The Downfall of the Flatterer after the Removal of the Superior

Análise teórica da literatura existente

Abstract

This article analyzes the phenomenon of ingratiation in Public Administration, focusing particularly on employees who build their influence through personal proximity to certain managers. It seeks to understand the loss of prestige and influence experienced by such employees following the dismissal or replacement of the manager to whom they were closely connected, as well as the behavior of those who seek to gain the trust of superiors by devaluing or defaming colleagues. The study adopts a qualitative, bibliographic, and legal-analytical approach, drawing on literature concerning ingratiation, impression management, organizational politics, and workplace gossip. The legal analysis is based on Law No. 26/22 of August 22, the Basic Law on Public Administration. The article argues that influence based on personal proximity is unstable and tends to disappear when leadership changes. It concludes that professional stability should be based on merit, competence, ethics, responsibility, and commitment to the public interest, rather than on ingratiation or the discrediting of colleagues.