Shedding Light on Leaders’ Self-Interest: Theory and Measurement of Exploitative Leadership

Abstract

A leader behaving in a way that is exceedingly self-interested and exploitative of others is a recurring notion in destructive leadership but also an unexplored aspect that warrants further scrutiny. In this article, we introduce the concept of “exploitative leadership,” which is mainly characterized by high levels of leader self-interest. In a total of six studies (total N = 1,722), we develop a scale to measure the construct, establish its psychometric properties, consider the nomological validity of exploitative leadership by examining its linkages with related leadership constructs, and establish discriminant and convergent validity. Finally, we analyze the relations between exploitative leadership and follower outcomes, considering individual-level as well as team-level effects. By extending the range of theoretical and measureable behaviors leaders may show, we hope to allow research to take into account a more complete picture of destructive leadership.

Different Shades—Different Effects? Consequences of Different Types of Destructive Leadership

“…This refers to repeated hostile and aggressive yet nonphysical behaviors toward followers (Tepper, 2000). One of the most recent constructs describes a more prevalent form: exploitative leadership (Schmid et al, 2017) refers to genuinely self-interested leader behaviors, such as using followers for personal gain and taking credit for followers' work. Other researchers have pointed to destructive leader behaviors such as accepting bribes, stealing, or making personal use of company property (Einarsen et al, 2007; Thoroughgood et al, 2012).…”

“…Recently, Schmid et al (2017) have introduced the concept of exploitative leadership to describe a prevalent leadership behavior that targets the followers but is not inherently hostile or aggressive. Exploitative leadership describes behaviors “with the primary intention to further the leader's self-interest by exploiting others, reflected in five dimensions: genuine egoistic behaviors, taking credit, exerting pressure, undermining development, and manipulating” (Schmid et al, 2017, p. 26).…”

“…Exploitative leadership describes behaviors “with the primary intention to further the leader's self-interest by exploiting others, reflected in five dimensions: genuine egoistic behaviors, taking credit, exerting pressure, undermining development, and manipulating” (Schmid et al, 2017, p. 26). Self-interested behaviors, such as taking credit for followers' work or undermining the development of followers to benefit the leader, are low in regard to hostility.…”

“…Self-interested behaviors, such as taking credit for followers' work or undermining the development of followers to benefit the leader, are low in regard to hostility. Schmid et al (2017) posited that exploitative leadership may even be overtly friendly toward followers. Certainly, we can imagine situations where the self-interested behaviors of a leader may even benefit the organization.…”

“…We argue that the target of the leader behavior and the level of hostility are key factors in understanding the potentially unique effects of different types of destructive leader behavior on followers. Specifically, we focus in our study on three constructs of destructive leadership: (1) abusive supervision (Tepper, 2000), as a behavior high on hostility focusing on the follower; (2) exploitative leadership (Schmid et al, 2017), as a behavior low on hostility focusing on the follower; and (3) organization-directed destructive leadership (Thoroughgood et al, 2012), as a behavior low on hostility focusing on the organization.…”