Perspective Chapter: Toxic Leadership in Higher Education – What We Know, How It Is Handled

Abstract

The concept of toxic leadership has been widely addressed in management, with demonstrated effects over the performance and climate of an organization. Although in recent years work has been done to identify the main aspects of this type of harmful leadership in various areas, such as financial, military, and health environments, not much has been concluded in relation to its influence and impact in the educational area, especially in higher education. However, there are several authors who have worked to identify the main aspects that compromise those who are affected by it, concluding that toxic leadership does indeed exist in tertiary education, and due to its often hierarchical structure, it sometimes becomes difficult to make it visible enough to be able to implement enough measures to contain it. The main objective of this chapter was to review the main features literature offers about toxic leadership, focusing it on the higher education scenario. Likewise, it was also developed its impact on those who suffer from it and its incidence on motivation of teachers and students within the learning environment. Finally, it was delved into how university structure works in relation to management of human resources, investigating its impact on leadership.