Despite decades of research showing that bullying bosses harm the workplace, many managers continue to yell, berate, and belittle their employees. A new study published in the Journal of Management reveals a surprising reason why: some bosses actually believe their abusive behavior is effective—and even feel good about it afterward.
Joanna Lin, associate professor of management at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, led the study, which found that some supervisors see verbal abuse as a strategy to improve performance, not a sign of poor leadership. “They may ironically feel more engaged. They feel more valuable at work,” Lin said.
The research challenges earlier assumptions that toxic outbursts stem from stress or fatigue. Instead, it proposes a new explanation: in many cases, bullying at work is intentional, and some managers thrive on it.
When abuse feels like good leadership
Lin and her colleagues tracked hundreds of supervisors across industries, studying their behaviour over 15 consecutive workdays. They discovered that many bosses didn’t regret berating employees, instead, they justified their behaviour as necessary to enforce discipline or assert authority.
“Previous research assumes that leaders engage in these behaviors because they are depleted, because they didn’t get enough sleep,” Lin explained. “But our findings show that some bosses lash out to get workers in line and they often feel a sense of accomplishment afterward.”
One supervisor in the study said, “Some people just don’t know how to work hard and need to hear some harsh words to snap them out of being lazy.” Another said yelling was the only way to get an employee’s attention. These bosses saw themselves not as out of control, but as doing what was needed to lead effectively.
Experts not involved in the study welcomed its insights. “It’s novel and important,” said Adam Galinsky, a leadership professor at Columbia Business School. “These managers feel they’re acting the way a boss should act.”
Short-term results, long-term damage
While intimidation might lead to a brief spike in productivity, researchers warn the damage builds over time. “Punishment strategies are good in the short term and kind of bad in the long term,” said Rick Larrick, professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Fear-based tactics crush creativity, initiative, and morale—and ultimately drive talented workers out the door.
The persistence of this behaviour, experts say, is partly fueled by popular culture. From Steve Jobs to Gordon Ramsay to Donald Trump, many high-profile figures have made aggression look like a path to success. But, as Larrick noted, these exceptions are misleading. “Steve Jobs succeeded despite the fact that he beat up people,” he said. “You’re allowed to beat up people—as long as you’re as smart as Steve Jobs.”
The same rule doesn’t apply to ordinary bosses. Without world-changing ideas or championship rings to back them up, most abusive managers find their tactics backfire over time. Lin emphasized that the research should be a wake-up call for organizations: “We all know that it doesn’t work. It’s important for leaders to acknowledge that.”
And while most famous cases of toxic leadership involve men, Lin’s team found that gender is not a protective factor. “Anyone can engage in these behaviors,” she said. The toxic boss problem, it turns out, is not just widespread—but deeply misunderstood.