Distinguishing Between Dark Triad Leaders Using Influence and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Abstract

Current trends in research suggest that the trait approach to leadership is in great peril. Theoretical divergence within personality psychology has generated a schism wherein some researchers claim that broader traits are best for predicting behavior, while others claim that narrower traits are best for predicting behavior. This divergence is herein identified as an argument that has been ongoing for nearly a century. It is argued that both sides have their merits and that the true danger lies in ignoring the other side, with special attention given to arguments that theoretically distinct traits are not distinct. These conceptual arguments are paired with Nicomachean Ethics to invert the dark triad and argue for the utility in distinguishing between how dark triad leaders exercise their leadership and impact their organizations through propensities toward different forms of prosocial behavior.