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Enter the Psychopath, Stage Left
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Over the years, we were able to collect more information on how
some of these individuals—industrial or corporate psychopaths—
interacted with coworkers and management over extended periods.
Gradually, a consistent pattern emerged, a pattern eerily similar to
the parasitic lifestyle described in chapter 3. Based on all our observations,
it is now clear that a small number of individuals with psychopathic
personality features can be found in some business
organizations. Some highly motivated individuals with psychopathic
personalities (as assessed by the Hare PCL-R or PCL: SV) were able
to enter an organization, evaluate strengths and weaknesses in its culture
(processes, communication networks, corporate politics), use
and abuse coworkers, “deal with” opposition, and climb the corporate
ladder. How they did it, and more important, why they were so
successful, took a number of studies and a bit of time to fully understand
and answer. When cases were compared side by side, some
similarities were noted, with almost every industrial or corporate psychopath
following a similar career progression. These individuals
were able to enter the corporation, adapt to its culture, and manipulate
coworkers and executives, as described in detail below and in the
next chapter.
Entering the Corporation
The initial challenge for any psychopath trying to join a company is,
of course, to be hired. Like psychopaths who easily enter people’s
personal lives, corporate psychopaths are able to join organizations
more easily than one might expect. This is because the standard techniques
used to screen out underqualified individuals are well known
and little match for the psychopath’s lying and manipulative skills.
The typical selection process involves reviewing the résumés of
job candidates for the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes
needed to do a good job. On the surface, the process seems quite
straightforward, but it involves a lot of planning and effort and is not
foolproof. For midlevel and lower-level jobs, lists of requirements