A method for measuring destructive leadership and identifying types of destructive leaders in organizations

This study describes the development of a measure of the nature of destructive leadership in organizations. We then use scales developed from that measure in a cluster analysis to empirically derive a behavior-based taxonomy of destructive leaders. Data were obtained through a web-based survey that generated 707 respondents. Based on follower perceptions, the results identified seven types of destructive leaders using behavior-focused scales. An interesting discovery was that most of the types of destructive leaders identified were not “all destructive” but rather perceived as extreme on just one or two characteristics.