A study published in Psychological Reports suggests that employees with a narcissistic personality have more energy on the job and are more likely to take charge in the workplace.
Much of the psychology literature has considered the trait of narcissism to be a “dark” trait, characterized by self-centeredness, feelings of superiority, and the tendency to exploit others. New research by Kong Zhou and colleagues, however, suggests that narcissism has a positive side, too.
Zhou and team propose that narcissism is linked to proactive behaviors in the workplace, through employees’ levels of energy on the job. “We argue that narcissistic employees usually have stronger internal motivations to release the potential energy stored in their bodies as to prove they are better than other employees. Hence, we predict that narcissistic employees may be more energized to exhibit taking-charge behavior in the workplace,” the researchers say.
A study was conducted among 312 employees of a manufacturing company in China. Each employee completed an assessment of narcissistic personality by rating items like, “I have been compared to famous people.” They also rated their energy levels at work with items like, “When I am at work I feel vital and alive” and reported their rank within the company as either managerial or nonmanagerial. Finally, each employee’s immediate supervisor evaluated their employee’s tendency to take charge at work by rating items like, “This subordinate tries to implement solutions to pressing organization problems.”
As expected, employee narcissism was positively related to supervisor ratings of how often employees took charge at work. As the authors reason, narcissists may be especially proactive at work since they typically believe they are smarter and more powerful than others, and accordingly feel more capable of taking charge. Furthermore, they likely feel particularly motivated to take initiative since these actions show off their success.
Narcissism was also positively related to employees’ reported level of energy at work. The authors say, “narcissistic employees might have more psychological resource (e.g., perceptions of superiority over others and excessive demand for admiration) to make themselves feel energized at work.”
Moreover, it was found that subjects’ energy levels partially mediated the relationship between narcissism and taking charge, suggesting that people who are high in narcissism are more energized on the job and are in turn more likely to take charge at work.
Interestingly, it was found that the relationship between narcissism and energy at work was stronger in employees who ranked higher within the company — those who were in managerial positions over nonmanagerial positions. Similarly, the relationship between energy and taking charge was stronger in managers than nonmanagers. The authors infer that hierarchy may be important when it comes to seeing the positive outcomes associated with narcissism in the workplace.
Zhou and colleagues express that their study helps explain the underlying mechanism linking narcissism and taking charge behavior. Future research should address the potential negative consequences of sustaining heightened energy at work, such as burnout.
The study, “The Relationship Between Narcissism and Taking Charge: The Role of Energy at Work and Hierarchical Level”, was authored by Kong Zhou, Wenxing Liu, Mingze Li, Zhihui Cheng, and Xiaofei Hu.