Can Dark Triad Traits in Leaders Be Associated with Positive Outcomes of Transformational Leadership

Research that combines dark triad traits and positive leadership styles or outcomes is welcome but still scarce. A quasi-experimental study investigated the mediating role of transformational leadership in linking dark triad leader traits with followers’ extra effort, leadership effectiveness, satisfaction with a leader and the moderating role of culture to these relationships. The moderated mediation model was tested with data from 189 respondents (109 from Lithuania and 80 from Turkey). Participants were asked to answer sociodemographic questions, read one out of five scenarios with hypothetical leaders, and rate those leaders with Dirty Dozen and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaires. Results showed that transformational leadership mediated the relationships for dark triad leader traits with followers’ extra effort, leadership effectiveness and satisfaction with a leader. Conditional indirect effects of a leader’s dark triad traits on three leadership outcomes (followers’ extra effort, leadership effectiveness and satisfaction with a leader) were significant only for Lithuanians. Negative traits were related to less positive outcomes through lower transformational leadership. This effect was stronger in the Lithuanian sample.
Istraživanja koja kombiniraju osobine tamne trijade i pozitivne stilove ili ishode vodstva poželjna su, ali još uvijek rijetka. Medijatorska uloga transformacijskoga vodstva u povezivanju osobina tamne trijade kod vođe s dodatnim naporima sljedbenika, učinkovitošću vodstva i zadovoljstvom vođom te moderirajuća uloga kulture u tim odnosima provjerena je kvazieksperimentalnim nacrtom. Model moderirane medijacije testiran je s podacima prikupljenima na 189 ispitanika (109 iz Litve i 80 iz Turske). Sudionici su odgovorili na sociodemografska pitanja, pročitali jedan od pet scenarija s opisom hipotetskih vođa i ocijenili vođe pomoću upitnika Prljavih dvanaest i Višefaktorskoga upitnika rukovođenja. Prema dobivenim je rezultatima transformacijsko vodstvo posredovalo u odnosima osobina tamne trijade kod vođe s dodatnim naporima sljedbenika, učinkovitošću vodstva i zadovoljstvom vođom. Uvjetni neizravni učinci osobina tamne trijade kod vođe na tri ishoda vodstva (dodatni napori sljedbenika, učinkovitost vodstva i zadovoljstvo vođom) bili su značajni samo za Litavce. Negativne osobine bile su povezane s manje pozitivnim ishodima kroz niže transformacijsko vodstvo. Taj je učinak bio jači u uzorku sudionika iz Litve.