Dark Sides of Organizational Life

<p>Exploring the darkest side of organizations may have a potential to change our previous assumptions about business life. Scholars both in management and organizational research fields have shown interest in the bright side of behavioral life and have looked for the ways to create a positive organizational climate and assumed a positive relation between happiness of employees and productivity. These main assumptions of the Human Relations School have dominated the scientific inquiry on organizational behavior. However the dark side of organizational life may have more explanatory power than the bright side. Hostility jealousy envy rivalry gossip problematic personalities dislike revenge and social exclusion are the realities of business life. 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. This edited collection specifically focuses on these issues and will be of interest to researchers academics and advanced students in the fields of management organizational studies and behavior sociology social psychology and human resource management.</p>