Duffy Morf, Dale L. Flesher, Mario Hayek, Stephanie Pane and Caroline Hayek
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how social power and pressures over the past century have shifted the audience towards which organizations find themselves accountable, as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how social power and pressures over the past century have shifted the audience towards which organizations find themselves accountable, as reflected in their social responsibility reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use historical analysis to analyze qualitatively the annual reports of prominent US organizations between the 1900s to the early 2000s. Adopting an integrationist perspective, the authors ground their research in stakeholder theory and reviewed passages in annual reports identifying the audiences of socially responsible organizational initiatives.
Findings
The study revealed that the degree and focus of corporate accountability shifted over the course of the 1900s, and that this change was due to shifts in influence and power stemming from different stakeholders. During the early 1900s, organizations were more concerned with pleasing internal stakeholders (i.e. employees); however, economic and social events shifted this attention towards external stakeholder groups (i.e. the environment) during the latter part of the century. More recent events fueled social pressures, resulting in legislation and social reporting guidelines during the first decade of the twenty‐first century.
Practical implications
Organizations will continue to be held accountable as new stakeholder groups emerge and different social movements and economic changes transpire, exerting more pressure on organizations to be socially responsible. Furthermore, organizations need to remain current on social reporting guidelines, as these increasingly become the means of communication with multiple stakeholder groups. In summary, findings suggest that organizations would benefit by staying abreast of economic and social cues when developing their socially responsible initiatives and reporting.
Originality/value
The unique contribution of this paper is to identify how economic and social events place pressure on organizations and shift organizational attention through an accountability mechanism, resulting in changes in the focus of social responsibility reporting.
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Seth M. Spain, P. D. Harms and Dustin Wood
The role of dark side personality characteristics in the workplace has received increasing attention in the organizational sciences and from leadership researchers in particular…
Abstract
The role of dark side personality characteristics in the workplace has received increasing attention in the organizational sciences and from leadership researchers in particular. We provide a review of this area, mapping out the key frameworks for assessing the dark side. We pay particular attention to the roles that the dark side plays in leadership processes and career dynamics, with special attention given to destructive leadership. Further, we examine the role that stress plays in the emergence of leaders and how the dark side plays into that process. We additionally provide discussion of the possible roles that leaders can play in producing stress experiences for their followers. We finally illustrate a dynamic model of the interplay of dark leadership, social relationships, and stress in managerial derailment. Throughout, we emphasize a functionalist account of these personality characteristics, placing particular focus on the motives and emotional capabilities of the individuals under discussion.
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Jonghun Sun, Eunsun Ahn and Jiseon Shin
Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we investigate antecedents and consequences of work meaningfulness.
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we investigate antecedents and consequences of work meaningfulness.
Design/methodology/approach
We used survey data from employees in various South Korean organizations and applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and a bootstrapping procedure to test our proposed model.
Findings
We found that employees’ perceptions of their jobs’ social impact and task variety are positively related to work meaningfulness, which leads to higher levels of innovative behavior. We found that work meaningfulness mediates the effects of employees’ perceived social impact and task variety on their innovative behaviors.
Originality/value
Our study contributes to the positive psychology literature by identifying work meaningfulness as a critical underlying mechanism in explaining the relationship between task variety, perceived social impact, and innovative behavior.
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Hakan Erkutlu and Jamel Chafra
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between leader’s behavioral integrity and his/her workplace ostracism as well as to test the moderating roles of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between leader’s behavioral integrity and his/her workplace ostracism as well as to test the moderating roles of narcissistic personality and psychological distance on that relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 13 state universities in Turkey. The sample included 1,003 randomly chosen faculty members and deans of their faculties. The moderating roles of narcissistic personality and psychological distance on the behavioral integrity and workplace ostracism relationship were tested using the moderated hierarchical regression analysis.
Findings
The moderated hierarchical regression analysis results revealed that there was a significant negative relationship between leader’s behavioral integrity and his/her workplace ostracism. In addition, the negative relationship between behavioral integrity and workplace ostracism was weaker when both leader’s narcissistic personality and psychological distance were higher than when they were lower.
Practical implications
This study showed that behavioral integrity lowered workplace ostracism. Workplace ostracism could be reduced by displaying the behavioral integrity (the alignment between words and deeds) and breaking down the barriers preventing effective communication and discussion in the organization. Moreover, the results of this study indicated that psychological distance was a significant predictor of workplace ostracism. Organizational practices and policies, especially human resource practices, should be carefully designed and implemented as to minimize psychological distance, an important source of employee dissatisfaction and distrust.
Originality/value
The study provides new insights into the influence that behavioral integrity may have on workplace ostracism and the moderating roles of narcissistic personality and psychological distance in the link between behavioral integrity and workplace ostracism. The paper also offers a practical assistance to employees in the higher education and their leaders interested in building trust and lowering workplace ostracism.
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Wenting Wang, Lirong Jian, Qiuyun Guo, Haitao Zhang and Wenxing Liu
The purpose of this study is to build a link between narcissistic supervision and employees' change-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). On the basis of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to build a link between narcissistic supervision and employees' change-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). On the basis of the social dynamics of state paranoia theory, the study examines the relationship between narcissistic supervision and employees' change-oriented OCBs, and explores how this relationship is mediated by psychological safety and affective organizational commitment.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data collected from a sample of 183 employee–leader dyads from a technology company in China, the study examines the mediating effects of psychological safety and affective organizational commitment on the relationship between narcissistic supervision and employees' change-oriented OCBs. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data.
Findings
The results indicate that narcissistic supervision has a negative effect on psychological safety and affective organizational commitment; psychological safety mediates the relationship between narcissistic supervision and affective organizational commitment; and affective organizational commitment mediates the relationship between psychological safety and employees' change-oriented OCBs. The results also show that the negative effect of narcissistic supervision on employees' change-oriented OCBs is mediated by psychological safety and subsequently affective organizational commitment.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by linking narcissistic supervision and employees' change-oriented OCBs and suggesting that psychological safety and affective organizational commitment are two critical mediators of this relationship. This study not only advances research on the “dark side” of narcissistic supervision, but also sheds light on the underlying mechanism of narcissistic supervision and employees' change-oriented OCBs from the psychological and emotional perspectives.
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Treena Gillespie Finney, R. Zachary Finney and John G. Roach III
This study investigates whether subordinates who rate their managers higher on narcissism are also more likely to view their managers as abusive. In particular, the study explores…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates whether subordinates who rate their managers higher on narcissism are also more likely to view their managers as abusive. In particular, the study explores the extent to which managers whom subordinates rate higher on narcissism use certain behaviors (self-promotion and unpredictability) that mediate the relationship between narcissism and perceived abuse.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey participants (n = 949) rated their most-destructive manager in terms of self-promotion, unpredictability, narcissism and abusiveness. A bootstrap analysis assessed the positive, mediating effects of leader self-promotion and unpredictability on the narcissism–abuse relationship.
Findings
Degree of perceived supervisor narcissism predicted subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision. However, the supervisor's self-promotion activities and unpredictability fully mediated this relationship.
Research limitations/implications
This study identifies perceived narcissism as an antecedent of abusive supervision and identifies two mediators relevant to subordinates' perceptions of abuse. Using multiple methods and multiple sources, the authors recommend that scholars identify additional mediators. Further research should consider variables such as gender, organizational culture and occupational status.
Practical implications
Findings highlight how subordinates connect supervisor narcissism to abuse; this allows human resource practitioners to better predict and address subordinates' perceptions of their managers and to design interventions for improving supervisors' behaviors.
Originality/value
This study helps in explaining destructive leadership by empirically examining perceptions of narcissism as a driver of abusive supervision. Also, the study reveals the characteristics of narcissistic managers that impede productive relationships with subordinates.
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Dege Liu, Yuanmei Lan and Chaoping Li
Previous research on narcissism and leadership seldom takes into account the leader–subordinate dyadic relationship and ignores the role of subordinate. Drawing on the contextual…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research on narcissism and leadership seldom takes into account the leader–subordinate dyadic relationship and ignores the role of subordinate. Drawing on the contextual reinforcement model of narcissism, the purpose of this study is to explore the joint effects of both leaders’ and their subordinates’ narcissism on the former’s effectiveness through the latter’s perceived relationship conflict with them (RCWL).
Design/methodology/approach
Self-report data were collected from 315 full-time employees using a three-wave survey. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results of this study reveal that although RCWL is higher when leaders’ narcissism is higher along both congruence and incongruence line, RCWL is lower when leaders’ narcissism exceeds that of their subordinates than it falls short of subordinates’ narcissism when both leader’s and subordinate’s narcissism are low. Furthermore, the results of this study also demonstrate that leader–subordinate (in)congruence in narcissism has an indirect influence on the leaders’ effectiveness because of the resulting relationship conflict, and that the response surface of the total effect of joint narcissism on leader effectiveness possesses a convex surface, which demonstrates that leader effectiveness is lower at the median point when compared to the low- and high-level congruence points.
Originality/value
This study not only contributes to fit theory, vertical relational conflict and research on narcissistic leader by simultaneously investigating both leaders’ and subordinates’ narcissism and their joint influence on leader–subordinate relational conflict and leaders’ effectiveness but also offers several practical recommendations for companies to enhance leaders’ effectiveness.
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Jih-Yu Mao, Jing Quan, Jack Ting-Ju Chiang and Tao Qing
A plethora of organizational studies have found employee narcissism to be an unfavorable trait that impedes job functioning. Yet, the elevated confidence and self-assuredness…
Abstract
Purpose
A plethora of organizational studies have found employee narcissism to be an unfavorable trait that impedes job functioning. Yet, the elevated confidence and self-assuredness associated with the narcissistic personality can also drive individuals to show initiative behavior. This paper aims to investigate how and when employees with narcissistic personalities can potentially contribute positively to effective functioning.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 91 supervisors and 273 subordinates in a corporate setting in central China. To account for the nesting effects, multilevel path analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Employee narcissism is positively related to psychological ownership, which in turn is positively related to initiative behavior in the workplace. Furthermore, job meaningfulness moderates the indirect effect of employee narcissism on initiative behavior through psychological ownership. Specifically, the indirect effect is more salient when the employee perceives higher, rather than lower, job meaningfulness.
Originality/value
This study examines how employees with narcissistic personalities can show initiative at work. Specifically, this research uncovers the underlying psychological mechanism as well as the boundary condition that facilitate this process. This study affirms the importance of self-determination for narcissistic employees and sheds light on how these employees can potentially contribute positively to effective functioning. Insights for theory, practice and future research are also discussed.
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Mariam Arif Karrani, Shaker Bani-Melhem, Faridahwati Mohd-Shamsudin, Muhammad Usman and Erhan Boğan
This study aims to utilize Relational Job Design (RJD) theory and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to explore the impact of RJD, particularly its key components – job impact…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to utilize Relational Job Design (RJD) theory and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to explore the impact of RJD, particularly its key components – job impact (JI) and job contact (JC) – on employees’ quiet quitting (QQ) behavior. It also investigates the role of work alienation (WA) as a mediator and examines whether inclusive leadership (IL) has a moderating effect on these proposed relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used paired dyadic surveys to gather data from 166 full-time employees and their immediate supervisors used in service organisations across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study’s moderated mediation model was tested using hierarchical regression and the PROCESS Macro in statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) v.26.
Findings
The results empirically support our hypotheses: RJD (JI and JC) significantly reduces employees’ feelings of WA, thereby decreasing the likelihood of engaging in QQ behaviours. As expected, the study also revealed that IL acts as a moderator by amplifying the detrimental effects of RJD (JI and JC) on feelings of alienation from one’s work, which in turn decreases the likelihood of engaging in QQ behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
This study fills a gap in understanding how relational work design and IL jointly influence unfavourable workplace attitudes and behaviours. It offers a foundation for future studies on QQ in diverse cultural and organisational contexts.
Practical implications
This study provides practical insights for organisations aiming to tackle employee quitting behaviours. Human resource (HR) professionals and leaders should focus on enhancing both JC and JI, while actively fostering IL. These actions are critical for significantly boosting employee engagement, fostering a more motivated and connected workforce and reduce QQ behaviours in the workplace.
Social implications
Although the data in this study were collected from an organisation with multiple branches across the country, the findings may still have limited generalisability to other organisations or industries. While this paper acknowledges this as a limitation, it also presents an opportunity for future research to explore QQ across diverse cultural and organisational contexts. Larger and more varied samples in future studies could provide deeper insights into the prevalence and drivers of QQ in different workplace environments.
Originality/value
This study explores the under-researched phenomenon of QQ, revealing how RJD can mitigate these behaviours. It uncovers new psychological mechanisms, offering actionable insights for management strategies to enhance employee commitment and reduce negative behaviours.