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Corporate Psychopathy: Can ‘Search and Destroy’ and ‘Hearts and Minds’ Military Metaphors Inspire HRM Solutions?

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Listed:
  • Alasdair Marshall
  • Melanie Ashleigh
  • Denise Baden
  • Udechukwu Ojiako
  • Marco Guidi

Abstract

Corporate psychopathy (CP) thrives perhaps as the most significant threat to ethical corporate behaviour around the world. We argue that Human Resources Management (HRM) professionals should formulate strategic solutions metaphorically by balancing what strategic military planners famously call ‘Search and Destroy’ (SD) and ‘Hearts and Minds’ (HM) counter-terrorist strategy. We argue that these military metaphors offer creative inspiration to help academics and practitioners theorise CP in richer, more reflective and more balanced and complementary ways. An appreciation of both metaphors is likely to favour the use of hybrid strategies comprising SD and HM elements, which may provide the best HRM solutions to CP for the same reasons as the military now considers parallel hybrid solutions optimal for combating terrorist and guerrilla insurgency. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Alasdair Marshall & Melanie Ashleigh & Denise Baden & Udechukwu Ojiako & Marco Guidi, 2015. "Corporate Psychopathy: Can ‘Search and Destroy’ and ‘Hearts and Minds’ Military Metaphors Inspire HRM Solutions?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 495-504, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:128:y:2015:i:3:p:495-504
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2117-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Clive R. Boddy, 2017. "Psychopathic Leadership A Case Study of a Corporate Psychopath CEO," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 141-156, September.
    2. Charlice Hurst & Lauren Simon & Yongsuhk Jung & Dante Pirouz, 2019. "Are “Bad” Employees Happier Under Bad Bosses? Differing Effects of Abusive Supervision on Low and High Primary Psychopathy Employees," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(4), pages 1149-1164, September.
    3. Bryan Neo & Martin Sellbom & Sarah F. Smith & Scott O. Lilienfeld, 2018. "Of Boldness and Badness: Insights into Workplace Malfeasance from a Triarchic Psychopathy Model Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 187-205, April.

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