How to identify and deal with narcissists at work

Narcissism is a term that is banded around a lot, but what does a true narcissist actually look like?

A narcissist is someone who has delusions of grandeur, a constant need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. Narcissistic individuals often have an exaggerated sense of self-importance, believe they are special or unique, and expect to be recognized as superior to others without reason. They may exploit others to achieve their own goals, lack insight into their own behaviour, and react badly when criticized or challenged.

What is an office narcissist?

Narcissists can be toxic within a workplace and as such recognising these behaviours can help to avoid further issues arising. In a 2022 study for the NHRD Journal, (Palo & Subramanian), participants were asked about narcissism in the workplace and how successful narcissists were, their responses were very interesting:

“If the organisation is tolerant and encourages narcissistic behaviours, then those behaviours get reinforced. In meetings or in large groups narcissistic expressions are a reflection of being given the permission or license to display such behaviours and indicates encouragement.”

“Narcissism is rampant in organisations. Many a times, it is fed by the organisation culture that focuses too much on results regardless of its impact on employees’ wellbeing.”

“Narcissists are successful in a few cases as they are visionaries and very well conversant with how to get work done. However, you cannot run an organisation successfully if it is bursting with narcissists.”

How to confront a narcissist

Narcissism, in its true form, is a personality disorder and as such whilst the individual can not necessarily control their behaviour, it is worth knowing how best to handle or deal with such individuals. The study above and other research into narcissism suggest the following ways to combat the behaviours of a narcissist:

• Call out behaviour – do not allow narcissistic behaviours to continue but address the issues with empathy. Be sure not to make the individual feel attacked.
• Do not allow narcissists to dominate or control situations such as meetings or group projects. Ensure a team leader is effective and able to respond to such behaviour.
• Offer praise and work to the individual’s talents and strengths but avoid placing them in a position of leadership when in group situations.
• If a narcissistic individual is unable to be part of a team without causing conflict, consider a specialist or individual role that plays to their strengths.

It is interesting to note that within the study detailed above, narcissistic leaders were considered to be effective during times of crises, however in nurturing and building relationships within a team, this was where they struggle. There are many studies that suggest that many senior executives have narcissistic tendencies and that it is these tendencies that have got them to senior roles. However, these individuals are only as good as the team they surround themselves with (although they would not necessarily admit that).

A Harvard study found that the prevalence of narcissism within senior executives was not as prevalent as media would suggest and in fact the majority of CEO’s that participated within the research did not many narcissistic traits at all as can be seen in the table below, the basis is a scoring of 1-7 based on a short version of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory test with 1 being low narcissism and 7 being high.

Are you a secret narcissist?

Whilst many people have some of the traits that can be classed as narcissistic, this does not mean that they are all narcissists. Narcissism, like many things, can be considered a spectrum. However, it is worth knowing how to address these behaviours when they present themselves.

Should you wish to see how you may score on the NPI, a short version can be seen below with the narcissistic responses in bold.