Wisdom and narcissism as predictors of transformational leadership
Greaves, Claire, Zacher, Hannes, McKenna, Bernard, & Rooney, David (2014) Wisdom and narcissism as predictors of transformational leadership. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 35(4), pp. 335-358.
Description
- Purpose Although leadership and organizational scholars have suggested that the virtue of wisdom may promote outstanding leadership behavior, this proposition has rarely been empirically tested. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between transformational leadership, narcissism, and five dimensions of wisdom as conceptualized by the well-established Berlin wisdom paradigm. General mental ability and emotional intelligence were considered relevant control variables. - Design/methodology/approach Interview, test, and questionnaire data were obtained from 77 employees of a high school and from two or three colleagues of each employee. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses. - Findings After controlling for general mental ability and emotional intelligence, narcissism and the wisdom dimension relativism of values and life priorities were negatively related to transformational leadership, and the wisdom dimension recognition and management of uncertainty was positively related to transformational leadership. The other three wisdom dimensions, rich factual knowledge about life, rich procedural knowledge about life, and lifespan contextualism, were not significantly related to transformational leadership. - Research limitations/implications Limitations to be addressed in future studies include the cross-sectional design and the relatively small and specialized sample. - Practical implications Tentative implications for leadership training and development are outlined. - Originality/value This multi-method and multi-source study represents the first empirical investigation that examines links between well-established wisdom and leadership constructs in the work context.
Impact and interest:
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| ID Code: | 92353 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Contribution to Journal (Journal Article) |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Measurements or Duration: | 24 pages |
| Keywords: | Emotional intelligence, General mental ability, Narcissism, Transformational leadership, Wisdom |
| DOI: | 10.1108/LODJ-07-2012-0092 |
| ISSN: | 0143-7739 |
| Pure ID: | 32757129 |
| Divisions: | Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > QUT Business School Current > Schools > School of Management |
| Copyright Owner: | Consult author(s) regarding copyright matters |
| Copyright Statement: | This work is covered by copyright. Unless the document is being made available under a Creative Commons Licence, you must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses. If the document is available under a Creative Commons License (or other specified license) then refer to the Licence for details of permitted re-use. It is a condition of access that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. If you believe that this work infringes copyright please provide details by email to [email protected] |
| Deposited On: | 01 Feb 2016 23:12 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Mar 2025 19:57 |
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