Leader Narcissism and Employee Organizational Citizenship Behavior Directed Toward the Leader: Roles of Perceived Insider Status and Need for Self-Esteem.

Huaqiang Wang,Yue Dong,Miao Wang,Geng Liu

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.747330

Abstract

Based on self-concept theory, the present study proposed and empirically tested the impact of leader narcissism on employee organizational citizenship behavior directed toward the leader (OCB-L), highlighting the mediating role of perceived insider status and the moderating role of need for self-esteem in this relationship. Based on an analysis of 161 two-stage matched leader-employee dyads, the hypotheses were tested and the results showed that the leader narcissism had a negative direct effect on employee OCB-L, as well as a negative indirect effect on employee OCB-L via perceived insider status. Furthermore, the need for self-esteem was found to moderate the negative effect of leader narcissism on perceived insider status as well as the mediating effect of perceived insider status between leader narcissism and employee OCB-L. The theoretical and practical implications of our research were discussed. Limitations and directions for future research were also offered.

Highlights

Narcissism is a personal trait that encompasses grandiosity, self-love, arrogance, self-absorption, entitlement, and an inflated self-view (Rosenthal and Pittinsky, 2006; Campbell et al, 2011)
The results revealed that perceived insider status had a complete mediating effect between leader narcissism and employee organizational citizenship behavior directed toward the leader (OCB-L)
The mediating effect of perceived insider status on the relationship between leader narcissism and employee organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs)-L was stronger for employees with a high need for self-esteem than for employees with a low need for self-esteem

Summary

Introduction

Narcissism is a personal trait that encompasses grandiosity, self-love, arrogance, self-absorption, entitlement, and an inflated self-view (Rosenthal and Pittinsky, 2006; Campbell et al, 2011). Some successful business “stars,” such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jack Welch, who to some extent all have narcissistic personalities, have been labeled as narcissistic leaders by the media (Visser et al, 2017). Leader narcissism has gradually become a hot topic in the field of organizational research and has been an issue of wide concern in the academic community (O’Boyle et al, 2012; Owens et al, 2015). Given that leader narcissism has been shown to substantially impact employees (O’Boyle et al, 2012), there is growing interest in identifying its specific effects. Prior studies have focused on the effects of leader narcissism on employees’ job performance

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Discussion

Conclusion