Chances are in your career, you’ve had at least one boss who was a jerk.
However, what’s the difference between an abusive boss and a “master motivator”?
Researchers at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business and Providence College School of Business looked into it, and discovered the difference between the two in the eyes of their employees comes down to one thing: Results.
Their findings, published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, noted employees were more likely to label their bosses as demonstrating “tough love” and not “abuse” as long as they’re perceived to be competent, and if their methods get results.
As the researchers put it, the bosses’ high performance “insulates” them from criticism about their methods — even if they might be seen as abusive if they didn’t see any success.
They explain “in instances where abusive supervision occurs, and the leader achieves high performance, followers will be inclined to label him/her as a ‘tough love’ boss” — instead of an abusive jerk, even if technically they are one.
Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.