Narcissistic leadership and counterproductive work behavior among Gen Z employees in Vietnam: a moderated serial mediation model

Purpose This study develops an indirect and conditional explanation of the association between narcissistic leadership (NL) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) among Vietnamese Generation Z employees. It examines organizational cynicism (OC) and turnover intention (TI) as mediators and moral disengagement (MD) as a dispositional boundary condition. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 352 Generation Z employees working in Vietnam. The model was tested using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4 and conditional process analysis. Findings NL was positively associated with OC, which was associated with TI and CWB, while TI was positively associated with CWB. OC showed indirect-only mediation in the associations of NL with TI and CWB, and the serial indirect association through OC and TI was significant. MD strengthened the relationship between TI and CWB, and the conditional serial indirect association was stronger at higher levels of MD. The findings indicate that the association between NL and CWB is indirect through OC and TI and conditional on dispositional MD. Originality/value This study is among the first to examine the association between NL and CWB through a conditional serial indirect framework grounded in social exchange theory (SET) and social cognitive theory (SCT). Integrating these perspectives clarifies how organizational cynicism, withdrawal intention, and dispositional MD jointly explain the association between narcissistic leadership and employee deviance. The study also provides evidence from an underexamined Generation Z workforce in Vietnam.