Physician Leadership Journal
Toxic Followership and Leadership: The Hidden Threat to Organizational Success
This article explores toxic followership, its causes, and its negative impact on leaders and organizations, offering strategies to address manipulative behaviors and foster healthier workplace dynamics.
May/June 2026 Vol. 13, No. 3 pp. 30–31 DOI: 10.55834/plj.9571374799
Abstract
This article, the second in a two-part series on the topic of followership, examines toxic followership and its impact on organizational success, highlighting how manipulative and disruptive behaviors from followers undermine leaders and organizational goals. Factors such as poor leadership, dysfunctional culture, self-interest, insecurity, and personality traits like narcissism and psychopathy contribute to toxic followership, eroding trust and morale. The reciprocal relationship between toxic leadership and followership is explored, emphasizing their interconnected nature. Strategies for identifying and addressing toxicity, including open dialogue and reinforcing shared goals, are discussed to foster healthier workplace dynamics and improve organizational outcomes.
