The bad, the very bad and the ugly: towards an integrated model of dark leadership

Purpose Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in the effects of bad leadership on organisations and employees. In part, this can be seen as being associated with the continuing emergence of corporate scandals and high-profile cases of mistreatment of employees. In this paper, we present a systematic review and critique of the literature that explores dark leadership over the last 24 years. Design/methodology/approach The approach adopted employed a systematic literature review followed by an analysis of the key themes, findings and gaps in the literature. Findings The literature is diverse and often confusing, with multiple terms, conceptualisations, absence of shared theoretical underpinning and measurement scales for similar phenomena. We identify the major gaps and challenges within the literature and conclude by presenting a potential model that integrates the dark leadership literature within a clear theoretical framework. Research limitations/implications The review has the limitation that papers not matching the search criteria may have been missed. However, the risk was ameliorated by using a broad range of search terms. Practical implications Developing a clear understanding of the nature and consequences of dark leadership will be of value to organisations in terms of being able to develop strategies that avoid its emergence and negative consequences. Social implications Bringing attention to the nature and consequences of dark leadership may lead to actions to avoid its emergence or reduce its impact. This in turn could lead to reduced damage to the well-being of employees in organisations. Originality/value The paper integrates over 20 years of literature, providing a clear framework for future research and highlighting how personality traits, specifically the dark triad, act as foundational antecedents of dark leadership behaviours.