Abstract:

The potential negative effects of destructive leadership behaviors on the organization can not be ignored. However, little research and theory development has addressed such behaviors. The purpose of this research is twofold: (1) to explore the construct of destructive leadership and develop a corresponding measure of it using simultaneously qualitative methods and quantitative methods in the Chinese organizational context, and (2) to explore the antecedents of destructive leadership behaviors with longitudinal research which collected “supervisor-employee” paired data and analyzed data with several statistical methods including structural equation modeling, multiple regression analysis and hierarchical linear modeling technique. Three sub-studies are conducted in this research: (1) scale development and construct clarification of destructive leadership in the Chinese organizational context; (2) the antecedents of destructive leadership: a cross-level longitudinal research based on double perspectives of individual characteristics and organizational context; (3) the antecedents of destructive leadership: a longitudinal research based on perspective of subordinates’ characteristics. The results of this research are not only helpful to clarify the connotation and construct of destructive leadership, and recognize and measure the destructive leadership behaviors in the Chinese organizational context, but also beneficial to reveal the effects of individual characteristics on destructive leadership behaviors, and find out the factors of organizational context and subordinates’ characteristics which induce destructive leadership behaviors.

Key words: destructive leadership, scale development, individual characteristics, subordinates' characteristics, organizational context