Despotic leadership and IT project efficiency: the role of resilience

Purpose Based on conservation of resources theory, the present study aims to investigate the negative leadership style (i.e. despotic leadership) and its influence on a key dimension of project success (i.e. project efficiency) directly and indirectly via employees' job stress. Moreover, this study also aims to investigate the moderating role of resilience on the relationship between despotic leadership and employees' job stress. Design/methodology/approach This study used a time-lagged design and collected data via purposive sampling technique from 342 information technology project employees. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 and AMOS 24. Findings The findings are in line with the proposed relationship, as despotic leadership negatively influences project efficiency via employees' job stress and resilience plays a vital role in mitigating the effects of despotic leadership on employees' job stress. Practical implications The findings of this study provide direction to information technology firms to develop strategies to decrease employees' stress and increase project efficiency. Originality/value This study extends the literature on leadership and information technology projects by examining how despotic leadership influences project efficiency via employees' job stress. Negative leadership exists in organizations but has not yet been empirically explored; this study finds that it increases subordinates' stress level and ultimately influences project efficiency.