Preventing and combating administrative narcissism Implications for professional programmes Eugenie A. Samier The British University in Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Terryl Atkins Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, Canada Abstract Purpose – The paper seeks to examine the problem of destructive narcissism as an aspect of the emotional dimension of educational administration. Positions of power and influence provide motive and opportunity for the damaging character of this personality disorder to negatively affect the work life of colleagues and sabotage organizational effectiveness, ranging in degree from mild annoyance to extreme disabling. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a model of narcissism composed of the typical profile and organisational expression in educational settings, drawing on narcissism theory. This includes the narcissist’s illegitimate sense of entitlement, inappropriate need for admiration and attention, lack of empathy, and projection of negative traits onto others that affect the politics and culture of schools and universities, including social interaction and work styles, that produces an objectified use of people. Findings – Four aspects of graduate professional programs are examined for the effects of destructive narcissistic pattern – student recruitment, curriculum, narcissistic professors, and research activities – and strategies recommended for dealing with this problem. Originality/value – The problem of narcissism in educational administration and leadership professional programmes is not addressed in the field. Keywords Emotional dissonance, Educational administration, Leadership Paper type Conceptual paper In the emotional life of an educational organisation many things can contribute to a destructive climate such as micro-politics, toxic cultures, abuse of power by administrators, and even the moral problem of administrative evil. One cause that has received considerable attention in management literature since the 1980s is that of destructive narcissist pattern (DNP), which in some cases is the root cause of a hostile organisational environment. This problem is not remote – if one is in a large enough organisation or has worked in a number of organisations, one is likely to have encountered a narcissist. The rate of psychopathy is estimated to be 1 percent of the population (Hare, 1993, p. 74). Figures for narcissism are much more difficult to determine since narcissists are not inclined to seek help or come to the attention of the criminal justice system, however, given the commonality that management writers ascribe to the condition, it would appear to be at least as frequent a personality disorder. As Kets de Vries (2003, p. 23) and others have noted: Narcissistic personalities [...] are frequently encountered in top management positions. Indeed, it is only to be expected that many narcissistic people, with their need for power, prestige, and glamour, eventually end up in leadership positions. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm Administrative 579 Journal of Educational Administration Vol. 48 No. 5, 2010 pp. 579-594 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0957-8234 DOI 10.1108/09578231011067749