A Fatal Mistake Companies Make When Managing Disruptive Employees_ An Evidence-Driven Guide.pdf

Here are the Step-by-step Strategy for Managing Disruptive Employees: 1. Observe & Document 2. Private Inquiry 3. Empathize & Align 4. Set Behavior Goals

1. A Fatal Mistake Companies Make When
Managing Disruptive Employees: An
Evidence-Driven Guide Managers often face one or more disruptive employees whose actions
spread negativity. This guide helps you diagnose, confront, and
transform those behaviors using proven methods, expert insights, and
real-world examples.

​​Source: Dragos Condrea from Getty Images
The hum of an office can be deceiving. To the outside world, a team may look
seamless, efficient, and united. But inside, one disruptive employee can feel like a
stone dropped into still water, sending ripples of tension through every meeting,
email thread, and collaboration.
Managers often find themselves walking on eggshells, unsure whether to confront
the behavior or hope it fades away. The truth? It rarely does. Managing disruptive

2. employees is not just about fixing behaviour but protecting the culture, morale,
and productivity of your entire workplace. And how you handle it can either make
you the leader your team trusts, or the one they quietly resent.
Why “Managing Disruptive Employees” Matters Now?
Disruptive behaviors spread faster than gossip. A single toxic person undermines
morale, productivity, retention, and even safety. One disruptive employee can
infect an entire team, leading to low morale, bullying, and a spiraling workplace
culture.
Gallup data shows only 31% of workers stay actively engaged, while 17% actively
disengage, a climate that fuels problematic conduct. Managers bear the
responsibility of not just fixing outcomes but managing emotions, norms, and
trust.
Spotting the Behavior, More than Just Attitude

3. Image by Photo By_ Kaboompics.com from Pexels
Disruptive employees display behaviors that go beyond mere underperformance.
TriNet defines them as those whose conduct damages team cohesion,
productivity, or respect for leadership.
Often, the person may be a high performer. Proformative shared one situation
where an “eccentric” yet highly productive employee violated dress norms, but
peers’ grievances grew. The key lies in behavior, not identity.
A 5-Step Framework to De-Personalize Conflict
Insperity’s 5-step plan emphasizes early action:
1.​Don’t ignore the behavior.
2.​De-personalize the dialogue.
3.​Seek to understand before judging.
4.​Suggest measurable improvements.
5.​Monitor change and follow through.

4. This aligns with Harvard’s Program on Negotiation (PON), which recommends
listening to learn, conducting empathetic, fact-based conversations rather than
assigning blame.
Real-World Case Study: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Source medicmind.us
When it comes to managing disruptive employees, few examples are as telling as
the one documented by Academic Medicine in its study of Johns Hopkins
Medicine. The institution faced a widespread issue: disruptive physician behavior
that was quietly corroding trust and collaboration across departments.
In confidential interviews with 67 staff members, researchers uncovered that
many organizations struggle with a culture of silence. Team members feared
retaliation, avoided reporting incidents, and often suffered in silence rather than
risk confrontation. The hidden cost was enormous: eroded morale, poor
communication, and compromised psychological safety.

5. Instead of burying the issue, Johns Hopkins took a bold, structured approach.
Their multi-phase intervention included:
●​Making the invisible visible: Leadership openly shared the findings
across the organization, proving they would no longer ignore disruptive
behavior.
●​Creating formal reporting channels: Employees were given safe, clear
avenues to report without fear of backlash.
●​Equipping leaders: Managers and department heads were trained to
recognize, address, and prevent disruptive conduct while fostering
respect.
●​Building conflict management skills: Staff across levels were given tools
for having tough conversations, turning silence into dialogue.
The results were transformative. Not only did reporting improve, but the cultural
norms themselves began to shift. Fear was replaced with trust, silence with open
communication, and tension with renewed psychological safety.
This case underscores a critical lesson: addressing disruptive behavior is not a
one-off event, but a system-wide commitment. For any organization, whether in
healthcare, corporate offices, or startups, the Johns Hopkins model proves that
structured interventions, rooted in transparency, training, and culture change,
can turn a toxic environment into a thriving one.
Psychology Tools: Why People Misbehave and How to Respond?
●​Loss aversion & fairness: People more often react to perceived
unfairness or powerlessness than to policy. Listening breaks this spiral.
●​Psychological safety: Disruptive behaviors thrive in silence. Sharing
findings and opening channels rebuild trust.
●​Modeling: If a manager tolerates toxicity, that signals weak norms, and
others follow it.
Step-by-step Strategy for Managing Disruptive Employees

6. Step What to Do
1. Observe & Document Notice disruption patterns, like
decision-making avoidance, conflict
starting, sarcasm, and gossip.
2. Private Inquiry Schedule a neutral, empathetic talk.
Ask: What’s driving your behavior?

7. 3. Empathize & Align Show care and align on shared goals.
From SHRM: “I care about you as an
individual…” builds trust and
engagement.
4. Set Behavior Goals Co-create specific, measurable
behavior goals (e.g., adopt a respectful
tone, respond calmly).
5. Offer Support Provide coaching, resources, or peer
support. Offer manager or HR-led
coaching.
6. Monitor & Reinforce Track progress and praise positively
altered behavior.
7. Escalate If Needed If behavior persists, involve HR.
Insperity recommends disciplinary
steps or reassignment if needed.

8. 8. Share Culture Norms Reinforce values through formal
communications and culture-building
efforts, like Johns Hopkins did.
Risk & Impact: Why is this not Optional?
Unchecked disruption damages more than one employee. Wikipedia warns that
toxic environments lead to distraction, stress-related illnesses, declining life
expectancy, and potentially violent incidents.
Managers who ignore problematic employees signal that divisive behavior is
allowed. That undermines trust, degrades performance, raises turnover, and
normalizes poor conduct.
Expert Perspective
●​SHRM underscores building connection through regular check-ins,
helping prevent employees from turning difficult.
●​CoachHub reminds us that sometimes the workplace frustration lies not
in the employee but in management style. Harvard Business Review
research shows leadership quality affects “going the extra mile” behavior
from 20% (poor leadership) to 60% (strong leadership).
When All Else Fails: Culture Reset and Structural Action
If behavioral interventions fail repeatedly, leaders must consider culture-wide
actions:

9. Source www.sociabble.com
●​Reset expectations organization-wide,
●​Conduct leadership training,
●​Clarify values and code of conduct,
●​Reconsider role alignment or remove the employee as a last resort.
Healthy organizations take timely action, and removing toxic individuals can
actually boost engagement and reinforce healthy norms.
Summary: Why Investing in Managing Disruptive Employees Pays
Off
Managing disruptive employees involves more than confrontation; it demands
diagnosis, empathy, clarity, follow-through, and sometimes culture-building.
Real-world examples like Johns Hopkins show that structured, transparent
interventions restore psychological safety and performance.

10. When leaders commit to understanding root causes, setting respectful
boundaries, and monitoring change, they stop disruptions, not with force, but
with purpose.
Mastering Managing Disruptive Employees doesn’t just fix one person; it
safeguards your team’s wellbeing, productivity, and trust.