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The Promotion Myth: Why Companies Actually Promote Deceitful People
A German study of 8,500 individuals reveals a troubling trend: manipulative tactics often correlate with rising into management positions.
Organisational research increasingly suggests that the path to the top of the corporate ladder may favour those who can navigate office politics through strategic manipulation. This episode examines the data behind the phenomenon, questioning whether current promotion processes inadvertently select for these specific traits rather than leadership capability.
We break down the findings from the German panel of 8,500 records to understand how these behaviours influence career progression. By looking at how these dynamics operate in practice, we identify the measurable gap between effective management and the calculated use of workplace manipulation to secure advancement.
Subscribe for weekly organisational psychology breakdowns, and let me know in the comments: have you observed a correlation between manipulative behaviour and promotion in your own workplace?
š Full research article: www.keca.co.uk/articles/who-gets-to-say-what-you-are
/ Official Transcript
Full Video Text
Most people assume the calculating ones get weeded out somewhere on the way up. A German panel study of 8,500 records found the opposite. The higher somebody scored on manipulating, deceiving and flattering to get their way, the more likely they were to be managing other people. It rose steadily all the way up the scale.
It did not level up at some respectable point. So what is the promotion actually selecting for? Thank you. Thank you.