The Dark Side of Organizational Behavior: Examining Undesirable Aspects of Organizational Life

The Dark Side of Organizational Behavior aims to gather all the micro- and meso-level topics about the dark side of organizations that may guide management practitioners, researchers, and students.

The history before the modern human civilization is full of multiple types of conflicts, wars, struggles and violence. Modernization project has constructed a desired reality of human being and has somehow concealed the dark side of human interactions. Through this outlook, this book explores the realities of the dark side of organizations and how these realities may have the potential to change previous assumptions about business life. The field of organizational behavior is dominated by the positive aspects of the business life, but conflict, war, struggle, and violence have always been a part of history. It is not possible to isolate organizational participants from negative emotions like hostility, dislike, hate, jealousy, rage and revenge. A manager may devote most of their time to cope with conflicts, deviant behaviors, ambitious individuals, gossips and dysfunctional rivalry among employees. It is evident that negative events and interactions among employees cost more time and energy for a manager than the positive side of organizational life. Therefore, exploring the realities of the dark side of organizations may have the potential to change previous assumptions about business life.

This book will be of interest to researchers, academics, practitioners, and advanced students in the fields of organizational studies and behavior, human resource management, employment relations, and organizational psychology.

H. Cenk Sözen, Ph.D., is Professor of Management within the Department of Management at Başkent University in Ankara, Turkey.

H. Nejat Basım, Ph.D., is Professor of Management within the Department of Management at Başkent University in Ankara, Turkey.