Bright side of narcissism: elevated ownership and initiative

Purpose A plethora of organizational studies have found employee narcissism to be an unfavorable trait that impedes job functioning. Yet, the elevated confidence and self-assuredness associated with the narcissistic personality can also drive individuals to show initiative behavior. This paper aims to investigate how and when employees with narcissistic personalities can potentially contribute positively to effective functioning. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 91 supervisors and 273 subordinates in a corporate setting in central China. To account for the nesting effects, multilevel path analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings Employee narcissism is positively related to psychological ownership, which in turn is positively related to initiative behavior in the workplace. Furthermore, job meaningfulness moderates the indirect effect of employee narcissism on initiative behavior through psychological ownership. Specifically, the indirect effect is more salient when the employee perceives higher, rather than lower, job meaningfulness. Originality/value This study examines how employees with narcissistic personalities can show initiative at work. Specifically, this research uncovers the underlying psychological mechanism as well as the boundary condition that facilitate this process. This study affirms the importance of self-determination for narcissistic employees and sheds light on how these employees can potentially contribute positively to effective functioning. Insights for theory, practice and future research are also discussed.