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Harvey A. Hornstein. Brutal Bosses and Their Prey. New York: Riverhead Books (G.P Putnam's Sons), 1996, 172 pages, $19.95.
Reviewed by Lynn K Harland, Associate Professor, Management Department, University of Nebraska at Omaha.
From the cover showing three employees squashed like bugs under their boss's black wing tip shoes, to the numerous examples of malevolent bosses abusing their employees, Hornstein pulls no punches in this book on brutal bosses and their prey. Hornstein sets forth two primary objectives for this book, first to examine the causes and effects of abuse by brutal bosses, and second, to evaluate the effectiveness of various potential solutions to the problem of brutal bosses.
Based upon his contention that approximately 90% of workers have experienced at least one abusive boss during their working careers, Hornstein holds that brutal bosses are a widespread problem, not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of negative outcomes for both individuals and organizations (e.g., decreased morale, productivity, and quality, and increased absenteeism, turnover, stress, and health problems). Hornstein does make a clear distinction between brutal bosses and tough bosses. He argues that a boss can be tough and demanding without being brutal. Tough bosses, says Hornstein, will engender few of the significant negative effects associated with true abusiveness.
Although acknowledging that some bosses are brutal simply because they enjoy it (he labels such bosses as either conquerors, performers, or manipulators), Hornstein argues that almost anyone has the potential to become a brutal boss under the right circumstances. He also believes that these "right circumstances" are becoming increasingly common in organizations (due to increased pressures on bosses from actions such as downsizing, rewards based on short-term bottom-line results, and downward commands to empower...