Despotic Leadership Research Articles

Unraveling the Dark Side of Leadership Tactics: The Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Ethical Climate from the Despotic Leadership’s Perspective

Unraveling the Dark Side of Leadership Tactics: The Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Ethical Climate from the Despotic Leadership’s Perspective

The Mediating Role of Employee Voice between Despotic Leadership, Psychological Empowerment and Employee Performance

This research effort aims to address the indispensable factor of employee voice, which impacts employee behavior and causes negative emotions. Despotic leadership is a crucial constituent of the workplace and impedes performance-related outcomes. Psychological empowerment facilitates positive behavioral outcomes, including employee voice and performance. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by explaining the role of employee voice in despotic leadership, psychological empowerment and employee performance. The banking sector of Pakistan is one of the remarkable sectors that provides employment and financial services, but it faces various controversial employee issues including leadership, psychological, and behavioral issues that impede performance. This research paper contributes to bridging the research gap in explaining how employee performance is influenced by despotic leadership and psychological empowerment with the mediation role of employee voice. Despotic leadership is an essential element in determining the working environment; psychological empowerment is important for employees’ behavior that predicts employee performance. Most importantly, employee voice has central importance in at the workplace that predicts and impacts employee performance. employee voice creates the working environment that the firm desires. The mediating role of employee voice tends to establish the relationship between despotic leadership, psychological empowerment and employee performance. The current paper focuses on front-line employees of bank in Punjab, as data was collected by employing a simple random sampling technique; the sample size was 310 employees from different banks in different cities. The collected data was later analyzed on Smart-PLS 4.0 for relationship assessment. The results depicted that despotic leadership negatively impacts employee voice and employee performance, while psychological empowerment positively influences employee voice and employee performance and is mediated by employee voice. Limitations and future research recommendations are given in the conclusion section.

Nexus between Despotic Leadership, Faculty Performance, and Faculty Behavior: A Case of a Pakistani Public University

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of despotic leadership on the output of university faculty members. The study was conducted by using a mixed methods technique in accordance with the pragmatism paradigm. The population of the study was the 74 permanent faculty members of the one Public Sector University's two campuses located in Lahore, Pakistan. A semi-structured interview protocol was used to interview 15 faculty members through a convenient sampling technique. Thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative data, while descriptive analysis percentage (%) and frequency(f) were used to examine the quantitative data. The results demonstrate that faculty members may become uncomfortable and agitated due to the hostile behavior of the HODs, which could lead to a negative work environment and a decreased desire to share ideas. The unfavorable work environment and decreased job satisfaction are caused by the bad behavior of HODs. The HODs' menacing actions have a clear detrimental impact on staff members' performance, foster a hostile work atmosphere, and jeopardize faculty members' mental health. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that HODs should behave civilly toward faculty members. The HODs could also receive leadership training from the experts.

Effect of Despotic Leadership Style on Employee Job Satisfaction at University Level A Mediating Role of Workplace Deviance Behaviour

Effect of Despotic Leadership Style on Employee Job Satisfaction at University Level A Mediating Role of Workplace Deviance Behaviour

When despotic leadership is more detrimental for employee job outcomes? Role of individual-level power distance orientation

PurposeUsing social exchange and power-dependence theories, this study advances the emergent debate on the dark side of leadership by examining the impact of despotic leadership style on employees’ supervisor-rated job performance, job satisfaction and turnover intention with individual-level power distance orientation as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachWe collected multisource and time-lagged survey data in two waves from 65 leaders and 300 subordinates as paired responses working in different banks, telecom and IT companies.FindingsIt was found that employees’ exposure to despotic leadership harms their job performance and job satisfaction and has a positive effect on their turnover intention. In line with our prediction, low power distance orientation employees react more strongly to despotic leadership while high power distance orientation mitigates its effects on employee job outcomes.Practical implicationsDespotic behavioral tendencies must be taken into consideration while selecting and appointing leaders. Organizational leaders should also refrain from opportunistic and exploitative use of their followers' efforts.Originality/valueThis study adds to the emerging literature on the dark side of leadership by examining the relationship of despotic leadership style with employee job outcomes. The unique contribution of this study is the examination of individual-level power distance orientation as the boundary condition of these relationships.

Influential individuals can promote prosocial practices in heterogeneous societies: a mathematical and agent-based model.

In this paper, we examine how different governance types impact prosocial behaviors in a heterogenous society. We construct a general theoretical framework to examine a game-theoretic model to assess the ease of achieving a cooperative outcome. We then build a dynamic agent-based model to examine three distinct governance types in a heterogenous population: monitoring one's neighbors, despotic leadership, and influencing one's neighbors to adapt strategies that lead to better fitness. In our research, we find that while despotic leadership may lead towards high prosociality and high returns it does not exceed the effects of a local individual who can exert positive influence in the community. This may suggest that greater individual gains can be had by cooperating and that global hierarchical leadership may not be essential as long as influential individuals exert their influence for public good and not for public ill.

Abusive, arrogant and exploitative? Linking despotic leadership and adaptive performance: the role of Islamic work ethics

PurposeThis study aims to theoretically discuss and empirically test the mediating mechanism of psychological distress and the moderating effects of Islamic work ethics (IWE) in the relationship between despotic leadership and adaptive performance.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave survey was used to gather the data from middle managers and their supervisors of construction firms in Pakistan. The final sample consisted of 304 respondents and data analysis was performed through SEM analysis.FindingsDespotic leadership enhances employees’ psychological distress which results in a negative impact on adaptive performance. In addition, IWE played a buffering role in mitigating the harmful impacts of despotic leadership on adaptive performance.Originality/valueThe study is among the pioneers that have investigated how despotic leadership impacts employees’ adaptive performance via the underlying mechanism of psychological distress through the conservation of resources and social exchange theory lens.

Despotic Leadership and Employee Behavioral Outcomes: Unveiling the Relationship through the Mediation of Psychological Distress

Leadership, behavioral outcomes, and employee behavior. The mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between despotic leadership and employee behavioral outcomes was investigated by analyzing data from 380 employees in the banking sector using regression analysis and correlation studies. The findings indicate that despotic leadership is significantly positively correlated with both turnover intention and psychological distress. Conversely, employee deviant behavior was negatively correlated with both despotic leadership and psychological distress. The results of the current study disclosed that psychological distress serves as a mediator in the relationship between despotic leadership and employee behavioral outcomes. In conclusion, this investigation underscores the detrimental effects of despotic leadership on the overall performance of organizations and the well-being of employees. It emphasizes the importance of fostering leadership styles that are empowering and beneficial in the workplace. However, the investigation acknowledges the limitations of its numerical methodology and suggests additional research directions.

Assessing the Spillover Effect of Despotic Leadership on an Employee’s Personal Life in the Form of Family Incivility: Serial Mediation of Psychological Distress and Emotional Exhaustion

Assessing the Spillover Effect of Despotic Leadership on an Employee’s Personal Life in the Form of Family Incivility: Serial Mediation of Psychological Distress and Emotional Exhaustion

The effects of servant leadership and despotic leadership on employees’ happiness at work (HAW): the role of job crafting

PurposeDrawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to examine the effects of servant leadership and despotic leadership on employees’ happiness at work (HAW) through job crafting.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypothesized relationships, the data were collected from 309 Pakistani employees. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings showed that servant leadership is an optimal leadership style for creating employees’ HAW. In addition, job crafting was found to mediate the effects of servant leadership on employees’ broad-based positive attitudinal outcome (HAW). Moreover, results showed that despotic leadership negatively influences employees’ HAW through job crafting.Originality/valueThis study is novel as it investigates how newer forms of positive (servant) and negative (despotic) leadership styles influence employees’ multidimensional attitudinal outcome (HAW) via job crafting. By doing so, this research extends the nomological network of servant leadership, despotic leadership, job crafting and HAW.

Health hazards in sports: Exploring the influence of despotic leadership and perceived organizational politics on well-being

In recent years, the concept of despotic leadership has garnered considerable attention in sports. Despotic leadership significantly reflecting leaders' deviant behavior has today heightened the risk of health hazards in the workplace. In addition, the perceived organizational politics have also yielded a deleterious result on employees’ well-being. In the dynamic landscape of healthcare, understanding the implications of organizational behavior on well-being is paramount for risk management. This study elucidates the relationships between despotic leadership, perceived organizational politics, workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion, person-organization unfit, and health harm, which can pose significant risks in a healthcare setting. The quantitative study was conducted using an empirical survey with respondents representing sports organizations. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data from 429 participants using Smart PLS. The study findings suggest that despotic leadership and perceived organizational politics can lead to increased risks, manifested as workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion, and person-organization unfit. These organizational risks subsequently translate to tangible health harm for employees. Mediation analyses revealed that workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion, and person-organization unfit mediate the detrimental health outcomes rooted in leadership and organizational politics. The study underscores the urgent need for risk management strategies to foster a healthier organizational culture and leadership approach in healthcare settings. This will ensure enhanced employee well-being and a reduction in associated health risks, thus aligning with best practices in healthcare policy.

NEXUSES BETWEEN LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS & EMPLOYEES’ ENGAGEMENT: MEDIATING ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY

The primary aim of this research is to investigate the effect of despotic and transformational leadership on employee engagement through mediating role of self-efficacy as the researchers used quantitative research methods. The population of this research includes managerial-level employees of the banking sector in Pakistan. The sample-size of the current study was 350 managerial-level employees working in the conventional banks in Pakistan. The researcher used a questionnaire to collect data from respondents. The findings indicated that despotic leadership has a significant and negative effect on employee engagement. Furthermore, the findings indicated that transformational leadership has significant and positive effect on employee engagement. Moreover, the self-efficacy mediates the relationship between despotic leadership & employee engagement. Lastly, self-efficacy mediates relationship amid transformational leadership and employee engagement. The findings of study are consistent with the findings of previous research and have implications for managers and other relevant stakeholders along with certin clues for future researchers for revisiting the research issues in different contexts.

How and when do perceptions of supervisor evasive knowledge hiding escalate into diminished job performance?

AbstractDrawing from social exchange theory, this study investigates how and when supervisor evasive knowledge hiding might lead to lower job performance by employees. The hypotheses were tested with three‐round survey data, collected among employees and peers in various industries. Employees' perceptions that their supervisor engages in deceptive knowledge hiding undermine their own performance‐enhancing efforts because they develop career plateau beliefs; this explanatory role is particularly salient among employees exposed to despotic leadership. This study pinpoints a notable risk for employees who feel upset when they believe a despotic supervisor is intentionally concealing knowledge: They grow disappointed with their career situation, which prompts them to adopt complacent behavioral responses that likely render it even more challenging to access valuable supervisor knowledge.

Impact of Despotic Leadership on Workplace Incivility: Serial Mediation of Stress and Emotional Exhaustion

Purpose: Considering the importance of despotic leadership to employees’ negative outcomes, this study explored how despotic leadership affects workplace incivility. Drawing on the dark side of leadership, the current study conceptualizes a model to explore the mechanism underlining the despotic leadership and workplace incivility relationship.
 Design/Methodology: A cross-lagged survey approach was employed to collect data from 249 employees through questionnaires from Pakistan’s healthcare sector. Model based on structural equation was employed for data analysis.
 Findings: Results of the study indicate that employees working in the health sector perceive incivility as a foremost consequence of despotic leadership, stress and emotional exhaustion.
 Originality: This research painted a more comprehensive picture of despotic leadership and workplace incivility relationship in the health sector. We conclude that leveraging the bright side while acknowledging the dark side of leadership is an appropriate coping strategy to deal with workplace incivility. The aim of this study is to understand relationship between despotic leadership (DL) and workplace incivility (WI) with serial mediation of stress and emotional exhaustion (EE) in healthcare sector. The study strives to present empirical evidence for negative impact of DL on WI and its toll on employee performance.

Retraction notice: A bitter pill to swallow: the model of despotic leadership, bullying behavior, emotional intelligence and well-being

Retraction notice: A bitter pill to swallow: the model of despotic leadership, bullying behavior, emotional intelligence and well-being

Unraveling the link between innovative work behavior and despotic leadership: the roles of supervisor conflict and dispositional resistance to change trait

PurposeThis paper aims to probe the prevailing belief that engaging in innovative work behavior (IWB) will invariably lead to favorable outcomes. To do so, the paper integrates followership theory and cognitive dissonance theory to investigate the connection between employees’ IWB and despotic leadership, and the mediating role of interpersonal conflict with the supervisor in this connection. Moreover, the moderating impact of the supervisor’s dispositional resistance to change trait on the direct and indirect relationship between IWB and despotic leadership is explored.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through a multi-wave survey of 350 employees and 81 supervisors working in 81 public schools.FindingsThe findings show that IWB has a positive and significant relationship with despotic leadership, and this relationship is mediated by interpersonal conflict with the supervisor.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the link between IWB and despotic leadership via interpersonal/dyadic conflict and explores the moderating effect of leadership dispositional resistance to change trait in this indirect relationship.

When Leaders and Followers Match: Unveiling the Nexus Between Despotic Leadership, Supervisor–Employee Value Congruence, and Organizational Deviance—Evidence From Egypt

Introduction Leadership style and employee behavior has long been a topic of interest in organizational research. Objectives To explore levels of despotic leadership, supervisor–employee value congruence, and organizational deviance among the studied nurses. Furthermore, to explore the connection between the three variables. Methods The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative design. The researchers used three tools as follows: the despotic leadership survey, an organizational deviance scale, and a perceived supervisor–employee value congruence scale. The first of April 2023 to the first of July 2023 were the 3 months that were used to collect the data from 250 nurses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Mann–Whitney U test. Results Nurses perceived a moderate level of despotic leadership as mean ± SD, 16.80 ± 3.01, also a moderate level for organizational deviance (30.63 ± 4.65). The studied nurses perceived a moderate level of supervisor–employee value congruence (10.93 ± 1.32) Furthermore, there is a solid positive significant relationship between despotic leadership and organizational deviance where p = .001. There is a negative significant relationship between despotic leadership and supervisor–employee value congruence where p = .001. Also, there is a negative significant relationship between organizational deviance and supervisor–employee value congruence where p = .001. Conclusion Nurse managers need to retain leaders to inspire subordinates’ uncluttered communication networks, stirring nurses’ partaking in nursing committees’ assemblies, and decision-making. Hospital administrators ought to focus more on the role that value congruence plays as a buffer for subordinates who exhibit organizational deviance and high levels of mistrust. Strategies should be employed to create and maintain value congruence and reinforce desired nondeviant behaviors to foster a positive work environment.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND TEACHER MOTIVATION IN PORTUGUESE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: THE MODERATE ROLE OF COMMITMENT

In the current educational context, transformations are continuous, and the ethical dimension of leadership has become one of the main concerns of school cluster directors, given its direct influence on teachers' motivation. This study, conducted with a sample of 204 teachers from Portuguese public schools, aimed to investigate the relationship between ethical leadership, motivation, and commitment. The results revealed that ethical leadership is positively correlated with intrinsic motivation and organizational commitment. On the other hand, despotic leadership exhibits a negative correlation with organizational commitment and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, it was found that commitment plays a mediating role in the effect of ethical leadership on teachers' intrinsic motivation. These findings underscore the importance of promoting ethical leadership in schools, not only to foster teachers' motivation but also to strengthen their commitment to the institution. Conversely, the need to avoid despotic practices is emphasized, as they can adversely affect not only teachers' motivation but also their commitment to the educational organization. These conclusions further highlight, as future research avenues, the importance of promoting ethical leadership in educational institutions to ensure a healthy and productive work environment for teachers.

The Impact of Despotic Leadership on Perceived Exploitation Among Health Workers: Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Perceived Organizational Support

The Impact of Despotic Leadership on Perceived Exploitation Among Health Workers: Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Perceived Organizational Support

Understanding the Despotic Leadership and Perception of Politics in relation to Employee Outcome: A Systematic Literature Review

Since the turn of the millennium, the dark side of leadership is increasing scholarly attention both in general and specific contexts. Every organization may try to either reduce or exaggerate the prevalence and impact of despotic leadership and perception of politics. It is therefore pertinent to explore antecedents and outcomes of despotic leadership and POP and their relationship at the workplace. The purpose of this research is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the academic literature addressing despotic leadership and the perception of politics (POP) inside organizations broadly. A total of 108 papers from 99 peer-reviewed journals met the criteria after a comprehensive and methodical search. Using what they've learned about despotic leadership behavior and how people see politics in general, the researchers rely on previous work on both topics before integrating them into their own theoretical framework. As a result of their efforts, a thorough framework is established, which classifies the sources cited and describes the causes and effects of POP and despotic leadership. This research lays the groundwork for further studies in the area by offering a critical review of the existing literature on despotic leadership and how people perceive organization politics.