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Abstract
This study investigates the lived experiences of individuals who have been subjected to toxic leadership to elucidate its complex and extensive impact on the lives of subordinates. The primary focus was on survivors who navigated the challenges posed by toxic leadership and its detrimental consequences. Employing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the researchers conducted an in-depth examination of the experiences of five participants, emphasizing depth and nuance over breadth. Through the analysis, six key themes emerged: excessive workload, breakdown of trust, personal sacrifices, psychological effects, emotional spillover, and expectations imposed by managers on employees. Collectively, these themes offer a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the profound disruptions that toxic leadership can inflict on subordinates' professional and personal lives.
Keywords
toxic leadership, lived experiences, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, trust, spill over, hotel employees
Publication Date
2-15-2026
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.46743/2160-3715/2026.7722
Recommended APA Citation
Bhattacharya, S., & Sharma, P. (2026). “I deserve better” – The lived experience of toxic leadership among IT employees. The Qualitative Report, 31(2), 5130-5149. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2026.7722
ORCID ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4662-1174
Included in
Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Statistics Commons
