How Dark Personalities Gain Workplace Influence: A Replication and Extension
By Lynden Jensen, Carolina Patryluk, Poornima Vinoo, Lorne Campbell
Personality and Individual Differences | January 2022
DOI
doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111515
Citation
Jensen, Lynden., Patryluk, Carolina., Vinoo, Poornima., Campbell, Lorne. How Dark Personalities Gain Workplace Influence: A Replication and Extension Personality and Individual Differences doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111515.
Copyright
Personality and Individual Differences, 2022
Share:
Abstract
More research is needed on the ways Dark Triad (DT) personality traits (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) negatively influence the workplace. This study examines the association of soft and hard social influence tactics with DT traits by conducting a direct replication of Jonason, Slomsky, and Partyka (2012), which used the Dirty Dozen to measure DT traits. We also extended their study by including a contemporary measure of the DT, the Short Dark Triad. We tested our hypotheses that, 1) each DT traits significantly predict at least one of the workplace tactic styles (soft or hard); 2) The gender of participants does not significantly explain the variance in either soft or hard tactics after controlling for the mediating effect of DT composite. Across two studies, the results largely replicated previous conclusions and supported our hypotheses with some notable differences. Machiavellianism was associated with hard tactics, but not soft tactics. Narcissism was associated with both soft and hard tactics. Like Machiavellianism, psychopathy was associated with hard tactics, but not soft tactics, however, individuals high in psychopathy utilized more threats and punishment and less charm than those high in Machiavellianism. We discuss the implications of the observed differences between the two DT measures.

Poornima Vinoo is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Her research spans two primary streams: financial decision-making and disposal behaviour, with an overarching focus of improving consumer wellbeing.

Her work has explored how consumers make decisions to invest money for their retirement, how they choose to donate to worthy causes, and why they may sometimes prefer moral rewards over financial rewards.

Professor Vinoo holds a PhD from Western University, Canada, an MBA from the Indian School of Business, a postgraduate diploma from the Xavier Institute of Communications, and a BA from Osmania University, India.

An experienced industry professional, she has worked for over a decade across startups and large business conglomerates in multiple industries and roles.
At ISB, she teaches Consumer Behaviour.

Poornima Vinoo (1)
Poornima Vinoo