Are they among us? A conceptual framework of the relationship between the dark triad personality and counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs)

Infertility-related stress is associated with quality of life through negative emotions among infertile outpatients

Infertility is not a fatal disease but it really produces infertility-related stress and affects individuals' quality of life to a great extent. This study aims to investigate the relations among infertility-related stress, negative emotions and quality of life in infertile outpatients, and suppose gender difference as well as Dark Triad, which contained three dark personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, would moderate the relations. 105 infertile outpatients age range 20-49 completed a cross-sectional questionnaire on the Fertility Quality of Life scale, the Fertility Problem Inventory, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale a the Chinese version of Dirty Dozen. Results showed that negative emotions mediated the relations between infertility-related stress and quality of life. Dark Triad could not moderate the relations between infertility-related stress, negative emotions, and quality of life, but gender can moderate the associations between infertility-related stress and negative emotions. Specifically, the association between infertility-related stress and negative emotions was stronger in men than in women. Infertility-related stress has direct and indirect effects on infertile outpatients' quality of life. It is important to consider the important roles of emotions and gender difference between patients, and delivering targeted intervention programs.

Dark triad and knowledge hiding in firms: Mediating role of perceived organizational politics

Negative behaviors at the workplace always disturb the management of the firms. This research investigates the link between the dark triad and various types of Knowledge hiding (Evasive hiding, Playing dumb, and Rationalized hiding) in firms. In addition, this study explores perceived organizational politics as a mediator. The design of this study is quantitative and positivist. The data were collected in three waves (45 days gap) with a random sampling approach from 383 personnel/staff working in Chinese commercial banking firms. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique and Smartpls-4 software. This study confirms that dark-triad has a positive relation with knowledge hiding, except psychopathy and Machiavellianism, which have no significant correlation with playing dumb and evasive hiding, respectively. Perceived organizational politics significantly mediate the association between dark triad personality traits and the types of knowledge hiding. Employees with political skills and a trust-based culture can counter the dark-triad personalities and discourage the knowledge-hiding culture. For effective management of knowledge-hiding issues in firms, codifying implicit and explicit Knowledge and developing knowledge repositories can discourage a knowledge-hiding culture.

The Relationship Between Market Culture, Clan Culture, Benevolent Leadership, Work Engagement, and Job Performance: Leader's Dark Triad as a Moderator

Benevolent leadership is one of the leadership styles which provides a positive influence on employees. However, the current leadership literature has yet to investigate how benevolent leadership leads to job performance, the processes involved, the relationship between organizational culture and benevolent leadership, and the role of dark side of leaders in affecting this relationship. Using the leader-culture fit framework within an Eastern context, the current study first investigates the relationship between benevolent leadership and job performance through work engagement. The study then compares two contrasting organizational culture (i.e., market culture and clan culture) on benevolent leadership. Finally, the study investigates how leaders' dark triad affects the relationship between organizational culture and benevolent leadership. 374 full-time white-collar employees (Males = 54.01%; Mean age: 32.7 years) from various private organizations within the service industry participated in this study. The results showed that work engagement mediated benevolent leadership and job performance. Market culture showed a negative relationship with benevolent leadership while clan culture showed a positive relationship with benevolent leadership. Benevolent leadership mediated clan culture (but not market culture) and work engagement. Under a high market culture with a high dark triad leader, benevolent leadership is at its lowest level. Under a high clan culture with a low dark triad leader, benevolent leadership is at its highest level. The findings suggest the importance of benevolent leadership within a clan culture (rather than market culture), in aligning with the leader-culture fit framework in increasing employees' work engagement and job performance.

Dark Personality Traits and Counterproductive Work Behavior: A PRISMA Systematic Review

Nowadays it is important for companies to keep their profits and productivity high. This can be achieved by creating a good environment in which employees can perform at their best. Unfortunately, counterproductive work behavior (CWB) is widespread in the workplace and poses a serious threat to both organizational performance and employee well-being. Among the many potential risk factors for CWB, the Dark Triad (DT) personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) have received increasing attention in recent years. To assess the robustness and magnitude of the association between DT and CWB, we conducted a systematic review of the available literature on DT and CWB using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines after a thorough search of several databases, 21 papers were included. The results showed that DT and CWB are positively associated. Psychopathy exhibited the strongest positive association with CWB, followed immediately by Machiavellianism and narcissism. Moreover, Machiavellianism and psychopathy showed positive correlations with both forms of CWB (organisational and interpersonal), whereas narcissism was positively correlated only with interpersonal CWB. Our findings highlight that even though organisations could benefit from people with DT at the performance level, there could be serious implications for well-being and an appropriate work environment due to CWB.

Perceived organizational politics, organizational disidentification and counterproductive work behaviour: moderating role of external crisis threats to work

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to unpack the relationship between employees’ perceptions of organizational politics and their counterproductive work behaviour, by postulating a mediating role of organizational disidentification and a moderating role of perceived external crisis threats to work.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical assessment of the hypotheses relies on survey data collected among employees who work in a large banking organization.

Findings

Perceptions that organizational decision-making is marked by self-serving behaviour increase the probability that employees seek to cause harm to their employer, because they feel embarrassed by their organizational membership. This mediating role of organizational disidentification is especially prominent when they ruminate about the negative impact of external crises on their work.

Practical implications

This study details an important danger for employees who feel upset with dysfunctional politics: They psychologically distance themselves from their employer, which then prompts them to formulate counterproductive responses that likely make it more difficult to take on the problem in a credible manner. This detrimental dynamic is particularly risky if an external crisis negatively interferes with their work functioning.

Originality/value

This study adds to prior research by detailing an unexplored but relevant mechanism (organizational disidentification) and moderator (external crisis threats) by which perceived organizational politics translates into enhanced counterproductive work behaviour.

Effects of Personality Traits and Mentalization on Workplace Bullying Experiences among Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Aim. This study aimed to investigate the effects of intensive care unit nurses’ personality traits and mentalization on workplace bullying after controlling for organizational culture. Background. Nurses’ personality traits and mentalization may significantly influence workplace bullying. Methods. This cross-sectional study collected data from 416 nurses using an online survey in July 2022. Major variables were evaluated using the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, Perfectionistic Self-Presentation and Psychological Distress Scale, Short Dark Triad, Mentalization Scale, Positive Nursing Organizational Culture Measurement Tool, and the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised. . A multiple regression analysis was performed. Results. Narcissistic vulnerability, mentalization, and perfectionistic self-presentation significantly influence workplace bullying (victim aspect). Dark personality, mentalization, and perfectionistic self-presentation significantly influence workplace bullying (perpetrator aspect). Conclusions. Individual nurses could become either victims of bullying or perpetrators according to their personality traits. Therefore, it is necessary to determine their personality traits, so that they do not become influencing factors in workplace bullying. Implications for Nursing Management. Efforts at a nursing organization level are crucial to understand nurses’ personality traits, enhance their mentalization, minimize the manifestations of the negative aspects of their traits, and positively affect the prevention and alleviation of workplace bullying.

Personality disorders as a predictor of counterproductive knowledge behavior: the application of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV

Purpose

This study investigates the role of personality disorders in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a survey administered to 120 full-time employees recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Personality disorders were measured by means of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV.

Findings

Personality disorders play an important role in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior: employees suffering from various personality disorders are likely to hide knowledge from their fellow coworkers and engage in knowledge sabotage. Of particular importance are dependent, narcissistic and sadistic personality disorders as well as schizophrenic and delusional severe clinical syndromes. There is a need for a paradigm shift in terms of how the research community should portray those who engage in counterproductive knowledge behavior, reconsidering the underlying assumption that all of them act deliberately, consciously and rationally. Unexpectedly, most personality disorders do not facilitate knowledge hoarding.

Practical implications

Organizations should provide insurance coverage for the treatment of personality disorders, assist those seeking treatment, inform employees about the existence of personality disorders in the workplace and their impact on interemployee relationships, facilitate a stress-free work environment, remove social stigma that may be associated with personality disorders and, as a last resort, reassign workers suffering from extreme forms of personality disorders to tasks that require less interemployee interaction (instead of terminating them).

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work represents one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the notion of personality disorders in the context of knowledge management.

How to Prevent Hostile Behaviors and Emotional Exhaustion among Law Enforcement Professionals: The Negative Spiral of Role Conflict

The nature and characteristics of the current work environment of law enforcement professionals point out role-conflict situations as one of the main reasons leading to the occurrence of hostile behaviors and the worsening of employees' well-being. Precisely, this research analyzes the mediating role of role conflict between laissez-faire leadership and hostility or police professionals' emotional exhaustion. To mitigate the negative effects of role-conflict situations, the moderating role of certain personal resources such as self-efficacy, and organizational variables such as interactional justice, the meaning of the work and family-work enrichment is also analyzed. Structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis are used in a sample of 180 police professionals. The results show that role conflict fully and positively mediates the relationships between laissez-faire leadership and hostile behaviors or emotional exhaustion. Moreover, self-efficacy and interactional justice moderates the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and role conflict; the meaning of the work moderates the relationships between role conflict and hostile behaviors, and family-work enrichment moderates the relationship between role conflict and employees' emotional exhaustion. The huge relevance of the work of law enforcement professionals and its implications for society justify this research, which aims to highlight the importance of avoiding role-conflict situations to improve labor welfare and prevent counterproductive and unhealthy behaviors.

Dark Tetrad and workplace deviance: Investigating the moderating role of organizational justice perceptions

This study tested the direct effects of Dark Tetrad traits on organizational and interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). We also examined the moderating effects of the three dimensions of organizational justice - distributive justice, procedural justice, and interactional justice - on the Dark Tetrad-CWBs relationships. Based on the data from 613 employees across different occupations, the results revealed that only psychopathy and sadism had significant effects on CWBs targeted at the organization. The results also supported the direct effect of sadism on interpersonal CWBs. The findings confirmed the moderating role of interactional justice but differentially, depending on the dark trait and the target of workplace deviance. Whereas low and medium levels of interactional justice moderated the relationship between Machiavellianism and CWBs directed to the organization, it did not play any role in narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Regarding CWBs aimed at other people, interactional justice emerged as a significant moderator in Machiavellianism and sadism. But, whereas sadistic employees performed more harmful behaviors toward other individuals whatever their level of interactional justice, if people high in Machiavellianism (Machs) perceived a high fair interpersonal treatment, they did not show deviant behaviors directed at other employees. The paper concludes with some suggestions and recommendations about the relevance of organizational justice in the influence of dark personality traits on CWBs.

Daily Work Role Stressors and Dark Triad States

Abstract. Organizational research on the dark triad has, so far, focused on individual differences in employees’ stable tendencies to act in manipulative, grandiose, or callous ways (i.e., dark triad traits). Research on momentary expressions of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy (i.e., dark triad states) and the work situations that may trigger them is still in its infancy. Based on the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesized that daily role ambiguity and role conflict deplete employees’ daily self-control resources which, in turn, is related to the daily expression of dark triad states. To test our hypotheses, we conducted two daily diary studies across 5 and 10 workdays. Consistent with expectations, on days when employees experienced more role conflict than usual, they were more likely to express their darker side of personality. In contrast, hypotheses about the detrimental effects of daily role ambiguity and the mediating role of daily self-control depletion were not supported.

Machiavellianism and learning-related subjective well-being among Chinese senior high school students: A moderated mediation model

Based on the life history theory and broadening construction theory, the study aimed to investigate the influence of Machiavellianism on the learning-related subjective well-being and the underlying mechanism, 582 Chinese senior high school students (16.8 ± 0.9 years old) including 289 girls (48.3%) and 310 boys were recruited to participate in this study, and they anonymously filled out questionnaires regarding Machiavellianism, learning-related subjective well-being, gratitude, and subjective family economic level. The results showed that: (1) a higher level of Machiavellianism was associated with a lower level of learning-related subjective well-being; (2) gratitude partially mediated the relationship between Machiavellianism and learning-related subjective well-being; (3) subjective family economic level moderated the links between Machiavellianism and learning-related subjective well-being, and between gratitude and learning-related subjective well-being. This study explained how and when Machiavellianism affected Chinese senior high school students’ learning-related subjective well-being and provided a deeper understanding of the relationship between Machiavellianism and learning-related subjective well-being.

Differential Eating Behavior Patterns among the Dark Triad

There is little extant empirical literature examining the associations between Dark Triad (DT: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and eating behaviors. The current study (n = 361) investigated the associations between Dark Triad and restrained eating, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating in a sample drawn from the general population. The results from the study indicate that (a) despite expected sex differences in narcissism and primary psychopathy, no sex differences were found in Machiavellianism, secondary psychopathy, and eating behaviors; (b) among women, Machiavellianism was a protective factor against uncontrolled eating behaviors; (c) the sex of the participant moderated the narcissism–uncontrolled eating behaviors and narcissism–emotional eating behaviors relationships, with the negative correlation being stronger for men than that for women; (d) secondary psychopathy, rather than primary psychopathy, was associated with higher uncontrolled eating behaviors in both sexes, and associated with higher emotional eating behaviors for men only. The implication of these findings are interpreted and discussed.

The downside of managers: The moderator role of political skill & deceptive situation

Relying on the trait activation theory and socioanalytic theory, this study investigate conditions that activate or restrain a manager's dark triad, which can predict exploitative leadership. First, we examine the interacting effect of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy with deceptive situation cues at work. Then, we investigated the effect of a manager's political skill - into the emergence of exploitative leadership. A multisource data were collected across two studies administered first to employees then to their corresponding managers (N = 150). Structural equation modeling were used to test hypothesis. The study's findings show that the interaction of deceptive conditions with the dark triad is the most predictive of exploitative leadership, while managers' political skill was found to have a neutralize effect. The present study provides an effort to identify a potential cause and a solution to manager's exploitative behavior at work. Implications for the dark triad literature, theories underlying it, and exploitative leadership are discussed.

The dark web of machiavellianism and psychopathy: Moral disengagement in IT organizations

In the current paper, we were interested in examining a series of predictors of organizational moral disengagement, namely Machiavellianism and psychopathy, along with a series of demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, and work experience). Our sample consisted of 114 IT employees aged 21 to 54 (M = 28.51, 62% males). We used a cross-sectional approach and an original scale to measure organizational moral disengagement. The hierarchical regression analysis suggested that the most important predictor of organizational moral disengagement was Machiavellianism, followed by gender (i.e., males). A significant, negative association emerged between organizational moral disengagement and age, suggesting that the older we grow, the lower the organizational moral disengagement. Machiavellianism and psychopathy were significantly associated with all moral disengagement mechanisms, except one - diffusion of responsibility. The most powerful association we found were between Machiavellianism and moral justification and between psychopathy and euphemistic language. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Curiosity did not kill the cat: It made it stronger and happy, but only if the cat was not "dark"

OBJECTIVE

The present research explores the path between work-related curiosity and positive affect. To justify this relationship, we rely on the conservation of resources theory (COR) and include performance as a mediator of the curiosity-positive affect path, such that curiosity was expected to stimulate performance, resulting in higher positive affect. We also aimed to explore whether the Dark Triad personality would moderate this mediating path.

METHODOLOGY

Three studies were conducted. Study 1 analyzed the indirect path of curiosity on positive affect through performance (n = 241). Study 2 resorted to two samples, one with participants in telework (n = 406), and the other one with participants in face-to-face work (n = 240), to explore the mediated link. Study 3 (n = 653) explored the moderating role of the Dark Triad traits (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) on the mediated relationship.

FINDINGS

Study 1 demonstrated that curiosity boosted positive affect through performance. Study 2 showed that, when workers were in telework, the mediated relationship occurred, however the same did not happen in face-to-face work. Study 3 showed that Machiavellianism and psychopathy moderated the indirect effect of curiosity on positive affect through performance, in a way that it was present for individuals low on these traits, but not for individuals high on such traits. Narcissism did not moderate the mediated relationship.

IMPLICATIONS

We discuss the impact that curiosity may have on behavioral and affective consequences (performance and affect), and the role that personality may have on this relationship.

Dark triad and situational variables and their relationship to career success and counterproductive work behaviors among employees in Turkey

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between dark triad personality (DTP) and organizational and individual counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) and perceived career success among employees in Turkey. Additionally, the study examined the effects of four situational variables: perceived organizational politics, transparency, psychological contract breach, and accountability.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 156 employees across five service organizations in Sakarya, Turkey, using the survey method.

Findings

The regression analysis findings showed that the three traits of the DTP, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy were significantly related to both organizational and interpersonal dimensions of the CWB. Narcissism was not related to any of the dimensions of CWB. The findings showed no significant relationship between any of the four situational variables and the two forms of CWB. However, three of the situational variables were related to perceived career success, while the three dimensions of DTP were not.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this study are its cross-sectional design and the self-reported measures of the dependent variables. Interestingly, the study showed that having high levels of DTP does not necessarily promote their careers.

Originality/value

This study contributes to examining career success as a dependent variable in addition to CWB. The findings showed that situational variables are related to career success, and DTP is related to CWB. This finding has both conceptual and practical implications.

Examining correlates of organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior in a collectivist culture: the case of Arab teachers in Israel

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationships between personal (emotional intelligence, Dark Triad (DT), core self-evaluation and burnout) and situational variables (organizational justice) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) (supervisor report) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) (self-report).

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 680 questionnaires were distributed to teachers in 20 Arab elementary schools in Northern Israel. Usable questionnaires were returned by 509 teachers (75%). The questionnaires covered emotional intelligence, DT, core self-evaluation, organizational justice, burnout, CWB and demographic characteristics. Their principals filled out questionnaires on the teachers’ in-role performance and OCB.

Findings

Results showed that CWB was mostly related to higher levels of psychopathy, lower levels of emotional intelligence (ability to use emotions) and higher levels of burnout (emotional exhaustion). OCB was related to higher levels of procedural justice, lower levels of burnout and higher levels of emotional intelligence.

Practical implications

Organizations should consider ways to reduce burnout, which may reduce CWB and increase perceptions of justice, thereby promoting OCB.

Originality/value

Two novel aspects are noteworthy. First, this study simultaneously examines both CWB and OCB to clarify the similarities and differences between them. Second, few studies have examined the correlates of CWB and OCB in Arab culture.

Be Aware Not Reactive: Testing a Mediated-Moderation Model of Dark Triad and Perceived Victimization via Self-Regulatory Approach

Generally, it is difficult to work efficiently in a toxic environment. Surprisingly, leaders are found to be liable for such toxic atmosphere because they possess certain traits that employees perceive as victimization. This research assesses the relationship between the dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) and perceived victimization with a focus on the mediating effect of abusive supervision and the moderating effect of mindfulness. For this purpose, we surveyed 274 employees in the healthcare sector of Pakistan by using random sampling technique in three waves. To analyze the data, the structural equation model with partial least squares and PROCESS were used. The findings suggest that abusive supervision plays a mediating role in the association between the dark triad and perceived victimization. The results did not support the mediating role of abusive supervision in the association between narcissism and perceived victimization, however, the mediated moderation model was supported. Further, the findings suggest that mindfulness weakens the effect of abusive supervision on perceived victimization. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of the results are also discussed.

Dark tetrad personality traits and counterproductive work behavior among doctors in Pakistan

The purpose of this article is to identify the effects of dark tetrad personality traits (such as narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism and sadism) on counterproductive work behavior with the mediating role of psychological contract breach and the moderating effect of political skills. Previous researches have focused on the direct effect of the dark triad to measure the counterproductive work behavior of individuals. Recently, everyday sadism has been added to the dark triad and become dark tetrad personality traits. Therefore, this study examines the dark tetrad personality traits to study counterproductive work behavior. This study applied structural equation modeling using partial least square to test the hypotheses on a sample of 400 doctors from the health sector of Pakistan. The results of this study reveal that dark tetrad has a positive and significant effect on counterproductive work behavior, and psychological contract breach significantly partially mediates in the relationship between dark tetrad and counterproductive work behavior. Furthermore, findings show that the moderating effect of political skills also positively and significantly strengthening the link between dark tetrad and the psychological contract breach. The conclusion of this study is made an innovative contribution to the Pakistan health sector, researchers and policy makers to designing the relevant practical implications.

Differentiating leader hubris and narcissism on the basis of power

Hubris and narcissism overlap, and although extant research explores relationships between them in terms of characteristics, attributes, and behaviours, we take a different view by analysing their differences in relation to power and leadership. Drawing on a psychology of power perspective, we argue that narcissistic and hubristic leaders relate to and are covetous of power for fundamentally different reasons. Using the metaphor of intoxication, hubrists are intoxicated with positional power and prior success, but for narcissists, power facilitates self-intoxication and represents a means of maintaining a grandiose self-view. Unbridled hubris and narcissism (i.e. searching for and facilitated by unfettered power) have important ramifications for leadership research and practice. Leadership discourse, preoccupied with and predicated on positive aspects of leadership, should assess these two potent aspects of leadership because misuse of power by hubristic and narcissistic leaders can create conditions for, or directly bring about, destructive and sometimes catastrophic unintended outcomes for organizations and society.

Knowledge sabotage as an extreme form of counterproductive knowledge behavior: conceptualization, typology, and empirical demonstration

Purpose

This paper introduces the concept of knowledge sabotage as an extreme form of counterproductive knowledge behavior, presents its typology, and empirically demonstrates its existence in the contemporary organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Through the application of the critical incident technique, this study analyzes 177 knowledge sabotage incidents when employees intentionally provided others with wrong knowledge or deliberately concealed critical knowledge while clearly realizing others’ need for this knowledge and others’ ability to apply it to important work-related tasks.

Findings

Over 40% of employees engaged in knowledge sabotage, and many did so repeatedly. Knowledge saboteurs usually acted against their fellow co-workers, and one-half of all incidents were caused by interpersonal issues resulting from the target’s hostile behavior, failure to provide assistance to others, and poor performance. Knowledge sabotage was often expressed in the form of revenge against a particular individual, who, as a result, may have been reprimanded, humiliated or terminated. Knowledge saboteurs rarely regretted their behavior, which further confirmed the maliciousness of their intentions.

Practical implications

Even though knowledge saboteurs only rarely acted against their organizations purposely, approximately one-half of all incidents produced negative, unintentional consequences to their organizations, such as time waste, failed or delayed projects, lost clients, unnecessary expenses, hiring costs, products being out-of-stock, understaffing, or poor quality of products or services. Organizations should develop comprehensive knowledge sabotage prevention policies. The best way to reduce knowledge sabotage is to improve inter-personal relationships among employees and to foster a friendly and collaborative environment.

Originality/value

This is the first well-documented attempt to understand the phenomenon of knowledge sabotage.

Overcoming destructive deviance: propositioning an integrated conceptual framework

Purpose

This study aims to provide a review of antecedents of destructive deviance and classify them into three levels, namely, personal, interpersonal and organizational level in the proposed integrated conceptual framework. Furthermore, it proposes three levels of interventions to prevent or modify destructive deviance.

Design/methodology/approach

Systematic literature review of the past 23 years was carried out for the current study to identify the antecedents of destructive deviance.

Findings

This study proposes an integrated conceptual framework incorporating three levels of antecedents and interventions for overcoming destructive deviance. Findings classified the antecedents of destructive deviance into three categories, namely, personal, interpersonal and organizational level variables. Similarly, the proposed interventions were classified into three levels, namely, individual (employee resilience, mindfulness), interpersonal (mentoring, peer support) and organizational-level interventions (talent management, internal corporate communication) that organizations should concentrate on to reduce destructive deviance and facilitate health and well-being of employees.

Practical implications

This study posits three-level interventions to reduce or transform negative characteristics and overcome the negative impact of interpersonal and organizational level antecedents on destructive deviance among employees. The suggested three-level interventions not only reduce the negative characteristics and transform negative behaviors but also lay a significant pavement for fostering positive emotions among employees.

Originality/value

This study classifies the antecedents of destructive deviance into three categories, namely, personal, interpersonal and organizational-level antecedents. Further, this study offers three-level interventions for overcoming destructive deviance among employees.

Gossiping about outsiders: How time-related work stress among collectivistic employees hinders job performance

This study investigates the connection between employees’ experience of time-related work stress and their job performance, with a particular focus on the mediating role of their propensity to engage in negative gossip and the moderating role of their collectivistic orientation. The results based on multisource, three-wave data from employees, their peers, and supervisors in Pakistani organizations show that an important reason that time-related work stress might diminish job performance is that employees expend significant energy discussing their negative evaluations of other organizational members with peers, possibly as a way to protect their self-esteem resources. This mediating role of gossip is also invigorated by employees’ collectivistic orientation. For organizations, this study identifies a key mechanism – informal conversations with peers about the flaws of others in the organization – by which time-related stress prevents employees from allocating sufficient energy to completing their job tasks, and it reveals that this process is more likely among collectivistic employees.

Leader psychopathy and organizational deviance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between leader psychopathy and organizational deviance. In particular, the authors introduce employee’s psychological safety as the mediator. Furthermore, the moderating role of moral disengagement in the relationship between leader psychopathy and organizational deviance is also considered.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of this study include 611 certified nurses from 9 university hospitals in Turkey. The proposed model was tested by using hierarchical multiple regression analysis.

Findings

The results of this study supported the positive effect of leader psychopathy on organizational deviance along with the mediating effect of employee’s psychological safety. Furthermore, when the level of moral disengagement is low, the relationship between leader psychopathy and organizational deviance is weak, whereas the effect is strong when the level of moral disengagement is high.

Practical implications

The findings of the study recommend that administrators in the healthcare industry ought to be sensitive in treating their subordinates, since it will result in positive organizational relationship, which, subsequently, will certainly reduce organizational deviance. Furthermore, they have to pay more focus on the buffering role of moral disengagement for all those subordinates with high distrust and displaying organizational deviance.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature about workplace deviance by uncovering the relational mechanism between leader psychopathy and employee organizational deviance. Furthermore, it includes practical assistance to healthcare employees and their leaders interested in building trust, increasing leader–employee relationship and reducing organizational deviance.

The Relationship Between the Dark Triad Personality Traits, Motivation at Work, and Burnout Among HR Recruitment Workers

We focus on the Dark Triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and their relationships to the mechanisms of motivation and level of burnout that people experience at work. From the motivational perspective, the needs associated with the Dark Triad traits might be satisfied in work environments by selecting different goals or motives. Moreover, the selection of different goals and motives may be related to the level of burnout syndrome that some people develop. We use the Short Dark Triad Personality Test, Barbuto’s Motivation Sources Inventory, and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory to measure triad traits, preferred work motives, and level of burnout, respectively. The results show that in general, some part of the relationship between the Dark Triad traits and burnout is mediated by the motivational sources. As expected, the Dark Triad traits are more closely related to external sources of motivation (especially instrumental motivation), which are in turn partly associated with higher levels of burnout. The results also suggest that the trajectory of the relationship between the Dark Triad traits and burnout via motivation sources is different from expected, presenting a background for discussion.

Supervisor Narcissism and Time Theft: Investigating the Mediating Roles of Emotional Exhaustion and the Moderating Roles of Attachment Style

Although some studies have begun to explore the factors influencing employees' time theft, it has not been uncommon to link employee time theft to leader personality traits. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this paper examines the influence of supervisor narcissism on employee time theft. It is found that supervisor narcissism positively affects employee time theft via the emotional exhaustion of employees. Further, employee's attachment styles moderate the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion between supervisor narcissism and employee time theft. This study adds important insights into employee time theft, leader negative traits and the theory and practice of organizational management.

The Relationship Between Psychological Contract Breach and Employees' Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Mediating Effect of Organizational Cynicism and Work Alienation

Psychological contract breach (PCB) may trigger negative attitudes in employees and ultimately cause further negative behaviors. By drawing on social exchange theory, this study aims to explore the link between PCB and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) by focusing on the mediating role of organizational cynicism and work alienation. We administered a cross-sectional survey of 484 energy company front-line employees. The conceptual model was examined via structural equation modeling. The results suggested that organizational cynicism and work alienation sequentially mediated the relationship between PCB and CWB. This study elucidated the mechanisms underlying the relationship between PCB and CWB by introducing negative attitudes (i.e., organizational cynicism and work alienation) into the model, and offered further evidence that organizations should pay more attention to employees’ PCB and negative attitudes in order to reduce their CWB.

No Regard for Those Who Need It: The Moderating Role of Follower Self-Esteem in the Relationship Between Leader Psychopathy and Leader Self-Serving Behavior

Recent instances of corporate misconduct and examples of blatant leader self-serving behavior have rekindled interest in leader personality traits as antecedents of negative leader behavior. The current research builds upon that work, and examines the relationship between leader psychopathy and leader self-serving behavior. Moreover, we investigate whether follower self-esteem affects the occurrence of self-serving behavior in leaders with psychopathic tendencies. We predict that self-serving behaviors by psychopathic leaders are more likely to occur in the interaction with followers low in self-esteem. We first conducted an experimental study (N = 156), in which we manipulated follower self-esteem, measured leader psychopathy, and assessed their combined effect on leader self-serving behavior using an ultimatum game. We then conducted a multi-source field study (N = 124 leader-follower dyads) using questionnaires to assess leader psychopathy, follower self-esteem, and perceived leader self-serving behavior. Across both studies, we found that leader psychopathy was positively related to their self-serving behavior, but only when followers had low rather than high self-esteem. As expected, our studies showed that the degree to which (perceived) psychopathic traits of leaders are reflected in their behavior depends on the characteristics of their followers. Apparently, the behavioral expression of negative leader traits is not only a matter of the trait strength, but instead is the result of the interplay between leader and follower in a certain context.