Why 'kissing up and kicking down' fails in modern workplaces
Workplace strategies involving flattering superiors while mistreating subordinates often lead to long-term career damage and poor team productivity.
The failure of hierarchical manipulation
Traditional office politics often reward employees who focus exclusively on upward management. This behaviour, commonly described as 'kissing up and kicking down', involves cultivating excessive favour with executives while exerting undue pressure or disrespect on junior staff members.
While such tactics might yield short-term gains in visibility or promotions, modern organisational psychology suggests these behaviours create significant structural risks. When leadership relies on sycophantic feedback, they lose access to the ground-level reality of their operations.
Impact on organisational culture
The repercussions of this management style extend beyond individual interpersonal friction. It fundamentally alters the cultural fabric of a business in several measurable ways:
- Reduced psychological safety: Employees who witness subordinates being mistreated feel less secure in reporting errors or suggesting innovations.
- Increased turnover: High-performing junior staff are more likely to exit organisations where they feel undervalued or unfairly targeted.
- Information silos: When staff focus on managing perceptions rather than delivering results, critical data often fails to reach decision-makers.
The rise of emotional intelligence in leadership
Contemporary Australian workplaces are increasingly prioritising emotional intelligence (EQ) over traditional command-and-control structures. Companies are now implementing 360-degree feedback loops to prevent upward-only assessments from masking toxic behaviour.
A 360-degree review process allows subordinates to provide anonymous feedback on their managers. This ensures that an individual's ability to lead downwards is weighted equally with their ability to manage upwards, providing a more accurate metric of true leadership capability.
Ultimately, sustainable career growth depends on building lateral and downward respect. Leaders who cultivate a reputation for fairness and competence across all levels of the hierarchy tend to build more resilient and productive teams than those who rely on political manoeuvring.
