ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R
主办:中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2024, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (9): 1463-1487.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2024.01463

• Meta-Analysis • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Woe-fortune interdependence: A meta-analysis of the two-sided effect of narcissistic leadership on subordinates’ work efficiency

SU Tao, ZENG Haowen, ZHONG Xiaolin, MA Wencong(), CHEN Xiude   

  1. School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China
  • Received:2023-11-07 Online:2024-09-15 Published:2024-06-26

Abstract:

With the emergence of leaders with narcissistic personality in enterprises, scholars have gradually turned their attention to the role of narcissism in leadership. However, there are many disputes about the effectiveness of narcissistic leadership on subordinates’ effectiveness, and no consensus has been reached. Therefore, it is important and necessary to use the meta-analysis system to explore the specific relationship between narcissistic leadership and subordinate effectiveness, the process mechanism of action, and the boundary conditions of effectiveness.

Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study conducted a meta-analysis of 73 independent empirical studies (total sample of 30493) on the relationship between narcissistic leadership and subordinate effectiveness in order to obtain phased conclusions. Specifically, the system clarifies the effect of narcissistic leadership on subordinate effectiveness and its degree of influence, explores the internal mechanism of the relationship between narcissistic leadership and subordinate effectiveness, and studies the regulatory role of many situational factors and demographic characteristics. Through publication bias test, main effect test, mediating effect test, adjustment test and other analysis steps, this study obtained the following periodic conclusions.

First of all, narcissistic leadership has a two-sided effect, which is manifested in that it will inhibit subordinates’ work attitude, behavior and performance, increase their work pressure, but promote subordinates’ innovation. The study found that although the overall effect of narcissistic leadership is negative, it does have a double-sided effect. On the one hand, it is harmful to subordinates’ work attitude, workplace behavior and work performance, and will increase subordinates’ work pressure. On the other hand, it is beneficial to subordinates’ innovation. Among the specific indicators, narcissistic leadership has a greater impact on subordinate organizational cynicism and knowledge sharing behavior, and has a prominent positive impact on subordinate innovation. The study comprehensively and systematically clarifies the two-sided effect of narcissistic leadership and its specific impact on the effectiveness of the five major categories of subordinates, and answers the question of ‘whether narcissistic leadership truly exhibit an interdependence of fortune and misfortune’.

Secondly, industry type, organizational attributes, employee category, employee education and measurement tools can significantly regulate the relationship between narcissistic leadership and subordinates’ work results. Specifically: (1) Compared with the service industry, narcissistic leadership has a stronger negative impact on manufacturing. (2) Compared with non-profit organizations, narcissistic leadership is more destructive to subordinates’ work efficiency in for-profit organizations. (3) Compared with knowledge workers, narcissistic leadership is more harmful to non-knowledge workers. (4) Compared with highly educated employees, narcissistic leadership is more harmful to low-educated employees. (5) Compared with the NPI-16 scale, the negative impact of using the Hochwarter and Thompson scales to measure narcissistic leadership is stronger. In general, narcissistic leadership is particularly harmful to non-knowledge-based low-educated employees in manufacturing enterprises, and its negative impact is stronger when using Hochwarter and Thompson scales to measure narcissistic leadership. This finding fully explains the boundary mechanism of the relationship between narcissistic leadership and subordinates’ work efficiency, and also answers the question of ‘when is narcissistic leadership exhibit an interdependence of fortune and misfortune’.

Finally, the two-sided effect of narcissistic leadership is stably realized through employees’ psychological safety and innovative self-efficacy. It exerts a negative effect by affecting employees’ psychological safety, that is, it negatively affects subordinates’ work attitude, behavior and performance, and exerts a positive effect by affecting employees’ innovative self-efficacy, that is, it promotes innovation. The study found that narcissistic leadership produces a double-sided effect through two paths: cognition (psychological safety) and motivation (self-efficacy). This finding reveals the ‘black box’ of the formation process of the double-sided effect of narcissistic leadership, and also answers the question of ‘how narcissistic leadership exhibit an interdependence of fortune and misfortune’. The research provides a basis for developing the effectiveness of narcissistic leadership.

Key words: narcissistic leadership, meta-analysis, conservation of resources theory, innovation, SEM

CLC Number: