The Hindu Business Line : You may be working with a psychopath

Lying, manipulation, deceit, egocentricity, callousness and other destructive traits: these are some of the giveaway symptoms of psychopaths. Their behaviours can be at odds with the generally accepted norms of society. Dangerously, many psychopaths have entered the corporate environment, caution Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare in Snakes in Suits (www.crosswordbookstores.com) .

The authors trace the hazardous infiltration to four possible reasons. One, the psychopath can get through the recruitment filter, charming his/her way in. "When it is to their advantage, they can display a charisma that can disarm and beguile even the most wary individuals."

Second, hiring managers may be fooled into seeing `leadership' qualities in what are, in actuality, psychopathic behaviours. Third reason is the evolution of organisations, from being bureaucratic, as in the yesteryears, to the current fad of `flatter, more free-form, faster-paced' environment, offering `fewer layers, simpler systems and controls, and more freedom to make decisions'. Bizarrely, when cataclysmic changes happen to business, in the form of acquisitions, break-ups, or downsizing, "psychopathic personality traits - the appearance of confidence, strength, and calm - often look like the answer to the organisation's problems."

Fourth, the flexible organisation structure is an invitation for the psychopaths. They like to work for "businesses that offer fast-paced, high-risk, high-profit environments." The temptation is too great, and the personal rewards too significant, to be ignored by the `corporate cons'.

On standard measures of career success, the psychopaths may be highly successful.

Meanwhile, "they take advantage of communication weaknesses, organisational systems and processes, interpersonal conflicts, and general stressors that plague all companies," and "abuse co-workers and, by lowering morale and stirring up conflict, the company itself. Some may even steal and defraud."

If that is terrifying, here is more: Babiak and Hare sombrely tip off that "you may be working with a psychopath in the next cubicle and never know it.

However, you may have suspicions base on how he behaves toward you or others." So, what should you do? "Try to keep your distance from psychopaths... Avoid doing their work for them, and resist their attempt to get you to hid their own poor performance."

In an ideal world, we would be able to get along with everyone, and accept them as equals. But reality is often less than ideal, the authors remind.

You can protect yourself, your career, and your company, by seeing through the games of `snakes in suits'.

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