Are they among us? A conceptual framework of the relationship between the dark triad personality and counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs)

Article history: Received 19 February 2015 Received in revised form 29 June 2015 Accepted 10 July 2015 In light of the growing interest in the dark side of organizations inmainstream research, two concepts related to organizational behavior andmanagement literature have received attention in recent years: counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) and dark triad traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy). It is only natural that current studies have tried to find a relationship between them; however, their findings were not impressive. This paper contends that the reason for the weak relationship found between the dark triad traits and CWBs is perhaps that studies have ignored some important mediators and moderators in this relationship. This conceptual paper presents a model of this relationship, arguing that perceptions of organizational politics and perceived accountability are twomediators of the relationship between the dark triad personalities and CWBs. The model also advances four moderators: first, political skill is expected to moderate the relationship between the twomediators and the dark triad. Second, three organizational moderators (organizational transparency, organizational policies, and organizational culture/climate) are expected to moderate the relationship between the two mediators and CWBs. After presenting the model and the resulting propositions, the paper concludes with suggestions for future research regarding the proposed model. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.