The Bad, The Very Bad, and the Ugly: Towards an integrated model of Dark Leadership

Purpose
Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in the effects of bad leadership on organisations and employees. In part, this can be seen as being associated with the continuing emergence of corporate scandals and high-profile cases of mistreatment of employees. In this paper, we present a systematic review and critique of the literature that explores dark leadership over the last 24 years.
Method
The approach adopted employed a systematic literature review followed by an analysis of the key themes, findings, and gaps in the literature.
Findings
The literature is diverse and often confusing, with multiple terms, conceptualisations, absence of shared theoretical underpinning, and measurement scales for similar phenomena. We identify the major gaps and challenges within the literature and conclude by presenting a potential model that integrates the dark leadership literature within a clear theoretical framework.
Originality/Value
The paper integrates over 20 years of literature, providing a clear framework for future research, and highlighting how personality traits, specifically the dark triad, act as foundational antecedents of dark leadership behaviours.
Practical Implications
Developing a clear understanding of the nature and consequences of dark leadership will be of value to organisations in terms of developing strategies that avoid its emergence and negative consequences.