Social Construction of Light and Dark Dimensions of Leadership: Exploring the Origins of Destructive Leadership

Abstract

This industry-wide ethnography explores leader emergence and accountability by analyzing the light and dark dimensions of attributes exhibited by individuals selected for leadership roles. Social identity theory provided a lens for exploring how organizational culture shapes both what attributes are prototypical, and which light and dark dimensions were reflected among the leaders in three companies representative of the industry. Results reveal these leaders were not uniquely skilled at navigating between the light and dark extremes of prototypical attributes, and were no more likely to embody light dimensions, or moderate the expression of dark dimensions. Implications for destructive leadership are discussed.