When the dark ones become darker: How promotion focus moderates the effects of the dark triad on supervisor performance ratings

Abstract

SummaryThe current study adds to a growing body of research on dark personality traits by investigating the moderating role of promotion focus on the relationships among dark triad traits and facets of job performance. Specifically, we investigated the effects of the dark triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) on supervisor ratings of performance, and the moderating effect promotion focus has on those effects. Using field data, we surveyed 549 employees from a manufacturing company in the USA and obtained supervisor ratings of task performance and helping behavior for each employee. We found support for multiple hypotheses, which suggests that managers rated narcissistic and psychopathic employees as having poorer task performance and psychopathic employees as engaging in fewer helping behaviors than employees low in those traits. Furthermore, promotion focus strengthened these negative relationships. We did not find these effects for Machiavellianism. Implications of these findings for future dark personality research as well as the practical implications for managers and organizations are discussed.

Career success in the University setting: Examining the role of narcissism facets

“…Whether findings on narcissism are applicable in personnel selection situations has been debated before due to social desirability issues and the resulting difficulty in detecting narcissism in interview situations, as well as ethical concerns (Smith et al 2016;Spain et al 2014). Given the fact that there is little research on narcissism facets and career outcomes, more research in this field is necessary to derive further practical implications.…”

A Moderated Mediation Model: Mediating Mechanism of Workplace Incivility and Moderating Role of Islamic Work Ethics between Dark Triad and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

“…Individuals having a dark personality are not most suitable for the accomplishment of citizenship behaviors, as several meta-analysis and reviews of the literature emphasize on how dark features of personality negatively related to the positive attitude and effectiveness of employees (Mathieu, Mathieu et al, 2014;Michel & Bowling, 2013;Smith et al, 2016;Smith & Lilienfeld, 2013;Webster & Smith, 2019;Wille De Fruyt, & De Clercq, 2013). Few empirical studies evidenced the link of DT with positive behaviors of individuals at the workplace and found a negative association between dark personalities and OCB (Becker & Dan O'Hair, 2007;Blair, Hoffman, & Helland, 2008;Judge & LePine, 2007;Judge et al, 2006;Schütte et al, 2018;Spain et al, 2014) and some studies found no relationship between DT and OCB (Dahling, Whitaker, & Levy, 2009;Webster & Smith, 2019).…”

The Dark Triad and Nascent Entrepreneurship: An Examination of Unproductive versus Productive Entrepreneurial Motives

“…First, the results are expected to shed light on the dark triad as a previously under‐examined set of personality characteristics within the entrepreneurship literature—ones that are not only relevant for vocational and organizational behavior of existing firms (O'Boyle et al ), but that also may have effects on the intentions of individuals to start new ventures (Kets de Vries ). The dark triad has become the leading paradigm for the study of dark personality traits within the fields of psychology (Adrian, Richards, and Paulhus ) and business management research (Smith, Wallace, and Jordan ). Moreover, entrepreneurship scholars have recently pointed to the need for research on dark personality characteristics and how they relate to entrepreneurial entry and performance (DeNisi ; Klotz and Neubaum ; Shepherd ).…”