NARCISSISTIC ATTITUDES AMONG MANAGERS BUILDING A PERSONAL BRAND.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to increase knowledge of managers' evaluation of the phenomenon of narcissism in contemporary organisations and their identification of both narcissistic manifestations among individuals managing organisations and personal branding activities of narcissistic nature. Design/methodology/approach: The study was of a partial, ad hoc nature, and it was conducted in the form of a diagnostic poll, based on a self-constructed survey questionnaire. Findings: The vast majority of managers surveyed agree that the internet and new media have reinforced the narcissistic traits of many individuals, inducing an eruption of egocentric behaviour in society, and that the human personality has become a commodity with a certain market value. More than 40 per cent felt that in companies, managers surround themselves with uncritical or dependent 'claqueurs' who uphold their idealised self-image, and that it is mainly those who are "glamorous" yet not necessarily effective in achieving business goals who get promoted. The most questionable statement for them was that in the company there is an organisational culture being shaped that emphasises norms and values which eliminate narcissistic attitudes and behaviours among employees. The main manifestations of narcissistic attitudes of organisational managers included striving to dominate others and devaluing others, thus indicating narcissistic competition. In their view, self-indulgence, inconsistency and distortion of reality, excessive social media presence, boasting and focusing attention solely on oneself are all narcissistic actions used when building a personal brand. More than half of them create themselves as they want to be perceived by others, and one in five respondents admitted that they focus on constantly monitoring themselves and their image, trying to guess "what others think of me". Research limitations/implications: The empirical study was conducted using the purposive sampling method and the target group was managers - graduates of the postgraduate course "Manager's Academy". Due to the small research sample (68 responses), it is not possible to generalise the findings to the entire population. The findings obtained relate to the perception, subjective evaluation of the managers surveyed and are not based on methods known in the clinical field for measuring narcissism, which may be a certain limitation of this study. Practical implications: The findings obtained from the study may be useful for business owners and managers of various levels interested in conscious and consistent personal branding and who want to know what manifestations of narcissistic attitudes of individuals managing organisations are and which personal branding activities bear the hallmarks of narcissism. The findings may also be of interest to human resource professionals responsible for shaping an organisational culture that emphasises norms and values that eliminate narcissistic attitudes and behaviours among employees. Social implications: Raising awareness of narcissistic attitudes of managers who are building a personal brand as well as highlighting the phenomenon of narcissism in contemporary organisations. Originality/value: The article is of cognitive value for the development of knowledge in management and quality sciences, in the area of human resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]