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Narcissism and counterproductive workplace behaviors among Iranian managers and nonmanagerial employees

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Abstract

Unlike many other studies which assumed narcissism to be equivalent to overt narcissism, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine how covert and overt narcissism affect counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), a type of unethical behavior that can be discussed by ethical ideology. Furthermore, this research tests whether the relationship between managerial position and CWBs is direct or mediated by narcissism. The population of this study consisted of managers (N = 196) and nonmanagerial employees (N = 221) in 10 relatively small Iranian firms. Questionnaires were used to collect the required data. The results indicated that most of the Iranian managers show both types of narcissistic behaviors specifically overt type, covert narcissism is a stronger predictor of interpersonal and organizational CWBs than overt narcissism, and managerial position does not seem to have a direct effect on CWBs, but has an indirect effect mediated through covert narcissism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Science and Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, 424, 3rd Floor, Farabi Building, Rasht Street, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran

    Asal Aghaz, Maryam S. Sharifi Atashgah & Masoomeh Zoghipour

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  1. Asal Aghaz
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  2. Maryam S. Sharifi Atashgah
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  3. Masoomeh Zoghipour
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Correspondence to Asal Aghaz.

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Aghaz, A., Sharifi Atashgah, M.S. & Zoghipour, M. Narcissism and counterproductive workplace behaviors among Iranian managers and nonmanagerial employees. Asian J Bus Ethics 3, 155–169 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-014-0039-2

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