Fear is the path to the dark side: the interplay of leader fear of power loss and leader Machiavellianism on abusive supervision

Purpose While leaders value power for its material, social, and psychological benefits, it remains fragile and easily lost. We propose that leaders who fear losing power are driven to protect it, potentially resorting to abusive supervision to reaffirm their authority. Furthermore, we argue that this tendency should be especially pronounced among leaders high in Machiavellianism. Thus, we examine the joint effects of leader fear of power loss and Machiavellianism on abusive supervision. Design/methodology/approach We employed a multi-study design, starting with a business scenario experiment involving 365 leaders, followed by a multi-source field study among 546 leaders and 1,718 subordinates. Findings Both studies consistently showed that leader fear of power loss is positively related to abusive supervision, with this effect strengthening as leader Machiavellianism increases. Practical implications To curb antinormative behaviors like abusive supervision, organizations can strengthen leaders’ sense of safety in their positions, factor Machiavellianism into selection and promotion decisions and implement (in)formal mechanisms to limit its expression. Originality/value Our work underscores the importance of studying leader fear of power loss, an underexplored research area. By focusing on leader Machiavellianism, it also increases our understanding of when leader fear of power loss may result in destructive behaviors.