Read up on industrial psychopathy - it's not a criminal thing, it's a behavioural thing. Also read up on narcissistic personality disorder and the narcissist as manager.
Once you get one of these in the top job, they hire others like them because people who suck their way up like to be sucked up to by their subordinates.
The narcissists deliberately get rid of anyone competent below them who may be a threat to them (for example anyone with the knowledge to contradict their ideas) and replace them with sycophants who are also narcissists.
Thus their rotten behaviour trickles down through the management structure over time.
Look for:
- a total contempt for those below them. ("Legacy Airline", "Dinosaurs", no future)
- complete lack of empathy with other humans, leading to occasionally bizarre or anti social behaviour. For example, Mr. Dixon's letter to the residents of Hamilton Island when QF was swapped with Jetstar.
- Dreams of absolute power and other fantasies.
- a huge sense of entitlement - massive rewards for themselves (The APA bid, The Christmas bottles of Grange, bonuses, shares)
- Believe they are superhuman ("The Board and Management of this company have done more than ...."). They create dumbass business strategies to boost their own egos, for example I reckon J* Asia was set up so that GD could be Chairman of something.
- and of course lying, cheating, scheming and backstabbing comes naturally to them because they have no conscience at all.
Look it up yourselves.