Entrepreneur narcissism and unethical pro-organizational behaviour: an examination of mediated-moderation model

Abstract

Drawing on research taking narcissism as a ‘dark’ side of personality traits, we examine how and when narcissistic entrepreneurs are more likely to engage in unethical pro-organizational behaviours (UPBs). We collected data from 347 entrepreneurial teams in three entrepreneurial parks of China. The results show that entrepreneur narcissism is positively related to entrepreneurial goal difficulty and UPBs, and entrepreneurial goal difficulty mediates the relationship between entrepreneur narcissism and UPBs; and these positive associations are stronger when external environment is more complex. Theoretical and practical implications as well as research limitation of this study are also discussed.