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Podcast: Leadership Article Review Podcast
Episode: When One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch: How Leaders Can Prevent Employee Toxicity from Spreading, by Jonathan H. Westover PhD
Description:
Abstract: This article examines how a single toxic employee can undermine an entire team's culture and performance, and why organizational leaders often hesitate to address such problems despite their damaging consequences. Drawing on research demonstrating how negative behaviors spread through social influence and conformity pressures, the authors outline the serious ramifications of inaction: decreased productivity, fractured communication, increased turnover, and potential legal risks. The article identifies common barriers to managerial intervention—including conflict avoidance, inadequate training, favoritism, legal concerns, and misplaced optimism—before presenting evidence-based strategies for effectively addressing problematic behaviors before they contaminate the broader workplace environment. Through a pr...