The Secrets of Managerial Psychiatry

Can managers have too much of a good thing?  Can managers be too clever, or too charming or too courageous? How do you address aggressive behavior in the workplace, the narcissistic manager or anger management in the workplace?

Can managers have too much of a good thing?  Can managers be too clever, or too charming or too courageous? How do you address aggressive behavior in the workplace, the narcissistic manager or anger management in the workplace? Fact: extremes of anything are, by definition, abnormal. You can be too tall or too slim. It is called the spectrum hypotheses: extremes of good things can be bad things. Many offices have mugs, plaques or notices which read: “You don’t have to be mad/crazy to work here, but it helps!” We have all seen madness at work: the nasty bully, the arrogant preener and the obsessive tidier. There are control freaks and drunks, Machiavellians and perfectionists, those in need of anger management and the psychopathically corrupt. This book is about them. It is about managerial psychology. There are three important and surprising things about mental illnesses at work. The first is that, paradoxically, some disorders can actually help people climb the greasy pole though it often “gets them in the end”. The callous, manipulativeness of the psychopath can help in a cut-throat, super-competitive business. The amazing self-confidence of a young, sub-clinically narcissistic manager may really impress those around him in the world of media or fashion. The obsessional may flourish in some sectors to do with checking, monitoring or quality control. Second, it is surprising that nobody does “select-out” at interviews which is about looking for things you don’t want rather than what you do want. Nobody seems to have the responsibility for trying to identify characteristics/traits/disorders that you really don’t want in managers or colleagues at work. They seem all focused on competencies and things you want. All select in, none select out…and that is why they slip through the net. Third, it is assumed that you can never have enough of a good thing. You can never be too clever, or charming or courageous. Yet, we know that extremes of anything are, by definition, abnormal. You can be too tall or too slim. It is called the spectrum hypotheses: extremes of good things can be bad things. The Secrets of Managerial Psychiatry by Professor Adrian Furnham is about a whole range of personality disorders in workplace. It looks at everything from ADHD and passive aggressiveness to the neurotic and impulsive manager. It tries to describe and explain the behavior and help you both understand and deal with these people at work.

Professor Adrian Furnham MA MSc MScEcon DPhil DSc DLitt FBPsS Cpsychol is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the second most productive psychologist in the world since 1980 (as ‘counted’ by number of articles published), a mould-breaking academic, a leading consultant on organisational behaviour, writer, raconteur and broadcaster. He is a Professor of Psychology at University College London, a founder and director of Applied Behavioural Research Associates (ABRA) a management consultancy specialising in performance appraisal, personnel and corporate assessment and adjunct professor at BI Norwegian School of Management and one of the world's leading business psychologists. Adrian is on the editorial board of a number of international journals and the previous elected President of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He is also a newspaper columnist previously at the Financial Times, now at the Sunday Times. He is a regular contributor to national and international radio and television stations including the BBC, CNN, and ITV. More details in the latest ‘Who’s Who’. Adrian has worked extensively with a variety of multinational organisations including; HSBC, Vistage International (the world's leading chief executive organisation), Goldman Sachs, British Airways, The Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, Cathay Pacific, The Foreign Office, Barclays Bank, Marks & Spencer, Air New Zealand, Channel Four, Boots and the Ritz Hotel. He is also a member of The Leadership Trust's Advisory Council. Adrian has written over 1000 scientific papers and 70 books, primarily about leadership and management. Adrian is a renowned business speaker at corporate conferences - approachable, well-informed and entertaining. His witty insights into human behaviour provide an excellent foil for the seriousness of his subject. To book Adrian to speak at your conference or to run a Leadership Workshop, please email adrian.furnham@8ack.com