Destructive Leaders

Introduction

Leadership is one of the most important factors affecting organisational innovation. Literature supports a positive link between these two variables. However, there is also a dark side to leadership. Leaders can behave in a destructive way towards subordinates that negatively affect their motivation and promote a work climate replete with hostilities and constraints that hinder or block organisational innovation. The research on the effects of destructive leadership on innovation is still limited. Approaching leadership through a negative lens indicates that a leader may have a destructive behavior which discourages innovative challenges, the exploration of new solutions or engaging in creative endeavours.

In addition to its decisive role in organisational innovation, leadership also plays a key role in shaping the organisational climate, which influences directly or indirectly the employees' attitudes and behaviours. The literature describes the ethical climate in an organization as the procedures, policies, and practices that have an "ethical content". Ethical climate can influence a number of organisational outcomes, such as innovation, although limited research has directly addressed such a correlation. More research is needed to understand "how" leadership is related to innovation and what factors can mitigate that relationship. Leaders can boost or reduce organisational creativity and innovation. Lee et al. analysed the relationship between abusive leadership and the creativity of employees and concluded that those who are exposed to very high levels of abusive leadership tend to be less creative. Leadership affects innovation because it can create a work environment where employees are encouraged to freely discuss and try new ideas and different approaches. Thus, an ethical climate can be a mitigating variable between leadership and innovation.

This study aims to contribute to the stream of research on destructive leadership in two ways. One is by analyzing its effects on behavioural innovation, and the other is by introducing the caring climate - a specific type of ethical climate - as a mitigating variable of such effects.