Toxic Workplace!: Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power

Appendix A. Our Research Methodology

In our study, we were interested in leaders' experiences working with toxic persons. We used a mixed-method design—a research approach that employs both qualitative and quantitative design and analysis. The qualitative portion of our study used a grounded theory design. Grounded theory is a research method that allows the researcher to understand the experience a person has of the chosen phenomenon and the meaning that he or she attaches to that experience. The quantitative portion of the study included a survey questionnaire that was distributed to a sample of leaders in the United States.

The study unfolded in three phases. The findings from phase 1 contributed to our development of the interview approach ...