The Taming of Machiavellians: Differentiated Transformational Leadership Effects on Machiavellians’ Organizational Commitment and Citizenship Behavior

Bonjin Koo () and Eun-Suk Lee ()
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Bonjin Koo: Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning
Eun-Suk Lee: Chung-Ang University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2022, vol. 178, issue 1, No 10, 153-170

Abstract: Abstract This study seeks effective ways for managing employees with a high Machiavellian personality in organizations by identifying how to enhance their pro-organizational attitudes (organizational commitment) and behaviors [organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)] through transformational leadership (TFL). Drawing upon the dual-focused model of TFL, we suggest that exerting TFL upon employees high in Machiavellianism involves ethical dilemmas in that individual-focused and group-focused TFL have contrasting effects on leading pro-organizational attitudes/behaviors among these pro-individual employees. Analysis of data from 184 employees working in South Korea shows that Machiavellianism negatively relates to affective commitment, OCB toward the organization (OCB-O), and OCB toward individuals (OCB-I), but positively to continuance commitment. More importantly, the results reveal that group-focused TFL can effectively manage employees high in Machiavellianism by mitigating the negative relations between Machiavellianism and affective commitment and between Machiavellianism and OCB-O. However, individual-focused TFL strengthens these negative relations as well as the negative relation between Machiavellianism and OCB-I. This study thus shows that to lead employees high in Machiavellianism in a pro-organizational direction, group-focused TFL rather than individual-focused TFL needs to be employed.

Keywords: Machiavellianism; Transformational leadership; Organizational commitment; Organizational citizenship behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-021-04788-2

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