RESEARCH PAPER
Narcissistic admiration and rivalry, Machiavellianism and willingness to engage in unethical
pro-organisational behaviour (UPB)
1
SWPS University, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, Poland
2
Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2024-09-11
Final revision date: 2025-05-14
Acceptance date: 2025-06-11
Online publication date: 2025-09-19
Corresponding author
Damian Grabowski
SWPS University, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, Poland
SWPS University, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, Poland
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
This survey of Polish employees replicates research on the relationship between narcissism, Machiavellianism and unethical pro-organisational behaviour (UPB) that was previously conducted in other countries such as China, Pakistan and the US. Positive associations between narcissism, Machiavellianism and UPB were expected to occur.
Participants and procedure:
The survey covered 250 people working in large corporations across Poland. The sample included 163 women (65%) and 87 men (35%). Narcissism was measured with the NARQ questionnaire, developed as an operationalisation of the narcissistic admiration and rivalry concept (NARC). The MACH-4 scale was used to measure Machiavellianism. Readiness for UPB, on the other hand, was measured using the Polish version of the UPB Scale.
Results:
The research showed statistically significant positive relationships between narcissistic admiration, rivalry and Machiavellianism and the readiness to engage in UPB. At the same time, narcissistic rivalry and its components aggressiveness and striving for supremacy, and Machiavellianism correlate most strongly with UPB. Regression and mediation analyses showed that the significant variables to predict higher levels of readiness to engage in UPB are rivalry (aggressiveness) and Machiavellianism. Machiavellianism, moreover, appears as a mediator in the positive relationship of rivalry and its components (devaluation of others, striving for supremacy) with UPB.
Conclusions:
Significant predictors of UPB are narcissistic rivalry, including aggressiveness, and Machiavellianism. A Machiavellian strategy may enable UPB to be undertaken by those with a tendency to dominate and devalue others.
This survey of Polish employees replicates research on the relationship between narcissism, Machiavellianism and unethical pro-organisational behaviour (UPB) that was previously conducted in other countries such as China, Pakistan and the US. Positive associations between narcissism, Machiavellianism and UPB were expected to occur.
Participants and procedure:
The survey covered 250 people working in large corporations across Poland. The sample included 163 women (65%) and 87 men (35%). Narcissism was measured with the NARQ questionnaire, developed as an operationalisation of the narcissistic admiration and rivalry concept (NARC). The MACH-4 scale was used to measure Machiavellianism. Readiness for UPB, on the other hand, was measured using the Polish version of the UPB Scale.
Results:
The research showed statistically significant positive relationships between narcissistic admiration, rivalry and Machiavellianism and the readiness to engage in UPB. At the same time, narcissistic rivalry and its components aggressiveness and striving for supremacy, and Machiavellianism correlate most strongly with UPB. Regression and mediation analyses showed that the significant variables to predict higher levels of readiness to engage in UPB are rivalry (aggressiveness) and Machiavellianism. Machiavellianism, moreover, appears as a mediator in the positive relationship of rivalry and its components (devaluation of others, striving for supremacy) with UPB.
Conclusions:
Significant predictors of UPB are narcissistic rivalry, including aggressiveness, and Machiavellianism. A Machiavellian strategy may enable UPB to be undertaken by those with a tendency to dominate and devalue others.
REFERENCES (27)
1.
Back, M. D., Küfner, A. C., Dufner, M., Gerlach, T. M., Rauthmann, J. F., & Denissen, J. J. (2013). Narcissistic admiration and rivalry: Disentangling the bright and dark sides of narcissism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 1013–1037. https://doi.org/10.1037/a00344....
2.
Bonfá-Araujo, B. (2024). Disentangling the relationship between Machiavellianism and social dominance orientation. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 12, 282–286. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp/1....
3.
Castille, C. M., Buckner, J. E., & Thoroughgood, C. N. (2018). Prosocial citizens without a moral compass? Examining the relationship between Machiavellianism and unethical pro-organizational behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 149, 919–930. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551....
4.
Cesinger, B., Gundolf, K., Hughes, M., Khedhaouria, A., & Montani, F. (2023). The bright and dark sides of the Dark Triad traits among senior managers: Effects on organizational commitment. Review of Managerial Science, 17, 1731–1763. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846....
6.
Cohen, A., & Abdo, G. (2024). How the Dark Triad affects counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in Israeli Arab healthcare organizations. Relations industrielles/Industrial Relations, 79, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.7202/111580....
7.
Duradoni, M., Gursesli, M. C., Martucci, A., Gonzalez Ayarza, I. Y., Colombini, G., & Guazzini, A. (2023). Dark personality traits and counterproductive work behavior: a PRISMA systematic review. Psychological Reports. https://doi.org/10.1177/003329....
8.
Filipkowski, J., & Derbis, R. (2020). The Dark Triad, goal achievement and work engagement as predictors of counterproductive work behaviors among IT employees. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 8, 197–210. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2....
9.
Galvin, B., Lange, D., & Ashforth, B. (2015). Narcissistic organizational identification: Seeing oneself as central to the organization’s identity. Academy of Management Review, 40, 163–181. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.20....
10.
Grabowski, D., Chudzicka-Czupała, A., Chrupała-Pniak, M., Mello, A., & Paruzel-Czachura, M. (2019). Work ethic and organizational commitment as conditions of unethical pro-organizational behavior. Do engaged workers break the ethical rules? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 27, 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.1....
11.
Haslam, N. (2006). Dehumanization: an integrative review. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 252–264. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327....
12.
Liu, C., Zou, L., Wu, J., Wang, T., & Abbas, S. Z. (2025). Understanding the paradox of unethical pro-organizational behavior: Development and validation of a new thought experiment measure. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.i....
13.
Miesing, P., & Preble, J. F. (1985). A comparison of five business philosophies. Journal of Business Ethics, 4, 465–476. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF0038....
14.
McHoskey, J. W. (1995). Narcissism and Machiavellianism. Psychological Reports, 77, 753–759. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.19....
15.
Miles, D. E., Borman, W. E., Spector, P. E., & Fox, S. (2002). Building an integrative model of extra role work behaviors: a comparison of counterproductive work behavior with organizational citizenship behavior. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 10, 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2....
16.
Niesiobędzka, M., & Konaszewski, K. (2022). Narcissism, activity on Facebook, and conspicuous consumption among young adults. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 10, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2....
17.
Pilch, I. (2014). Makiawelizm, narcyzm, psychopatia: ciemna triada jako próba opisania osobowości eksploatatora [Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy: the dark triad as an attempt to describe the personality of the exploiter]. Chowanna, 2, 165–181.
18.
Paulhus, D. L. (1991). Measurement and control of response bias. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 17–59). Academic Press.
19.
Rogoza, R., Rogoza, M., & Wyszyńska, M. (2016). Polska adaptacja modelu narcystycznego podziwu i rywalizacji [Polish adaptation of the narcissistic admiration and rivalry model]. Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 21, 410–431. https://doi.org/10.14656/PFP20....
21.
Shah, M., Sarfraz, M., Khawaja, K. F., & Tariq, J. (2020). Does narcissism encourage unethical pro‐organizational behavior in the service sector? A case study in Pakistan. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 40, 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22....
22.
Toirova, M., & Baek, Y. (2021). Why narcissistic individuals engage in unethical pro-organizational behaviour. Testing a moderated mediation model. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 13, 320–334. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-....
23.
Umphress, E. E., Bingham, J. B., & Mitchell, M. S. (2010). Unethical behavior in the name of the company: The moderating effect of organizational identification and positive reciprocity beliefs on unethical pro-organizational behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 769–780. https://doi.org/10.1037/a00192....
24.
Umphress, E. E., & Bingham, J. B. (2011). When employees do bad things for good reasons: Examining unethical pro-organizational behaviors. Organization Science, 22, 621–640. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1....
25.
Wiązowska, K. (2024). Kobiety w finansach. Coraz więcej zasiada w zarządach banków [Women in finance: More and more sit on bank boards]. Bankier.pl. Retrieved from https://www.bankier.pl/wiadomo... [accessed May 5, 2025].
26.
Yu, M. C., Wang, G. G., Zheng, X. T., & Shi, W. J. (2020). Entrepreneur narcissism and unethical pro-organizational behaviour: an examination of mediated-moderation model. Economic Research, 33, 501–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/133167....
27.
Zeigler-Hill, V., Vrabel, J. K., McCabe, G. A., Cosby, C. A., Traeder, C. K., Hobbs, K. A., & Southard, A. C. (2019). Narcissism and the pursuit of status. Journal of Personality, 87, 310–327. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.1....
Copyright: © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 2353-561X |
| ISSN: | 2353-4192 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
