Uncertainty enhances the preference for narcissistic leaders

Abstract

Narcissistic leaders present us with an interesting paradox, because they have positive as well as negative characteristics. As such, we argue that the nature of the context determines how suitable narcissists are perceived to be as leaders. Here we propose that a specific contextual factor, that is, uncertainty, increases the preference for narcissists as leaders. As an initial test of this prediction, the first study showed that narcissistic characteristics were evaluated as more desirable in a leader in an uncertain context rather than a certain context. In Studies 2 and 3, we further hypothesized and found that high narcissists are chosen as leaders more often than low narcissists, especially in uncertain (rather than certain) contexts. In all of the studies, individuals were shown to be aware of the negative features of narcissistic leaders, such as arrogance and exploitativeness, but chose them as leaders in times of uncertainty, regardless. Thus, a narcissistic leader is perceived as someone who can help reduce individual uncertainty. These results reveal the importance of contextual uncertainty in understanding the allure of narcissistic leaders. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Leader Narcissism Predicts Malicious Envy and Supervisor-Targeted Counterproductive Work Behavior: Evidence from Field and Experimental Research

“…This research implies that supervisors play a critical role for negative emotions that induce CWB. Narcissists in leadership positions are charismatic figures (Nevicka et al 2013), driven by their self-centeredness (Van Dijk and De Cremer 2006) as well as feelings of grandiosity and entitlement, which lead them to exploit others (Brunell et al 2008;Campbell et al 2011;Rauthmann 2012). Since individuals who experience malicious envy feel inferior and strive for equalizing positions by leveling down the other (rather than leveling themselves up, i.e., benign envy), they are likely to engage in CWB.…”

“…First, the methodological approach combining experimental and field research with working adult samples advances the study of CWB as well as narcissism research, the latter of which is mainly based on student samples (e.g., Back et al 2010;Nevicka et al 2013). Our experimental approach included written scenarios of leader narcissism, which allowed for causal conclusions of the impact of leader narcissism on malicious and benign envy as well as supervisor-targeted CWB.…”

“…They see themselves as capable leaders (Judge et al 2006). Uncertain contexts increase followers' preferences for narcissistic leaders (Nevicka et al 2013). At the same time, narcissistic leaders are driven by self-centeredness (Van Dijk and De Cremer 2006) as well as feelings of grandiosity and entitlement, which lead them to exploit others (Brunell et al 2008;Campbell et al 2011;Rauthmann 2012).…”

Leadership Diversity: Effects of Counterstereotypical Thinking on the Support for Women Leaders under Uncertainty

“…An excerpt of an online newspaper article manipulated the economic instability of the company by presenting either of the following subtitles: CEO looking for a new VP for a larger and stable [unstable] retail company. The actual article then framed the economic situation of the company in certain/uncertain ways by varying the following paragraph (adapted from Nevicka, De Hoogh, Van Vianen, & Ten Velden, ):

“ Lanitol Inc. is a larger US based retail company with approximately 25 000 employees. It has found itself in a period of relative stability [difficulty] with stable [plummeting] share prices and a constant market share [loss in the market].

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Arrogance in the Workplace: Implications for Mental Health Nurses

“…For example, there is evidence to suggest that leaders who exhibit arrogant attitudes or behaviors will often go on to negatively influence those around them, with the attitudes, actions, and interactions of these leaders permeating the attitudes, actions, and interactions of followers (Nevicka, De Hoogh, Van Vianen, & Ten Velden, 2013). Moreover, and as noted elsewhere (Björkdahl, Palmstierna, & Hansebo, 2010), such conditions can impede health professionals from delivering safe, therapeutic care, leaving them feel-ing torn between their humanistic ideals and the harsh reality of everyday work.…”