Crimes of Character? A Holistic Approach to Dark Triad Traits and Toxic Leadership at the Workplace

Description

Toxic leaders are universally unwanted. Such leaders are often characterized by scoring high on the Dark Triad, consisting of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Research shows that toxic leaders not only negatively impact their direct subordinates' well-being, but also decrease their job performance. When toxic leaders reach the top of the organizational ladder and become CEOs, they can even decrease firm performance, with the effect trickling down from top management to employees. Despite the significant negative impact of the Dark Triad on employees and organizations, to date, it is not known how to deal with toxic leadership. This leaves human resource departments navigating in the dark. The lack of practical approaches is in part due to the majority of research taking a static approach to personality, even though recent findings show that dark personality traits can vary not only between but also within individuals. Thus, the project aims to provide a holistic perspective on the Dark Triad, considering leaders' bright side characteristics, environmental features that might trigger or dampen leaders' dark side, and the impact of interpersonal relations. By taking a dynamic approach to the Dark Triad, this project makes a meaningful contribution to the field, proposing the first theory-driven actions for organizations in the form of a practical tool, the Shadow Compass.

Period	1 Nov 2024 → 31 Oct 2028
Held at	Research Foundation Flanders, Belgium
Degree of Recognition	National