Mar 14, 2020 12:00:00

Do you become a person lacking compassion and empathy when you have power?

Many subordinates at companies and organizations are frustrated with their bosses and leaders, and some complain that their boss does not have the ability to compassion and understand others.

Suzanne Ross , a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University , explains why bosses and leaders often seem to lack empathy.

Think you'll make a great boss? Research shows that power can corrupt
https://theconversation.com/think-youll-make-a-great-boss-research-shows-that-power-can-corrupt-131584

For the leaders of companies and organizations that have powerful power and sometimes also affect politics, there is a persistent concern that `` if power is used unethically, it can cause irreparable problems '' To do. Ross calls for a decentralized and ethical approach to curbing leadership. For example, organizations tend to want to operate an organization with multiple leaders of varying powers, rather than being run by a small number of leaders with strong powers. The hurdles of honesty, humility, fairness, empathy, intelligence and responsibility are also rising.

Nevertheless, sometimes leaders make ethically problematic decisions, which can have serious consequences for employees and society as a whole. There is also the idea that 'having power does not change a person, but having power reveals the nature of the person.' However, the relationship between power and morality is complex, and some research has It says that 'the magnitude of power changes human behavior'.

For example, in experiments performed in the 2019

study , people who follow more subordinates are less likely to adopt moral ideas and consider others' happiness than those who have less subordinates. Was shown. Also, in a study investigating the relationship between power and the phenomenon of `` motor resonance '', in which the brain activity of a person who took a certain action and the person who saw the action was similar, a person with strong power determined a weak power. It has been found that the degree of motor resonance is weaker than those who have it.

While the results show that morality and empathy are lost by having power, research results also show that the moral identity of individuals affects the behavior when they have power. There is. Use power ethically if you balance the 'authority and influence' gained by becoming a leader with your 'attitudes such as empathy, honesty and humility'. It is also possible.

`` Why some people lack empathy, '' said

Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychopathology at Cambridge University, who studies the link between empathy and cruelty to others. Will they behave immorally? ' As a result, when some factors such as beliefs, experiences, goals, and emotions overlap, people turned off empathy for others and pursued their own interests.

Based on Baron-Cohen's belief, Ross said, 'As leaders need to focus on achieving and achieving goals and focusing on financial performance, increasing levels of stress will increase conscience. Even those who do have the potential to lose empathy. ' When they are in a position where they are strongly required to produce results, they tend to be unable to consider the people around them and tend to behave without empathy.

In recent years, with the emergence of technology companies with huge power, the eyes of leaders on ethics, morals, and empathy have become severe. However, the behavior of a leader affects not only his or her own qualities, but also what is required of the leader, and in some cases, `` subordinates overlook leaders' unethical behavior for their own benefit. '' And that. 'Sure, power can be corrupt, but if we want to create truly empathetic leaders, we all have to take our actions off,' said Ross. Said.