Durham University Business School has published a new international research collection examining how darker personality traits in professional settings can sometimes support career progression and short-term organisational outcomes, while also creating lasting risks for teams, culture, and employee wellbeing.
The findings appear in a special issue of the Journal of Managerial Psychology, published by Emerald. Titled “Heroes or Villains? Advancing the Understanding of Dark Personality Traits in Organizations”, the issue brings together seven articles examining how traits such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, greed, and psychopathy show up in leadership behaviour, workplace relationships, and organisational systems.
The research explores why some dark-side traits can be rewarded in professional settings, particularly when they are read as confidence, ambition, decisiveness, or influence. The collection also sets out the risks that follow when those behaviours go unchallenged, including damage to morale, trust, and staff retention.
Professor Susanne Braun, a co-author of the collection, said: “Toxic work environments created by dark personalities can contribute to stress, burnout, and mental health problems among employees, which in turn erode job satisfaction, performance, and retention.”
The special issue was led by Braun alongside Sandra Diller of Seeburg Castle Private University, Dritjon Gruda of Universidade Católica Portuguesa and Porto Business School, and Daniel N. Jones of the University of Nevada. According to Durham, the papers examine the conditions in which liabilities become assets, or assets become liabilities, depending on context, power dynamics, and organisational controls.
A central theme across the collection is that harmful behaviour can persist because of fascination with powerful figures, fear of speaking up, or a lack of psychological safety. The proposed responses therefore extend beyond identifying problematic personalities to hiring, promotion, governance, and employee support.
Braun said: “In particular, the role of followers’ responses to dark side leaders came to the forefront as an essential dynamic to consider. Organisations can support employees in these situations by fostering psychological safety and reducing anxiety.”
The collection adds to a growing body of work on leadership risk by looking beyond visible performance and into the effect that dominant personalities can have on teams over time.
