Leaders' power construal influences malevolent creativity: The mediating role of organizational conspiracy beliefs

In this study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Kyriaki Fousiani, Sylvia Xu, and Jan-Willem Van Prooijen explored how employees' perceptions of leaders' power construal—whether seen as responsibility or opportunity—influence employee malevolent creativity through organizational conspiracy beliefs. They found that when a leader's power is predominantly viewed as opportunity it is positively related to organizational conspiracy beliefs among employees. Conversely, when a leader's power is predominantly viewed as responsibility it is negatively related to such beliefs. Organizational conspiracy beliefs in turn, predict employee malevolent creativity targeted at the organization.

This study has several practical implications for organizational leaders and practitioners. First, recognizing the impact of organizational conspiracy beliefs underscores the importance of fostering transparent communication channels and inclusive decision-making processes within the workplace to prevent such beliefs. Leaders who are perceived to use their power responsibly, prioritizing ethical considerations and employee welfare, are likely to mitigate employees' tendencies towards conspiracy beliefs. Moreover, understanding the link between conspiracy beliefs and malevolent creativity suggests the need for proactive measures to address such behaviours of employees. Organizations might for instance implement training programs focusing on ethical leadership and conflict resolution to reduce the occurrence of harmful actions against the organization.

The paper is available open access here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joop.70005