrill seeking, and control; thus, it is doubly rewarding to someone so motivated.

In the previous chapter, we suggested how easily those with many psychopathic features could enter organizations. Once inside (that is, employed), psychopaths revert to their natural three-phase behavior pattern—assessment, manipulation, and abandonment.

How they apply these to the work environment is covered in the next sections, where we outline how they create and maintain the fictional tale of the “ideal employee and future leader.”

Assessing the Organization and Its Members
The process starts harmlessly enough. Once they join the company, psychopaths try to meet as many people in the company as they can, spreading positive first impressions and collecting as much information as possible. While meeting and greeting organization members,
122

S N A K E S I N S U I T S

they study their coworkers’ organizational roles and almost instinctively assess their short- and long-range utility or value. A person’s value is based on where he or she fits into the organizational hierarchy (sometimes referred to as position power), technical abilities (expert power), access to information (knowledge power), and whether he or she controls staff, money, and other assets (resource power).

There should be little surprise that the natural predatory manipulation used by psychopaths to con people in public can be applied to business settings. What may be surprising is how easily this can be accomplished. Corporate cons use the early months of employment to study, understand, and ultimately penetrate organizational barriers. They identify key players, analyze personalities of potentially useful coworkers, and study the interaction and communications patterns among workers. They quickly begin to understand and then integrate the culture of the organization into their outward style and approach.

BUILDING A POWER BASE

When considering how people influence each other to get things done in organizations it is always important to consider the role of power. There are many kinds of power used in an organization, some more obvious than others. One important type is called informal power, which is the ability to influence what is going on without being given the official ability or authority to do so. While every employee has some asset (knowledge, skills, and abilities), informal leaders typically have more ability to influence the operations of the organization. Seasoned managers know who the informal leaders are in their organization, and engage them in their own efforts to manage the entire group. Almost instinctively, fraudsters find these individuals and build strong relationships with them with the intent of using them to their advantage.

In addition, there are others with power and influence that are more formal. Individuals with position power are of significant inter-Pawns, Patrons, and Patsies

123

est to the corporate con. Getting close to those in power positions is not an easy task, however, as they tend to be very busy, they may travel a lot, and they have many others surrounding them who also want their time and attention. An industrious psychopath, though, manages these obstacles with ease, capitalizing on any opportunity, however contrived, to make contact and gain exposure.

The nature of organizational life actually facilitates the process of making contact with formal and informal leaders in the form of a typical “honeymoon period.” This period, which can last up to a few months, is a time when new employees are expected to learn about their jobs and the organization, and are given considerable leeway to do so. Being on the early part of the learning curve insulates new employees from organizational criticism as they move about freely, learning the ins and outs of the organization’s culture. Relying on organizational naiveté during this period, a clever and motivated employee can approach individuals in power whom others with more seniority are too timid to approach or have learned to avoid, often for political or personal reasons.

Starting literally in the elevators and hallways, and landing eventually in their offices, the corporate cons begin to introduce themselves to key managers and executives, brazenly disregarding the chain of command others respect. By the time the honeymoon period ends, they have established a strong, positive presence and identity in the minds of key players that will come in handy later on.

A talented corporate fraudster easily comes across to executives as an ambitious, enthusiastic player; competence and loyalty, two critical business values, are assumed. To coworkers and peers, he or she comes across as a likable person, perhaps a bit narcissistic or manipulative, but friendly, open, and honest nonetheless. Whether one is an informal leader, a power holder, or a regular employee, it’s quite refreshing to meet a charismatic new employee who expresses a desire to become an accepted member of the team or displays respect and admiration.

Psychopaths are not the only new employees who try to understand and make use of the sociopolitical structure of the company,
124

S N A K E S I N S U I T S

of course; almost all new employees do. However, psychopaths do so with very little intent of actually delivering a work product to the company commensurate with the salary they receive. Also, their emotional poverty does not support allegiance or loyalty to the company or their coworkers, although they can speak the necessary words to indicate intense loyalty to the firm. Their personas might be compared to the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store.

The Dark Triad

Among the personalities that present problems for society in general and for the corporate world in particular are
narcissism
,
Machiavellianism
, and
psychopathy
(including its less severe variant,
subclinical psychopathy
), sometimes referred to collectively as the
dark triad.

As described by researchers Nathanson, Paulhus, and Williams, “Those high in narcissism are characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, and a sense of superiority over others. . . . Such individuals are arrogant, self-centered, and consistently self-enhancing. . . . Individuals high in Machiavellianism are characterized by cynicism and the manipulation of others. . . .

these individuals exploit a wide range of duplicitous tactics to achieve their self-interested goals. . . . Those high in subclinical psychopathy are characterized by cold emotion, interpersonal manipulation, impulsive thrill-seeking, and a tendency to engage in antisocial behavior. . . . Even those who have avoided being arrested tend to engage in dangerous and often illegal behaviors with little concern for the consequences.”

In a series of studies, Paulhus and his colleagues have shown that of the members of the dark triad it is
subclinical psychopathy
that is most strongly related to a variety of socially deviant behaviors, including cheating, plagiarism, self-reports of misbehavior, bullying, and drug use. [In this case, subclinical psychopathy is measured by the
Self-Report Psychopathy-III Scale
(SRP-III; Paulhus, Hemphill & Hare, in press).] This is not surprising, given
Pawns, Patrons, and Patsies

125

that psychopathy combines some of the features of narcissism and Machiavellianism with aggressive and antisocial tendencies.

We might refer to psychopathy as the
mean
side of the dark triad.

SUPPORTING ROLES—THE PAWNS AND PATRONS

If psychopaths are the writers, directors, and stars in the psychopathic fiction, then it is important that those around them be cast in supportive roles. The first goal in creating the psychopathic fiction is to convince others of their honesty, integrity, and sincerity. Concurrently, they focus on the identification and manipulation of potential

“pawns,” or those individuals who have something the fraudster wants. There can be many pawns in an organization, all being identified for the specific resources they can potentially provide, such as information, money, expertise, staffing, influence, contacts, and so forth.

Later down the road, when psychopaths need a resource, they will manipulate the pawns to get it or simply ask directly. Asking for favors of “friends” and never actually repaying is a surprisingly common technique used. Many pawns are so enamored by the persona of the psychopathic fraudster that they give him or her whatever is needed, however inappropriate or outrageous the request.

Eventually, psychopaths are able to convince a large number of people that they are their best friends, trusted confidants, loyal coworkers, and all-around good people with whom to associate.

They are able to create a fiction and maintain it in day-to-day interaction. Competence and loyalty, two important organizational traits, go unquestioned. With the kind of “evidence” they provide (through charm, charisma, and dissimulation), it is no surprise when they blame any concerns or negative perceptions raised by others on envy
126