This is an alternative wording of the 6-rat experience, with one being the leader, one the leader's right arm, 2 workers, 1 independent and 1 black sheep. I definitively have the same feeling about my time in companies: Someone has to speak up and get fired, someone else with the same strong character but better communication becomes the leader, someone's hard work finds a positive feedback loop in being the boss' preference, the others work for money. The most costly for all parties is the black sheep: Not yielding appreciable nor appreciated results, also a security risk (employment laws, data breach, PR mistake...).
Is there any way in management to avoid transforming the worst person into a black sheep? If he knows he's the worst, he'll be angry anyway and fail, right?
Reduce the individual focus and break the cycle. The work of the team as a system is what matters, not each individual contribution. Individuals may even be sub-optimized at a personal level in order to make a working system, and we must recognize and even reward that type of contribution as well.
Look at Deming's management ideas, and look at Lean management concepts (the modern version of Deming's system). Both provide good answers to these organizational problems.
Is there any way in management to avoid transforming the worst person into a black sheep? If he knows he's the worst, he'll be angry anyway and fail, right?