An Examination of Predictors of Counterproductive Work Behaviors: Personality Traits and Transformational Leadership

Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) has constantly been a problem in companies, with research showing that the phenomenon is costly both monetarily to organizations and psychologically to their employees. However, there are many antecedents of CWB, including individual factors and situation factors, that have been found to reduce such behaviors. The present study examined both individual (i.e., personality) and situational factors (i.e., transformational leadership) in predicting CWBs directed at both individuals and organizations. Specifically, this study examined whether three personality traits (i.e., agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness) and transformational leadership would predict CWBs, and whether transformational leadership would predict CWBs above and beyond these three personality traits. A total of 115 individuals working in a variety of industries participated in an online survey. Results showed that although agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted CWB directed at the organization, transformational leadership was able to predict CWBs directed toward organizations as well as individuals above and beyond the personality traits. These findings suggest that in order to mitigate CWBs, organizations should implement transformational leadership training programs rather than rely on personality-based selection methods