Do self-esteem and ethical leadership dampens Machiavellianism–effectiveness relationship: a parallel mediation approach

Abstract

Purpose

The present paper intends to study the relationship between Machiavellianism and effectiveness. It investigates the parallel mediating effects of self-esteem and ethical leadership on Machiavellianism and leader effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was administered to 260 managers from the banking sector. Statistical tools, like descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation, reliability analysis, validity analysis and parallel-mediated regression analysis, were used to analyze the data. Drawing from the conservation of resource (COR) theory, a parallel mediation model was empirically tested.

Findings

The study found a negative association between Machiavellianism and leader effectiveness, and the parallel mediating impact of self-esteem and ethical leadership reduced the impact of Machiavellianism on leader effectiveness.

Practical implications

The work suggests that the banking sector leaders can adapt ethical behaviors to create positive leader–member relations contributing to increased organizational efficiency and productivity.

Originality/value

The unique contribution of the study includes determining the mediating roles of self-esteem and ethical leadership, especially in the Indian context. Despite the availability of past studies on the constructs, the studies on the parallel mediating relationship between Machiavellianism and effectiveness was limited.

Citation

Srivastava, S., Pathak, D., Singh, L.B. and Verma, S. (2022), "Do self-esteem and ethical leadership dampens Machiavellianism–effectiveness relationship: a parallel mediation approach", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 183-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2021-0093