Here are some ways that sociopathy and psychopathy can manifest themselves in the workplace.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Corporation

Some have likened the corporation to a sociopath or psychopath - because a corporation has no conscience beyond that of the people in it, even though it has a legal status and rights on its own -- it has some of the status of a "person" in the eyes of the law, but no conscience of its own.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Manager

It seems that sociopaths and psychopaths are perfectly suited to advance through the ranks of a dysfunctional organization - because, according to theory, they possess all the right attributes: superficial charm, a willingness to advance at the expense of others, lack of appropriate guilt or remorse, manipulative tendencies, self-centered world view, etc.

These tendencies, in a healthy, balanced organization, should be quickly detected and weeded out.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Co-Worker

What about the co-worker who exhibits these personality traits, but for some reason hasn't risen through the ranks? Perhaps he or she is perfectly content to stay at low levels within the organization, perhaps due to reduced scrutiny in a role that is perceived as less crucial to an organization's smooth functioning and overall health.

A dysfunctional co-worker can still do a great deal of damage. Just because someone is not a leader or manager doesn't mean that their bad behavior won't cause deep and lasting damage -- and it doesn't reduce the organization's responsibility to detect and correct this kind of behavior.