Followership: leader narcissism and follower work engagement
Godbless Onoriode Akaighe, Dennis Gabriel Pepple, Raphael Oseghale, Aliyu Sani SamboPurpose
Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to examine how leader narcissism influences follower work engagement. We develop a cross-level mediation and moderation model to investigate the mediating role of follower self-efficacy and the moderating role of follower locus of control, incorporating both leader self-ratings and follower perceptions of leader narcissism to capture perception distance.
Design/methodology/approach
Multi-source, three-wave data were collected from 293 followers and their leaders in professional service firms. The model was tested using multilevel mixed-effects linear regression in R.
Findings
Leader narcissism negatively affected follower work engagement only when rated by followers, not when self-rated by leaders, indicating a perception distance in how leader narcissism is interpreted. Follower self-efficacy mediated the relationship between follower-rated leader narcissism and follower work engagement, consistent with COR's resource-loss pathway. Additionally, follower locus of control moderated the negative effect of follower-rated leader narcissism on self-efficacy, with the effect being stronger for those with low internal (external locus of control).
Originality/value
This study advances the narcissism and leadership literature by demonstrating that the consequences of leader narcissism are perception-driven and by identifying follower self-efficacy as a key psychological mechanism linking leader narcissism to engagement. It further highlights follower locus of control as a boundary resource shaping vulnerability to resource depletion, offering new insight into how followers internalise and respond to perceived leader narcissism.