The Relative and Incremental Validity of the Big Five and Maladaptive Personality Characteristics for Predicting Leadership Effectiveness

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Date

2006-12-11

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Abstract

Although previous research has examined "bright" personality characteristics that impact leadership effectiveness through their presence, there is a growing recognition of the importance of factors that promote leadership effectiveness through their absence (e.g., Hogan & Hogan, 2001; McCall & Lombardo, 1983). These "dark" or maladaptive personality characteristics have been hypothesized to interact with the length of time that an observer has been exposed to a given manager (Hogan & Hogan, 1997, 2001). In the current study, the relative and incremental validity of the Big Five and maladaptive personality characteristics in predicting leadership effectiveness was examined, as well as the moderating effect of leader-subordinate relationship length. Although previous research has examined "bright" and "dark" personality characteristics in the prediction of leadership effectiveness (e.g., Facteau & Van Landuyt, 2005; Judge, Bono, Illies, & Gerhardt, 2003), this study was the first attempt to examine both types of personality characteristics in the prediction of leadership effectiveness, in addition to the moderating role of relationship length. Personality data were collected from a sample of supervisors (N = 134), and their direct reports (N = 330) provided concurrent ratings of their supervisors' effectiveness. The multiple regression analyses revealed that the Big Five and maladaptive personality characteristics did not predict leadership effectiveness. In addition, the Big Five personality dimensions did not demonstrate incremental validity over and above the maladaptive characteristics, nor did the maladaptive characteristics demonstrate incremental validity over and above the Big Five personality dimensions in the prediction of leadership effectiveness. Finally, the relation between the maladaptive personality characteristics and leadership effectiveness did not vary as a function of leader-subordinate relationship length, contrary to the predictions of previous theoretical work (Hogan & Hogan, 2001).

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Keywords

relationship length, dark side, leadership effectiveness, Big Five, maladaptive personality

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Degree

MS

Discipline

Psychology

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