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Of Boldness and Badness: Insights into Workplace Malfeasance from a Triarchic Psychopathy Model Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Bryan Neo

    (The Australian National University)

  • Martin Sellbom

    (The Australian National University
    University of Otago)

  • Sarah F. Smith

    (Emory University)

  • Scott O. Lilienfeld

    (Emory University)

Abstract

Research has shown that individuals with high levels of psychopathic personality traits are likely to cause harm to others in the workplace. However, there is little academic literature on the potentially adaptive outcomes of corporate psychopathy, particularly because the “boldness” psychopathy domain has largely been under-acknowledged in this literature. This study aimed to elaborate on past findings by examining the associations between psychopathy, as operationalized using scales from the relatively new triarchic model of psychopathy (boldness, meanness, and disinhibition), and both adaptive and maladaptive workplace behaviors. Participants were 343 working community adults who completed a series of self-report questionnaires that measured psychopathy and various workplace behaviors, including counterproductive work behaviors (CWB), tactics of influence, unethical decision-making, leadership strategies, team play, and creativity. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the associations between latent constructs of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, and the eight different constructs related to workplace behaviors. It was found that boldness preferentially predicted the use of soft tactics of influence, adaptive leadership, and team play, and negatively predicted passive leadership. Meanness predicted unethical decision-making, poor team play, and hard tactics of influence. Disinhibition positively predicted CWB and passive leadership. Meanness also moderated the association between disinhibition and CWB, in that greater scores on both psychopathy domains indicated greater levels of CWB. These findings provide conceptual support for the triarchic model, including the “boldness” domain, which measures adaptive aspects of psychopathy in addition to maladaptive ones, as well as suggest that not all individuals high on psychopathy would be an overt menace to the workplace. The different psychopathy traits may also interact with each other to predict different types or levels of workplace behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Bryan Neo & Martin Sellbom & Sarah F. Smith & Scott O. Lilienfeld, 2018. "Of Boldness and Badness: Insights into Workplace Malfeasance from a Triarchic Psychopathy Model Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 187-205, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:149:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3108-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3108-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Clive Boddy, 2014. "Corporate Psychopaths, Conflict, Employee Affective Well-Being and Counterproductive Work Behaviour," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(1), pages 107-121, April.
    2. Dan Chiaburu & Gonzalo Muñoz & Richard Gardner, 2013. "How to Spot a Careerist Early On: Psychopathy and Exchange Ideology as Predictors of Careerism," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 473-486, December.
    3. Clive Boddy, 2011. "Corporate Psychopaths, Bullying and Unfair Supervision in the Workplace," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(3), pages 367-379, May.
    4. Alasdair Marshall & Melanie Ashleigh & Denise Baden & Udechukwu Ojiako & Marco Guidi, 2015. "Corporate Psychopathy: Can ‘Search and Destroy’ and ‘Hearts and Minds’ Military Metaphors Inspire HRM Solutions?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 495-504, May.
    5. Clive Boddy, 2011. "The Corporate Psychopaths Theory of the Global Financial Crisis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 255-259, August.
    6. Clive Boddy & Richard Ladyshewsky & Peter Galvin, 2010. "The Influence of Corporate Psychopaths on Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational Commitment to Employees," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(1), pages 1-19, November.
    7. Gregory Stevens & Jacqueline Deuling & Achilles Armenakis, 2012. "Successful Psychopaths: Are They Unethical Decision-Makers and Why?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 105(2), pages 139-149, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ioanna Giannoukou, 2023. "Personality Traits and Charismatic Leader: An Innovative Perspective on Leadership," Technium Business and Management, Technium Science, vol. 6(1), pages 105-125.
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    3. Anna Sutton & Maree Roche & Madeleine Stapleton & Anja Roemer, 2020. "Can Psychopathy Be Adaptive at Work? Development and Application of a Work Focused Self- and Other-Report Measure of the Triarchic Psychopathy Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-17, June.

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