Many Roads to Failure: An Exploratory Vignette Study of Destructive Leadership

Abstract Destructive leadership manifests in multiple distinct behaviours (e.g. bullying, micromanaging, unethical behaviour). Yet, treating it as a monolithic construct risks conceptual ambiguity and obscures the unique causes and consequences of its different forms. Furthermore, research has largely neglected how followers’ personality tendencies shape their interpretations of and responses to these distinct forms of destructive leadership. Adopting a person‐situation perspective, the present study examines how different destructive leadership behaviours interact with followers' personality derailers to influence their emotions, behavioural reactions and job‐related outcomes. Using an experimental vignette design, we find distinct patterns of subordinate response: followers’ personality derailers align with interpersonal orientations (i.e. Moving Away, Moving Against, Moving Toward) that can yield adaptive or maladaptive outcomes depending on context. In doing so, this study advances a more nuanced understanding of destructive leadership processes and follower differences.