Why ruthless characters rise at work and why some managers choose them

If you ever wondered why the most ruthless characters in corporate dramas, such as Succession, keep rising to the top, new research from the UBC Sauder School of Business suggests that dynamic is not just a TV trope.

The study, published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, found that some managers actively favour employees who display manipulative or self-serving traits when those behaviours help advance the manager’s own career goals. 

While past research emphasized the toxic impact of these “dark personality traits,” such as selfishness, willingness to manipulate others or a lack of empathy, the new findings reveal why such individuals continue to be hired and promoted.

“If you have agentic or self-serving goals, hiring a dark personality candidate could actually be useful—and if you have more communal goals, then you don't want to hire that person,” said study co-author and UBC Sauder professor Dr. Karl Aquino.

To understand how managers make these decisions, the researchers surveyed more than 1,200 managers across several studies. In one experiment, managers reviewed fictional job candidates who had identical qualifications but handled workplace situations differently.

Candidates who displayed manipulative or self-interested tactics were rated more positively by managers who prioritized their own career advancement. 

In another study, managers were also asked to reflect on their favourite and least favourite real-world employees. Managers who prioritized personal gain were significantly more likely to rate their preferred employees as having dark traits.

The findings suggest that employees with dark traits may be more willing to take on tasks others avoid, so managers see them as useful for work that could harm the manager’s own reputation, such as enacting unpopular policies, disciplining staff or conducting layoffs. 

“Throughout history and in organizations, there are people who have to do dirty, bad things that a lot of people don't want to do, and perhaps dark personalities are better able to do those than those who lack these traits,” he said. “A leader recognizes a place for people who seem to violate conventional norms of what it is to be a good person.”

While these employees may offer short-term advantages, the researchers warn of significant long-term costs. They can reshape workplace culture, fuel distrust or create ethical and reputational risks for the organization.

“While there are advantages to having these kinds of people in the organization, it's possible that it could be costly in the long run as they may do things that get the organization in trouble,” Dr. Aquino said. “Organizations may regret it, and the people they hire may well stab them in the back.”