Dark personality traits in project management: A bibliometric analysis and agenda for future research

For the past thirty-five years, project management research has been largely dominated by studies emphasizing the prosocial, and therefore positive, traits of project managers and their influence on project outcomes. Alongside this tradition, however, a growing body of work has begun to examine alternative traits, specifically project manager dark personality (PMDP) traits, which are frequently described as ‘dark’. These traits are generally characterized as aversive, deviant, or malevolent. Despite increasing scholarly interest, the intellectual structure of research on PMDP traits remains underexplored. To address this gap, the present study undertakes a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of PMDP literature published between 1989 and 2024, with the aim of uncovering the thematic focus and publication patterns within this field. Our analysis reveals seven recurring project-focused themes: ‘ Corruption, unethical, and negative behaviours ’; ‘ Impact of dark traits ’; ‘ Causes and effects of biases ’; ‘ Dark leadership and well-being ’; ‘ Causes of selective reporting ’; ‘ Authoritarian leadership and toxicity ’; and ‘ PM traits and outcomes ’. The study makes two key contributions: first, it provides a pioneering primer on PMDP traits and traces their developmental trajectory; second, it highlights emerging themes and trends that merit further investigation. • Research is dominated by studies focusing on prosocial project management traits. • Increasing growth of research on alternative, aversive, deviant, and malevolent dark traits • Study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the relevant literature on dark traits • Study identifies seven common project-focused themes focused on dark traits research