Abstract:

The aim of this study is to conceptualize toxic leadership and the toxic organizational environment in order to create a conceptual framework for the dark side of leadership. In the context of this study, the concepts of toxic leadership, toxic employees and toxic organization are discussed and the effects of toxic leadership on the organization and the employees in the organization are revealed. Within the scope of the research, a critical narrative technique was used by considering the common and different aspects of the studies on toxic leadership. With this study, toxic leadership, which is one of the adverse leadership characteristics, was compared with other types of adverse leadership, and how toxic leadership shaped the organizational structure in its environment was revealed. The main contribution of the study to the literature is to emphasize the dark side of leadership, contrary to the general literature that affirms leadership, and to present the conceptual framework created based on the knowledge in the existing literature to the use of both the academic community and the practitioners.

Keywords: