Despotic vs narcissistic leadership: differences in their relationship to emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether two types of destructive leadership styles – despotic and narcissistic – predict turnover intentions of nurses via emotional exhaustion, drawing from the conservation of resources theory and the unfolding theory of turnover. Design/methodology/approach This paper used multiwave data collected from 731 nurses working in Palestinian hospitals. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares was used to analyze the data. Findings Both narcissistic and despotic leadership are associated with turnover intentions directly and indirectly through emotional exhaustion. Despotic leadership, however, has a stronger relationship to turnover intention than narcissistic leadership. Despotic and narcissistic leadership are common in this sample. Practical implications A strong psycho-safety climate is likely needed to address the harm caused by these destructive leadership styles, and interventions should span primary, secondary and tertiary levels of the public health model. Examples include ensuring strong organizational checks, balances and information flows, job control, support and widespread training; assistance programs such as counseling services; and remediation and repair for harmed individuals and teams. Originality/value This study advances the understanding of the negative, dark or destructive side of leadership specifically in the nursing context. This study compares despotic and narcissistic leadership to examine which one better/worse explains turnover intentions through emotional exhaustion.