The link between Destructive Leadership, Moral Disengagement and Counterproductive Work Behavior. A longitudinal study

The longitudinal link between Destructive Leadership, Moral Disengagement and Counterproductive Work Behavior among the followers is addressed in this survey study. Destructive leadership means that the organization’s interests or goals are undermined, for instance by deteriorating the wellbeing or effectiveness of the subordinates. Three main types of Destructive Leadership exist, according to Einarsen et al (2007): Tyrannical (hurting employees), Derailed (hurting employees as well as the organization) and popular but Supportive-Disloyal leadership (causing loss in engagement or productivity). Moral Disengagement is linked to the process of convincing the self that ethical standards do not apply to oneself in a particular context. Counterproductive Work Behavior is employee behavior that goes against the legitimate interests of the organization. A questionnaire was distributed 3 times to a sample of 281 Italian adult workers (7 weeks interval between each time lag). Various longitudinal associations were found between Destructive Leadership, Moral Disengagement and Counterproductive Work Behavior, all in the expected direction demonstrating negative impact of bad leadership. Supportive-Disloyal leadership was found to influence Counterproductive Work Behavior through Moral Disengagement. A methodological limitation is that the sample is of the convenience type. The study demonstrates negative organizational impact of Destructive Leadership within a longitudinal context. It may be fruitful to separate between different types of Destructive Behavior, and to explore further the Moral Disengagement – Destructive Leadership link. Supportive-Disloyal behaviors seems to be a more subtle path a leader can walk along in order to act destructively against the organization and the followers.