Negative Leader Behavior: What Do Our Scales Measure?
Abstract
The success of U.S. Army leaders has always depended on upholding the Army ethic. However, leaders frequently face ethically gray situations where a strong sense of morality and character is not enough to determine a course of action. A science-based understanding of ethical and unethical leadership is necessary to uphold the values of the Army. Over the past decade, research on ethics and leadership has identified a constellation of negative leader behavior (NLB) constructs, such as abusive supervision and toxic leadership. While these behavioral styles are theoretically unique, empirical evidence has shown conflicting findings about points of overlap and distinction. This paper addresses the issue of construct redundancy within existing NLB scales. From a literature review, we identified 10 NLB constructs and collected all available scales developed to measure those constructs. Content analysis of 626 scale items from 33 scales suggests both redundancy and uniqueness in the content of NLB scales. Based on these findings, a taxonomy of six NLB dimensions is developed then used to organize the 33 scales into clusters of similar NLB content. The proposed NLB taxonomy offers a framework for future research (e.g., creating and validating a measure for Army use in tracking, identifying, and correcting NLB) and practice (e.g., Army training of ethical leadership).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1127211
Entities
People
- Kira O Foley
- Stefanie Plemmons Shaughnessy