Aggressive Leadership and the Effects on the Employee
The manner in which leaders communicate with employees is an essential topic for organizations to recognize. Communication approaches that leaders apply towards junior employees vary in style, tone, and delivery. The literature review for this research will examine aggressive communication approaches that leaders utilize towards subordinate employees and the effect they have on the organization. The aim of this research is to gain an empirical insight to implications of the inter- and intra-personal relationships within the workplace.

Aggressive communication according to Infante (1995) refers to the involvement of one individual (sender) applying force to influence another individual (receiver). In addition, abusive supervision is viewed as a significant source of psychological distress according to Restubog, Scott, and Zagenczyk (2011). The mode of communicative aggression varies from one person to another and is considered a behavioral script based on previous encounters in their lifetime. The interpretational and behavioral scripts a person brings to social situations influences that person’s preparedness for aggression (Huesmann, 1988).

Communication is displayed through verbal and non-verbal means and is requisite in organizations where two or more employees have to interface either in person or remote from each other. Aggressive communication utilized by leadership breaks down the ability for the healthy ebb and flow of conversation to yield productive internal and external responses from the employee. Infante, Myers, and Buerkel 1994 state, “while it is commonplace in work groups for members to disagree and comment upon others' ideas, people who are highly verbally aggressive focus their criticisms on an individual's self-concept and not on the idea(s) others present” (pg. 76). This suppression has a negative effect on the employee’s desire to further contribute because as Kraus (1997) states, the likely result is a decrease in a high prospects of (an employee) emerging as a leader.

Mellinger (1955) explored the effect of distrust on communication and found that if the sender does not trust the receipt, then he or she is likely to initiate evasive, compliant, or aggressive communication. Trust is a fundamental part of any relationship. However, lack of trust can also translate to feelings of threat of power. Even if the recipient is in a lower position within the organization, if the sender feels that his or her position of dominance is threatened, aggressive approaches may ensue as a way for dominance to be recognized. This type of behavior, as studied by Sapolsky (2005) is also observed within primate social groups where “dominant individuals have to repeatedly and physically reassert their rank” (pg. 648).

Challenging a leader’s use of power can pose a threat to the leader, thus an aggressive leader may respond to the challenge in an oppressive manner. Burris (2012) notes if an employee responds in a manner that ignites an aggressive reaction within the leader, “(The) manager may view (the) challenging voice as disrupting the execution of their tasks and being uncommitted to broader organizational goals” (pg. 853). As a result, the employee’s trust factor towards leadership, and the employee’s will to thrive, flourish, and potentially move up within the organization is diminished due to the experience of aggressive communication from leadership.
When trust is occurring within the relationship, employees feel compelled to respond verbally and socially in a positively reciprocated manner. Chory and Hubbell (2008) explored the relationships between managerial trust and employee antisocial organizational behavior and communication. Their study revealed that the subordinates are less likely to communicate negatively and exhibit antisocial organizational behavior if they trust their managers and believe that their performance appraisal is fair assessment.

Recognition From Authority
Exposure to abusive supervision results in subordinates' unwillingness to "go the extra mile" to perform behaviors that benefit their organizations and themselves (e.g., Zellars et al., 2002), which may involve advancing creative ideas and solutions that improve organizational effectiveness. This behavior also includes the desire to feel recognized, which is a response to attachment with those that adults look up to, which can be traced back to the earliest stages of life as Bar-Yam Hassan & Bar-Yam (1994) have found:
Without adequate responsiveness the infant withdraws. Lack of acceptance in the toddler years leads to fear of abandonment. During the preschool years, inadequate or inappropriate attention results in egocentric disregard. Lacking adequate experiences of approval, the school child remains self-insistent and self-centered. Without adequate affiliation, the young adolescent suffers from the devastating effects of exclusion. Failing to experience belongingness, the older adolescent suffers from a sense of alienation. Without experiences of intimacy, the young adult is left with a sense of isolation and loneliness. Lacking experiences of reciprocity, the middle-aged adult becomes interpersonally impoverished and constricted. (pg. 124)
Even through adulthood, humans yearn to be accepted by others. That drive extends into the workplace, where hierarchical systems of power may drive employees to work harder for acceptance and approval. The intrinsic need to be recognized is a requisite to workplace performance.

Effects on the Employee’s Productivity
Abusive supervision reduces employees' enjoyment of their jobs, thereby causing diminished intrinsic motivation towards their jobs. In such a distressed psychological state, abused employees may have little chance of developing interest in their work, so their intrinsic motivation declines substantially (Deci & Ryan, 2008). When the essence of recognition of accomplishments is suppressed and a leader uses their platform of power to decry others below themselves, the employee’s perception of his or her abilities wanes. Abused employees often suffer from depression, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion, and they tend to alienate themselves from their jobs (Aryee et al., 2007).

In addition to the above negative feelings, other internal and more intense health concerns should be addressed, according to Colligan and Higgins (2006). They identified workplace stress as being associated with the etiology of physical disorders such as heart disease, hypoadrenia, immunosuppression, and chronic pain. In addition, the psychological impact of workplace stress includes depression, persistent anxiety, pessimism, and resentment. If constantly barraged with negativity on a regular basis, an employee that has suffered from abusive supervision, feels unsatisfied with their job and desires to quit (Tepper, 2000). Over time, they learn to oppress their true opinions and ideas to leadership for fear of rejection.

In a study found in the Journal of Management, a team of researchers from New York University (Hewlin, Milliken, & Morrison, 2012) queried to learn more about the reasons why employees don’t communicate upward. Interviews were conducted with employees who were the recipients of aggressive leadership. One respondent indicated,
“I raised a concern about some policies and I was told to shut up and that I was becoming a troublemaker. I would have pursued [the issue] further but presently I can’t afford to risk my job. This has made me go into a detached mode, making me a ‘yes man’.” (pg. 3)
This commonly occurs within organizations where leadership uses their role of power to suppress others, thus deteriorating trust. Employees are often disinclined to share information that could be translated as negative or threatening to those above them in an organizational hierarchy (Roberts & O’Reilly, 1974; Ryan & Oestreich, 1991). This hesitation to speak up, and the silence or information withholding has the potential to undermine organizational decision making and error-correction and to damage employee trust and morale (Argyris & Schon, 1986; Beer & Eisenstat, 2000; Janis, 1982; Morrison & Milliken, 2000; Tamuz, 2001).

Effects of Public Leadership Aggressiveness
When team members encounter abuse by leaders, in the form of public criticism, derogating comments, loud and angry tantrums, rudeness, inconsiderate actions, and coercion, they are apt to feel belittled, humiliated, and undermined as to their reputation in the workplace (Keashly & Harvey, 2005). Public displays of disapproval may undermine the integrity of a leader in the eyes of the employee, but can send out a message of intimidation to onlookers. This can give way to the notion that others of less authority should not stray off the path of the leader’s expectations.

Effects on the Organization
Lack of support, as found by Lotz and Donald (2006) exhibited by leadership towards employees can fuel career uncertainty, concern about financial security, alienation, lack of co-worker trust, dissatisfaction, and lower productivity and performance. When this occurs, it sends an unstable signal outwards to subordinate employees and/or into the community. Support is a needed system in order for an organization to function in a healthy manner. However, some leaders use non-supportive tactics in a power-mongering way in order to suppress others and hold power close. This has occurred at the highest ranks of organizations and governments. An aggressive approach may unfortunately enhance a leader's power and longevity, as when dictators control the media, weaken countervailing social institutions, use the military to suppress dissidence (Fidel Castro), or when corporate leaders use manipulative tactics to cover up the lies and deceit that the company is built on (Bernie Madoff) for personal gain. As a result, the people who are below the leader may feel oppressed to stand against the wrongdoing for fear of the leader retaliating.

This review is uncovering organizational destructiveness which affects the quality of life for employees and citizens, and jeopardizes an organization's purposes (Hogan & Kaiser, 2005) Abusive supervision also leads subordinates to doubt whether organizations respect their contributions and whether their jobs are meaningful to their own and organizations' development (Rafferty & Restubog, 2011). An employee that believes through positive reinforcement, that they are active and effective contributors within the organization, feels valued. They are more likely to also permeate that attitude outwards, where it is felt by others and emulated. The same premise applies to leaders. A study conducted by Mathur & Mathur (2012) found that “A positive attitude at top becomes infectious and permeates downwards into rest of the employees.” Human attitudes are duplicated, especially when the attitude is exhibited by someone of influence that can motivate others through their words and/or actions. Motivation, according to Schnake (2007) is either positively or negatively affected by the experience an employee has within a given work environment and with his or her leaders. Depending on an employee’s previous working relationship with previous leaders, employees may take their perceptions of how a leader operates, into their next work assignment. The more negative experiences an employee encounters with leaders, the more that behavior is reinforced to be expected. Behavioral acts are the building blocks of traits, and the stronger an individual’s propensity toward a trait, the more frequently and intensely the individual enacts a corresponding set of behaviors (Fleeson, 2001).

The modus of aggressive and ineffective communication utilized by leadership within the workplace and the responses that are triggered have a ripple effect outward. Ahmed, et al (2010) found that ineffective communication or a breakdown in the delivery of information often translates into a negative relationship between the supervisor and employee, which in turn, leads to a possible loss of profits and/or the stagnation of growth. How a leaders chooses to treat the employees has shown to have an effect on the company’s bottom line, which has also contributed to legal settlements for workplace harassment. Organizations have been ordered to pay individuals monetary damages in lost wages, along with hundreds of thousands in penalties. According to a report by Namie & Namie (2004), an Ontario Supreme Court judge ruled in 2002 that an employee working for a winery was treated by his boss in a way that was "hostile, aggressive, profane, demeaning and intimidating." The judge awarded the employee a year's salary of $75,000, as well as a nearly $20,000 in damages. On a larger scale, a judge ordered Honda Canada to pay $1.2 million to an employee the company had treated unjustly and fired. The sum comprised lost wages, a $500,000 penalty, and the plaintiff's legal bill of more than $600,000. These cases not only affected the bottom line of the company, but also the brand of the company in the eyes of their public consumers and shareholders.

In conclusion, if left allowed and unchecked, aggressive behavior can create a poisonous work environment that only becomes more toxic over time. Workplace stress places significant psychological, physiological, and financial costs on both the individual employee and the organization. It is the responsibility of institutions of learning to teach about the detriments of aggressive leadership tactics. In addition, organizational department heads must be responsible to promote and role model non-aggressive techniques, as well as recognize and initiate a mentoring relationship as a form of coaching with leadership personnel who use aggressive as a form of power or communication towards employees. Lastly, it is the personal and professional responsibility of an employee to expect fair, ethical, and respectful treatment for themself and their professional colleagues. By demanding a standard for leaders to be held accountable for their actions, employees will find significant improvement their job role and an improved workplace dynamic.

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