Gender and the Dark Side of Leadership

Abstract Research on the nature and consequences of dark leadership has grown substantially in the last decade, but little work has examined how dark leadership might be affected by other leader characteristics. This chapter examines leader gender as it relates to the prevalence of dark leadership, and the relationship between dark leadership and various social and organizational outcomes. The authors begin by reviewing what is known about gender and the dark-side traits, including the greater prevalence of dark-side traits among men and their connection to gender role beliefs. Next, the authors turn their attention to how dark-side traits operate in men and women leaders, finding that dark-side traits may have less toxic outcomes among women. The authors then review follower perceptions of women and men leaders who possess dark-side traits, and the relationship between follower gender and dark leadership. Finally, the authors discuss future directions for research, such as investigating factors moderating the influence of dark-side traits among women and men, and suggestions for practice, including leader training and support systems for followers.