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Tags – Machiavellianism
Have you ever come across someone who will cross any boundaries for their business?
On the positive side of things, going far and beyond ethically for your business is a great plus. But, what happens when the far and beyond comes out as a cold, controlling stance. And, interestingly, people that adopt such behaviour feel like they are getting away with it too.
What ends up happening is a struggle for power, application of harsh management tactics, and a clearly manipulative behaviour. I will not deny a somewhat positive that stems out of such behaviour.
Machiavellianism – the personality trait associated with the discussed stance – is seen by a few as a charismatic form of leadership. But, this form of leadership generally only works with employees that need to be told constantly what to do. For the sustainable growth of your organisation, this is not what you want.
You need people that can work independently towards the collective goal of organisational growth. And, in any case, the number of people that want to be told what to do in the workplace has been shrinking with the increasing demand for further independence at work.
The negatives far outweigh the positives of machiavellianism in business.
Negatives of Machiavellianism in Business
Machiavellianism has been connected with a plethora of negatives through research. This includes:
- A higher inclination to lie
- Stronger intentions to use deception
- Likeliness to use made up information in situations
- Lack of humility
- Open demonstration of arrogance
- Weak morality and ethics
- Using fear as a tactic
- Neglection towards sharing important organisational information
- Spreading false rumours
- Lessened interest in fulfilling commitments
Please follow the links to read the researches further. Such behaviours have also been connected with organisational and workplace bullying. We all hate a bully.
Transformation of Business
The face of business has been changing. Away from the micromanaging, controlling, cold behaviour of organisations, audiences want to join forces with companies that do things differently – in a more friendly manner.
And, if you are working with a client or a business that behaves in a machiavellian manner, it is time to step up and hold your ground. Your job is not to always please people. As a business, your job is to provide value. So, you need to force the machiavellis in business to change their ways.
(I could have given examples from our digital marketing experience; both from a client and fellow competitors angle; but the information here is self evident).
If you would like to learn more about working on strategically placing yourself in the market, get in touch today.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
