ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Organizational Psychology
Examining the Mechanisms Linking Dark Triad Traits to OCB through LMX and Political Skill: A Comparative Study of Managerial and Non-Managerial Levels
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ariel University, Ari'el, Israel
- 2Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel
- 3Peres Academic Center, Rehovot, Israel
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Purpose: This study examines the relationship between perceived leaders' Dark Triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy) and followers' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). We explore how leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived political skill mediate these effects. The study provides a comparative analysis across managerial and non-managerial levels, revealing how these dynamics function at different hierarchical positions. Methodology: Data were collected from two independent samples representing distinct hierarchical levels: non-managerial employees (n = 378) and middle-level managers (n = 340). Participants rated their perceptions of their leaders' Dark Triad traits, political skill, and the quality of their exchange relationship (LMX), as well as their own OCB. We analyzed data using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the direct and indirect effects. Findings: Our findings reveal distinct patterns of association for each of the perceived Dark Triad traits. These patterns highlight the complex ways in which the perception of leaders possessing the dark traits impacts OCB through LMX and perceptions of leaders' political skill. Originality and Implications: This study contributes novel insights by examining the mechanisms through which perceived leadership Dark Triad traits relate to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) across organizational levels. By revealing the mediating roles of LMX and perceived political skill, this research enhances our understanding of Dark Triad leadership dynamics. The findings offer practical insights for organizations addressing the challenges posed by leaders who are high on dark traits.
Keywords: Dark triad, LMX, OCB, Organizational politics, Political skill
Received: 30 Jul 2025; Accepted: 30 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Reizer, Tziner and Drory. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aharon Tziner
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.