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How do leaders react when treated unfairly? Leader narcissism and self-interested behavior in response to unfair treatment

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  • Liu, Haiyang
  • Chiang, Jack Ting-Ju
  • Fehr, Ryan
  • Xu, Minya
  • Wang, Siting

Abstract

In this article we employ a trait activation framework to examine how unfairness perceptions influence narcissistic leaders’ self-interested behavior, and the downstream implications of these effects for employees’ pro-social and voice behaviors. Specifically, we propose that narcissistic leaders are particularly likely to engage in self-interested behavior when they perceive that their organizations treat them unfairly, and that this self-interested behavior in turn decreases followers’ pro-social behavior and voice. Data from a multisource, time-lagged survey of 211 team leaders and 1,205 subordinates provided support for the hypothesized model. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Haiyang & Chiang, Jack Ting-Ju & Fehr, Ryan & Xu, Minya & Wang, Siting, 2017. "How do leaders react when treated unfairly? Leader narcissism and self-interested behavior in response to unfair treatment," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 88208, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:88208
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/88208/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Carnevale, Joel & Huang, Lei & Harms, Peter, 2018. "Speaking up to the “emotional vampire”: A conservation of resources perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 48-59.
    2. Stijn Decoster & Jeroen Stouten & Thomas M. Tripp, 2021. "When Employees Retaliate Against Self-Serving Leaders: The Influence of the Ethical Climate," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 195-213, January.
    3. Xin Liu & Lin Zhang & Abhinav Gupta & Xiaoming Zheng & Changqi Wu, 2022. "Upper echelons and intra‐organizational learning: How executive narcissism affects knowledge transfer among business units," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(11), pages 2351-2381, November.
    4. Theresa Fehn & Astrid Schütz, 2021. "What You Get is What You See: Other-Rated but not Self-Rated Leaders’ Narcissistic Rivalry Affects Followers Negatively," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(3), pages 549-566, December.
    5. Jing Chen & Zhe Zhang & Ming Jia, 2021. "How CEO narcissism affects corporate social responsibility choice?," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 897-924, September.
    6. Carnevale, Joel B. & Huang, Lei & Harms, Peter D., 2018. "Leader consultation mitigates the harmful effects of leader narcissism: A belongingness perspective," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 76-84.
    7. Jiang, Wan & Wang, Linlin & Chu, Zhaofang & Zheng, Chundong, 2019. "Does leader turnover intention hinder team innovation performance? The roles of leader self-sacrificial behavior and empathic concern," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 261-270.
    8. Jian Peng & Zhen Wang & Xiao Chen, 2019. "Does Self-Serving Leadership Hinder Team Creativity? A Moderated Dual-Path Model," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(2), pages 419-433, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    narcissism; unfairness; self-interested behavior; pro-social behavior; voice;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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