Understanding Bad Leadership: Kellerman's Framework

Bad Leadership framework

Created by Barbara Kellerman; the two categories are unethical and ineffective leadership.

Unethical leadership

Violates moral norms.

Ineffective leadership

Fails to produce results.

Incompetent leadership

A failure to sustain effective action due to lack of skill, will, or both.

Rigid leadership

Competent but unwilling to adapt, even when flexibility is needed.

Intemperate leadership

Involves lack of self-control, often tolerated or enabled by followers.

Callous leadership

Disregards others' needs, creating a toxic, unsupportive environment.

Corrupt leadership

Puts self-interest above the common good, often involving bribery or theft.

Insular leadership

Protects in-group while ignoring outsiders, violating universal moral concern.

Evil leadership

Inflicts intentional harm, including psychological and physical damage.

Follower types in Kellerman's model

Bystanders, Participants, and Activists.

Bystander follower

Passive and disengaged; allows bad leadership to persist through inaction.

Participant follower

Actively supports or resists leaders, shaping direction and ethics of leadership.

Activist follower

Takes strong stances and mobilizes others, for or against the leader.

Hitler's ghost

A symbolic reminder of catastrophic unethical leadership and the necessity to study it.

Hitler's leadership

Illustrates both ethical and strategic failure; shows how charisma and power can be misused for evil ends despite short-term effectiveness.

Altruism

Selfless aid with no expectation of return; differs from pro-social behavior which may involve rewards or social pressure.

Social Intuitionist Model

Moral decisions are typically made through immediate intuition, followed by post hoc reasoning.

Hedonistic Paradox

People feel good by acting unselfishly, complicating the idea of 'true' altruism.

Types of altruism by Kanungo and Mendonca

Kin-based, reciprocal, group-selected, and genuine altruism.

Kin-based altruism

Helping relatives to increase the survival of shared genes.

Reciprocal altruism

Expects future benefit; differs from pure altruism which does not.

Group-selected altruism

Helping others in a group to benefit the collective, even at personal cost.

Moral courage

Defends values against social risk; differs from physical courage which faces bodily harm.

Distinction between intention and action in altruism

Motives determine whether an act is truly altruistic or self-serving.

Proponents of Ethical Egoism

Thomas Hobbes and Ayn Rand.

Descriptive ethical egoism

People act in self-interest.

Normative ethical egoism

People should act in self-interest.

Ethical egoism

A moral theory.

Psychological egoism

A descriptive psychological claim.

Major ethical criticism of ethical egoism

It can justify harmful actions if they serve one's own interests.

Ethical egoism as a subfield of ethics

It offers a normative framework for moral decision-making based on rational self-interest.

Ethic of Care creator

Carol Gilligan in the 1980s.

Ethic of Care challenge to traditional moral theories

It values relational empathy over abstract justice or rules.

Benevolence

Goodwill.

Beneficence

Actions that benefit others.

Gilligan's argument against women's ethics

Women prioritize relationships, not rules — a different, not inferior, moral lens.

Ethic of Care as a feminist ethic

It centers the moral voice and lived experience of women, historically marginalized.

Ethic of Care application to leadership

By fostering empathy-based decision-making and moral inclusion.

Conger's 3 stages of charismatic leadership

1. Evaluate environment, 2. Formulate vision, 3. Communicate and act with conviction.

Stage 1 behaviors in Conger's model

Environmental sensitivity, identifying deficiencies, and assessing opportunities.

Stage 2 of Conger's model

Leaders create and articulate an appealing, value-laden vision.

Stage 3 of Conger's model

Use of unconventional strategies, risk-taking, and personal example.

Conger-Kanungo model

It identifies behaviors (e.g., sensitivity, risk-taking, vision) that cultivate charisma over time.

Awestruck Effect

Followers become emotionally overwhelmed, reducing critical thinking.

Klein's Attribution Theory of charisma

Followers attribute charisma to leaders perceived as extraordinary in times of uncertainty.

Habituated followership

Overdependence on a leader reduces follower autonomy and initiative.

Toxic Triangle framework

A model explaining how destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments produce toxic outcomes.

Components of the Toxic Triangle

Destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments.

Toxic followers

Followers who enable destructive leadership either out of fear, loyalty, or gain.

Traits in the Dark Triad

Narcissism (self-obsession), Machiavellianism (manipulation), Psychopathy (lack of empathy).

Narcissism in toxic leaders

Through grandiosity, entitlement, and a need for admiration.

Machiavellianism

A manipulative, strategic mindset focused on personal gain at any cost.

Psychopathy in leadership

Lack of empathy, remorse, or guilt, often paired with bold, antisocial actions.

Kellerman's notion of the "lust for power"

An unrestrained desire for dominance that can corrupt leadership decisions.

Pathocracy

A system run by individuals with antisocial traits, where dysfunction becomes normalized.