Psychopathy. Narcissism. Machiavellianism. Most who have heard about this trio of personality traits know it as the Dark Triad.
Studies have found narcissism to be linked to salary, and Machiavellianism to career advancement and satisfaction. Some evidence also suggests that psychopaths are more present in business leadership positions than in the general population.
Given that the personality of a CEO affects the performance of an organisation, if they have Dark Triad personality traits, however, it can have long-term detrimental effects on employee metrics such as engagement, retention, well-being, performance, and satisfaction.
Check out this article by LeBreton, Shiverdecker and Grimaldi (2018) for definitions on each of the Dark Triad traits, and a great summary on their relationships with organisational outcomes, such as job/task performance, counterproductive workplace behaviours, organisational citizenship behaviour, leadership, creativity and innovation, and so on.
A real example
In 2015, Dan Price, the CEO of Gravity Payments, made waves by committing to the wellbeing of all employees by providing an organisation-wide minimum salary of US$70,000. He also claimed to reduce his salary to the same amount. Following this change, a greater number of employees were able to buy houses, have children, and contribute to their retirement - a clear link to greater satisfaction and performance.
However, over the last few years, allegations of abuse, assault, reckless driving, and rape have become known, and in April 2022, he was charged with sexual assault.
A long-term employee of Gravity Payments said Price would “constantly drive people to nervous fits and tears – it’s the way Dan always acted, kind of like a sociopath.”
So what about leaders of for-purpose organisations (such as social enterprises and non-profits)?
A question has interested me over the past few years since working in the for-purpose sector and working with founders and leaders of these organisations. That is, if you are a leader of a purpose-driven organisation, would you have or exhibit some of the Dark Triad personality traits? If not to the same extent as corporate CEOs or leaders, how does this play out?
It's a fairly common assumption (an assumption I made myself) that for-purpose leaders would have more positive personality traits than their for-profit counterparts. It's assumed that for-purpose leaders believe strongly that the mission of the organisation is greater than them, that they will care for their workers and trust them to do their work (and not micromanage), and treat them well.
Over the years, however, there have been several cases in the media of purpose-driven leaders paying their staff poorly or below market rates. Stories have surfaced of leaders in this sector making decisions that result in staff presenteeism, disengagement, burnout, and a decrease in well-being.
In some cases, purpose-driven leaders have committed crimes and been at the centre of scandals.
For instance, Oxfam, an organisation with a great mission and which is well-known around the world, a few years ago was embroiled in a scandal in Haiti which involved prostitution. Following internal investigations, they also found a “culture of impunity” and an “undemocratic internal structure”. This is in stark contrast to their values of ‘empowerment’ and ‘accountability’.
A lesser-known example is that involving the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), a non-profit that was supposed to provide assistance to low-income and poverty-stricken residents of a town in Mississippi. It didn’t. It's leaders, in April 2022, plead guilty to bribing a public official, fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering.
Furthermore, from our experience working with leaders in the for-purpose space, we have come across individuals who are attracted to purpose-driven work as it gives them a certain image. Rather than wanting to do good, they are attracted to the image of themselves doing good. These types of leaders can certainly exhibit narcissistic traits as they care excessively about their image rather than their work and the well-being of employees.
While the research around why leaders of for-purpose organisations make these decisions is scarce, it's clear that power plays a big factor. It is also clear that leaders with Dark Triad traits can be found in both the corporate world, and the purpose-driven sector.
As such, it was interesting when I came across the Light Triad and surrounding research.
The Light Triad
This trio of personality traits consist of Kantianism, Humanism and Faith in Humanity - and it is said that people with these traits are mainly motivated by intimacy and self-transcendent values. Kaufman and colleagues provide the below definitions for each trait.
Faith in humanity: an overall tendency to see the best in people and believe that most people are basically good
Humanism: a belief in the inherent dignity and worth of other humans
Kantianism: treating people as ends unto themselves, rather than unwitting pawns
A great example of someone who has high levels of all three light triad personality traits is Mahatma Gandhi. He was best known for satyagraha (Sanskrit for passive political resistance). I am currently reading a biography about him to learn more about his leadership and life. While we cannot all be Gandhi, we know that by adopting similar methods to him, and some of the Light Triad traits, we can achieve positive impact, and shape our organisational culture to support and empower everyone.
Looking back through history at great people (like Gandhi) who have these Light Triad traits, we can see it as something we can work towards. Perhaps in contrast to the Dark Triad, where power can almost naturally bring out these traits (power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely), moving towards the Light Triad requires consistent reflection, self-assessment, and directed effort.
Especially in purpose-driven work, Kantianism, Humanism, and Faith in Humanity should guide our actions. As we see poor practices from leadership, co-workers, and ourselves, we should take time to reflect, and consider how we engage with our work.
Check out whether you are on the dark or light side using the below link!
https://scottbarrykaufman.com/lighttriadscale/
Some interesting articles and research if you would like to learn more
Jonason, P. K., Slomski, S., & Partyka, J. (2012). The Dark Triad at work: How toxic employees get their way. Personality and individual differences, 52(3), 449-453.
Jonason, P. K., & Webster, G. D. (2010). The dirty dozen: a concise measure of the dark triad. Psychological assessment, 22(2), 420.
Kaufman, S. B., Yaden, D. B., Hyde, E., & Tsukayama, E. (2019). The light vs. dark triad of personality: Contrasting two very different profiles of human nature. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 467.
LeBreton, J. M., Shiverdecker, L. K., & Grimaldi, E. M. (2018). The dark triad and workplace behavior. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 387-414.
Palmer, J. C., Holmes Jr, R. M., & Perrewé, P. L. (2020). The cascading effects of CEO dark triad personality on subordinate behavior and firm performance: A multilevel theoretical model. Group & Organization Management, 45(2), 143-180.