Narcissistic Leaders and Their Effect on Employee Work Attitudes

Abstract

This study investigates the narcissistic tendencies of top leaders and immediate supervisors as perceived by organizational members. In a sample of 420 working adults (307 female, 112 male, and 1 other), an Exploratory Factor Analysis supported our hypothesis that employee perceptions of narcissistic tendencies coalesce into productive and non-productive factors. The impact of narcissistic tendencies on the work attitudes of job satisfaction and turnover intentions also were examined. The results show several meaningful effects of non-productive narcissistic tendencies on work attitudes but minimal effects of productive narcissistic tendencies on work attitudes. The findings also reveal that results vary by gender and position within the organization.