Toxic leadership, overwork and stress: review and integration of the last 15 years

Purpose The increasing demands of managing overwork and stress have redefined the concept of leadership. Effective integration hinges on positive supervision and the creation of an environment conducive to fulfilling responsibilities. This paper seeks to examine the factors influencing employee stress and the role of leadership in driving overwork. Design/methodology/approach To guarantee the most recent advancements in the field of knowledge a systematic literature review was limited between 2010–2024 for exploring the concept of toxic leadership (TL) and dark triad of leadership, while the bibliometric analysis was carried out using MS Excel and VOS Viewer. Findings The paper investigates the organizational and personal factors contributing to overwork and stress in the context of TL. TL amplifies stress, with factors such as narcissism, abusive supervision and corporate psychopathy playing critical roles. The impact of these factors determines whether the outcomes lead to growth or further strain. Originality/value The findings of this paper provide valuable insights for designing organizational policies and work arrangements that align with the needs of both employees and organizations, thereby contributing to the reduction of overwork and employee stress.