Displaying Narcissism in a Virtual Team

The digital working life affects not only the way employees work, but also the way employees interact within a team. Virtual teamwork is becoming increasingly common, with coworkers often building their initial relationships through online interactions such as social media. This paper examines how disclosure of narcissistic tendencies, such as an inflated self-view and/or sense of entitlement, differentially affect coworker’s initial perceptions of an employee’s warmth and competence as well as influencing coworker behaviours toward the employee. Although being authentic is generally regarded as a positive trait, this research suggests that narcissistic employees should be judicious in what information they disclose when joining a virtual team. While sharing information that suggests inflated self-views may help in establishing the relationship, disclosure of entitlement may have detrimental effects.