Narcissistic Leadership and Follower Voice: The Mediating Roles of Surface Acting and Emotional Exhaustion and Moderating Role of Attachment Style

Abstract

Leadership has become an important topic in industrial-organizational psychology, and a popular concept for adult development. Researchers generally believe that one of the factors that lead to leaders harming followers is narcissistic leadership. Narcissistic leaders generally cause emotional damage to their followers with their actions and behavior and silence them by reacting negatively to criticism. In this regard, the current research, using resource conservation theory (COR), attachment theory and narcissism literature, examines how and in what ways narcissistic leaders suppress followers' voice behavior and when this effect can be reduced. Accordingly, this study develops a moderated mediation model where surface acting and emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between narcissistic leadership and follower's voice behavior and the two attachment styles of anxious and avoidant moderate the relationship between narcissistic leadership and surface acting. The results largely support the hypotheses of this research based on the data collected from 305 students studying at Iranian public universities. Particularly, narcissistic leadership directly impacts follower's voice via surface acting and emotional exhaustion. Lastly, the narcissistic leadership and follower's voice connections are favorably moderated by avoidance attachment style. Today, organizations need constructive ideas and opinions from their members for individual and group growth. In order to prevent the waste of emotional resources and silencing the voice of employees, organizations should consider a suitable approach for the growth and development of a culture of criticism and questioning, as well as better communication with followers.

Keywords

• narcissistic leadership
• follower voice
• surface acting
• emotional exhaustion
• attachment style