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Exploring the Toxic Triangle: The relationship between workplace toxicity and oppression

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August 17, 2024


Workplace toxicity is a pervasive issue that not only affects employee well-being and productivity but also serves as a breeding ground for racism and other forms of oppression. In this blog, we will delve into the concept of the toxic triangle, exploring its impact on all employees and how it perpetuates racism and oppression within the workplace.

The Toxic Triangle

The toxic triangle is a conceptual framework that elucidates the interplay between toxic work environments (policies, practices, and culture), toxic subordinates, and toxic leadership. This model demonstrations how workplace toxicity is not solely a result of individual behaviors, but is influenced by the dynamic interactions between leaders, followers, and the overall organizational culture.1–4 The toxic triangle serves as a lens through which we can understand the multifaceted nature of workplace toxicity and its implications for employee well-being and organizational dynamics.

Symptoms of Workplace Toxicity

  1. Biased Decision Making: Toxic organizations allow or even promote biased decision-making processes, unequal treatment, and favoritism.1,2 

  2. No Recourse for Toxic Behaviors: Toxic organizations fail to provide employees with the necessary policies and practices to hold toxic leaders and colleagues accountable.5,6 

  3. Lower Employee Productivity: Toxic leadership and organizational culture have detrimental effects on employee productivity, leading to increased levels of anxiety and reduced job satisfaction.7 

  4. Unhealthy Organizational Culture: Toxic leadership and organizational culture influence the acceptance and normalization of unproductive, discriminatory behaviors.8,9,10,11

  5. Decreased Employee Autonomy & Well-Being: Toxic leaders, employees, and organizational culture lead to reduced autonomy, feelings of helplessness, and reduced mental and emotional well-being.11

  6. Tolerance of Toxic Behavior: The tolerance of toxic behavior by organizational leaders and the lack of policies.9 

Impact on All Employees

The toxic triangle has a profound impact on all employees within the organization, regardless of their position or background. The symptoms of workplace toxicity create an environment where employees experience elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and fear. This can lead to reduced job satisfaction, decreased productivity, and a negative work environment.2 Moreover, toxic environments perpetuate a culture of negativity, where employees may adopt negative attitudes, engage in gossip, and exhibit other toxic behaviors.12

Perpetuation of Racism and Oppression

The toxic triangle perpetuates racism and other forms of oppression by creating an environment where discriminatory practices are tolerated and even normalized.13 When leaders engage in unethical behavior, microaggressions, or favoritism, it signals to their subordinates what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior within the organization. This can lead to the adoption of discriminatory attitudes and behaviors by employees or the experience of elevated levels of stress. Additionally, toxic environments can lead to a culture of fear and intimidation, where employees who are targets of racism and oppression feel marginalized and excluded. The lack of accountability through policies and practices to protect employees creates workplaces conducive to toxic leaders and colleagues.

Addressing the Toxic Triangle

To address the toxic triangle, leaders must receive continuous leadership development and evaluation, employees need to be vetted for values alignment and receive ongoing professional development, and everyone needs to be held accountable via documented policies and consistent practices. By employing researched leadership practices and behaviors, leaders can foster a healthy work environment and mitigate the perpetuation of racism and oppression that is enabled by corrupt, biased, or other toxic behaviors. Addressing all three parts of the toxic triangle can help employees feel safe, heard, and become more innovative and loyal to the organization.

Summary

The toxic triangle, encompassing toxic work environments, toxic subordinates, and toxic leadership, has far-reaching implications for employee well-being, organizational culture, and the perpetuation of racism and oppression. By understanding the symptoms of workplace toxicity and its impact on all employees, organizations can work towards creating healthier work environments and mitigating the effects of racism and oppression within the workplace.

By shedding light on the toxic triangle and its implications, we can take proactive steps to address workplace toxicity and foster inclusive, respectful, and resilient workplaces for all employees.

Sources: 

  1. Atmadja, T. (2019). Workplace Toxicity, Leadership Behaviors, and Leadership Strategies (R. Schuttler (ed.)) [Walden University]. https://link.ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/workplace-toxicity-leadership-behaviors/docview/2201200130/se-2

  2. Atmadja, T. S. (2022). Strategies for leadership and workplace toxicity. In admin369.seyboldreport.org. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.7059411

  3. Küskü, F., Aracı, Ö., & Özbilgin, M. F. (2021). What happens to diversity at work in the context of a toxic triangle? Accounting for the gap between discourses and practices of diversity management. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(2), 553–574.

  4. Stoten, D. (2015). Virtue ethics and toxic leadership: Tackling the toxic triangle. Education Today, 65(1), 3–6.

  5. Padilla, A., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, R. B. (2007). The toxic triangle: Destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(3), 176–194.

  6. Watt, S. R., Javidi, M., & Normore, A. H. (2016). Increasing Darkness: Combining Toxic Leadership and Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA). In The Dark Side of Leadership: Identifying and Overcoming Unethical Practice in Organizations (Vol. 26, pp. 195–206). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

  7. Rohayati, T. (2022). Workplace Toxicity and Leadership Strategies. mBio, 17(4), 761–786.

  8. Gordon, S., Jolly, P., Self, T., & Shi, X. (2021). Is subtle toxicity worse for racial-ethnic minority employees? The impact of coworker incivility on employee well-being. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 1–22.

  9. Appelbaum, S. H., & Roy‐Girard, D. (2007). Toxins in the workplace: affect on organizations and employees. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 7(1), 17–28.

  10. Florczak, D. (2022). Liability for Toxic Workplace Cultures. U. Mich. JL Reform, 56, 247.

  11. Koropets, O. (2019). Toxic workplace: Problem description and search for management solutions. Proceedings of the 15th European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance, 505–508.

  12. Purushothaman, D., & Rein, V. (2023). Workplace Toxicity Is Not Just a Mental Health Issue. MIT Sloan Management Review; Cambridge, 64(2), 1–5.

  13. Kamalnath, A. (2021). Social Movements, Diversity, and Corporate Short-Termism. Geo. J. Gender & L., 23, 449.

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