Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dark-Side Personality Trait Interactions: Amplifying Negative Predictions Of Leadership Performance, Daniel Simonet, Robert P. Tett, Jeff Foster, Anastasia I. Angelback, Jennifer M. Bartlett

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Drawing on trait interaction theory and personality disorder subtypes, we examined narcissism-by-trait interactions (e.g., narcissism × antisocial tendencies) for predicting leadership performance in four independent archival samples (Ns = 285, 120, 106, 559). This study extends research on multiplicative effects of normative leader characteristics to consider how narcissism becomes particularly disruptive when combined with other extreme interpersonal tendencies. Moderated multiple regression results show interactions involving selected trait pairs varied across samples. Pooled analyses showed (a) differential generalizability across trait pairings and (b) that lower tiered managerial roles and weaker industrial contexts may release such effects. Inconsistencies suggest the need to …