Critical Review of Dark Triad at Work: Toxic Employee Tactics

This essay presents a critical review of the article "The Dark Triad at work: How toxic employees get their way," which explores the impact of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy on workplace dynamics. The review summarizes the article's findings, including the correlation between psychopathy and Machiavellianism with hard tactics and the association of Machiavellianism and narcissism with soft tactics. It also considers gender differences and the role of the Big Five personality dimensions. The analysis contrasts the article's approach with other research, highlighting the importance of individual differences and employee satisfaction. The review concludes that the article provides valuable insights into the influence of dark triad traits in the workplace, while acknowledging limitations related to self-reported data and the need for further research.

Critical Review

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Summary..........................................................................................................................................1
Analysis............................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

Introduction
The current report is based upon the article of “The Dark Triad at work: How toxic
employees get their way” which is published by Peter K. Jonason, Sarah Slomski and Jamie
Partyka in 2012. In this article, 419 sample were chosen in order to determine tactics of
workplace manipulation and dark triad were identified that consist of Narcissism,
Machiavellianism and psychopathy which creates negative impact upon the workplace
outcomes. Though it is also analysed that Psychopathy and Machiavellianism are correlated to
each other because they adopt hard tactics i.e. threats while on the other side, Machiavellianism
and narcissism were related with each by adopting soft methods at working area i.e. offering
compliments. Thus, the entire article highlights how dark triad may facilitate the adoption of
range of tactics that influence the employees that includes men and women who are working in
companies.
Summary
As the article “The Dark Triad at work: How toxic employees get their way” main idea
is to describe how Dark Traid may affect the overall working place and the dark triad consist of
Narcissism which it directly interlinked with unethical behaviour, while Psychopaths have low
level of corporate responsibility which may affect company's productivity. Moreover, third triad
is Machiavellianism which is link with commitment done by team and supervisor. Thus, the
article also main focus on these three dark triad because these are interrelated and the article also
involve sex difference by using mediation analyses. The article also analyse that women appear
to be a disadvantage as compared to men especially in the term of how much money they make
annually.
As per the view of Jonason, Slomski and Partyka, (2012) the big five personality
dimension are also measured in the articles such as Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion
and agreeableness and neuroticism in accounting to variance in income. In the article, the
structure is clearly describe the main points which helps to critically analyse how dark triads
affect the overall working place in opposite way. Moreover, the author also conclude that current
article takes a different approach and instead of examining the unethical behaviour, author
presented how the association between dark Triad may reflect specific association within the
working area.
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Analysis
The article mainly focused on how dark triad influence the workplace and for that toxic
employees and leaders have come under investigation. And then it is analysed that the use of
hard tactics such that threats may primarily reflect the differences in psychopath. Further, it is
also analysed that gender equality is consider one of the major socio- political issue that affect
the overall working place in opposite way. On the other side, it is critically evaluated by Vroom,
(2019) that individual difference matter at working area and personality encompasses stable
feeling, thoughts and behavioural pattern which a person have and in the same way, the article,
“Personality And Individual Differences In Organizational Behaviour” clearly demonstrate that
in order to manage the organizational behaviour there must be a clear understanding of
individual difference.
On the other side, Jonason, Slomski and Partyka, (2012) stated that trait are not
uncommon in upper level management and the study has its own limitation such that author have
adopted self- report measures in the same way other have already done this, also there are two
brief measures in order to encourage the non- student sample to participate. While on the other
side, it is critically evaluated by Santhi and Dr. Menaka, (2017) that personality is a potentially
important predictor of work behaviour and there is a need to match people to job. It is so because
when people do not fir for the job they leave the same as well. In addition to this, big firm take
interview to determine the trait which helps to understand the personality trait but actually it is
not. Therefore , it is quite essential to understand the satisfaction level of the employees and
provide them better facilities that suits on their personality and as a result, they will not leave the
job.
As per the article of “The Dark Triad at work: How toxic employees get their way” it is
analysed by Anderson, Spataro and Flynn (2008) that Toxic employees which are embodied by
dark triad traits were presents the problem for any company, employees as well as supervisor.
The main point of the article is to examine the role of Dark Triad Trait that play in predicting
methods which influence the working place and realized that high on personality trait may use an
arrangement of strategies that influence others as well. But the men who are working on the
company may high on Dark triad are proportionally uses hard tactics. While on the other side, it
is critically evaluated by Vroom, (2019) that values and personality trait are two dimension on
which people differ. Such that when seeking jobs, employees are likely to accept the job because
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it provides an opportunities for value attainment so that it leads to satisfy the values of
employees. Therefore, it is further analysed that the author attain the objectives and identify that
trait are primarily at facilitating the adoption of attitude towards others at working place.
Conclusion
By summing up above, it has been concluded that the article is quite useful because study
is rely on self- reported data and though it show some evidence that personality difference in
men and women is consider as a variance in individual difference. Even the study results also
concluded that the hard tactics was actually associated with high scores on psychopathy and
Machiavellianism while on the other side, soft tactics are correlate with n narcissism and
Machiavellianism. Therefore, it clearly reflected that there is a interlink with these three dark
Triad and even the scores of men is high as compared to women that reflect that they use
manipulation tactics as well as hard tactics too. Finally the article also concluded that Dark Triad
traits may facilitate workplace that is further influence through social influence (Force,
aggressive) at working area. Thus, it shows there is a association between three dark Triad at
working area.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Jonason, P. K., Slomski, S. and Partyka, J., 2012. The Dark Triad at work: How toxic employees
get their way. Personality and individual differences. 52(3). pp.449-453.
Santhi, V., and Dr. Menaka, G., 2017. “Personality and individual differences in organizational
behavior 9. (06). 52825-52828.
Anderson, C., Spataro, S. E., and Flynn, F. J. 2008. Personality and organizational culture as
determinants of influence. Journal of Applied Psychology. 93. 702–710
Vroom, V. H., 2019. Some personality determinants of the effects of participation. Routledge.
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