Written by Ellen Tansony-Luedke and the Research Committee
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychopathic traits, using the triarchic model of psychopathy, and both adaptive and maladaptive workplace behaviours. Briefly, the triarchic model posits that psychopathy can be conceptualized by three distinct but interrelated domains: disinhibition (e.g., difficulties with impulse control and emotion regulation), meanness (e.g., lack of empathy, exploitativeness), and boldness (e.g., fearlessness, social assertiveness). In particular, the researchers (Neo, Sellbom, Smith, & Lilienfeld, 2018) were interested in the role of the ‘boldness’ domain, as it has received less attention in previous studies.
Participants in the study included 343 working community adults. They completed self-report questionnaires to measure psychopathic traits, counterproductive (e.g., sabotage, theft, abuse) and productive (e.g., being a team player, creativity, and problem-solving abilities) workplace behaviors, soft and hard tactics of influence, and leadership styles. Participants also read vignettes containing four business-related scenarios, and two decisions (one ethical and one unethical) associated with each scenario. Participants rated how moral they believed each decision to be on a five-point Likert scale, with 1 representing ‘not at all moral’ and 5 representing ‘extremely moral’. They also rated how likely they would be to engage in that behavior in the workplace, and how likely others would be to engage in that behavior.
The results of the study revealed that those high in disinhibition were more likely to engage in counterproductive work behaviors and engage in a more passive leadership style (i.e., a more ‘hands-off’ style, only responding to mistakes, etc.). Meanness was found to also relate to increased counterproductive work behaviors; however, Neo et al. (2018) indicate that this relationship was reduced after accounting for overlap with disinhibition. Interestingly, the results indicated that meanness served to moderate the relationship between disinhibition and counterproductive workplace behaviors; having a high score on both the meanness and disinhibition domains was related to very high levels of counterproductive workplace behaviors. Meanness was also found to be the only personality trait to individually predict unethical decision-making. Those high in meanness were found to be more likely to use hard tactics (e.g., using assertiveness/pressure, legitimizing a request, etc.).
In contrast, those high in boldness were more likely to report the use of soft tactics (e.g., using compliments), which are generally considered to be more constructive and prosocial. Boldness was found to predict the use of an adaptive leadership style (i.e., use of a transformational approach such as using inspirational motivation or considering others as individuals, or a transactional approach which typically utilizes reward and punishment). Boldness also predicted decreased use of a passive leadership style. With respect to being a team player, the results of the study revealed that the boldness domain predicted higher levels of being a team player, whereas meanness predicted lower levels of being a team player.
Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that psychopathic traits in the workplace can manifest in many different ways, and that the relationship between psychopathy and workplace behavior is complex. Meanness and disinhibition were found to be more associated with counterproductive workplace behaviors; however, the kinds of behaviors that are predicted by each of these traits were different. On the other hand, boldness was found to relate to some productive workplace behaviors. Neo et al. (2018) note that their results suggest different combinations of psychopathic traits may predict certain levels or types of behavior. For future research, the researchers suggest that findings could be examined across different cultures, and perhaps using a measure of psychopathy and/or workplace behavior that is not self-report.
Reference: Neo, M., Sellbom, M., Smith, S. F., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2018). Of boldness and badness: Insights into workplace malfeasance from a triarchic psychopathy model perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 149, 187-205.
