Dark personality traits and the use of sources of guidance at work: a comparison between the United States and Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465965100

Keywords:

Sources of guidance, Dark personality traits, Organizational behavior, Cross-cultural research

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this research was to statistically test significant correlations between dark personality traits and employee’s use of sources of guidance when dealing with different events at work, comparing the United States and Brazil.

Methodology: 220 employees from a Brazilian university and 166 employees from an American university filled out a paper-and-pencil questionnaire comprised of two previously-validated scales. Based on the theoretical review about the constructs, 10 hypotheses were raised to be empirically tested through Pearson correlation (r) tests.

Findings: The dark personality trait Machiavellianism was positively correlated with the use of Informal Rules and negatively correlated with the use of Formal Rules and Procedures as a guidance source at work in the American sample. In addition, the dark personality trait Psychopathy was negatively correlated with the use of Formal Rules and Procedures as a guidance source at work in the Brazilian sample.

Practical implications: The findings have implications for administrators and human resource professionals, who can benefit from knowledge about correlations between dark personality traits and employee’s attitude of relying on sources of guidance at work, especially when it comes to recruiting and selecting processes.

Limitations: Although the research was restricted to correlations, it elaborated a robust ground for causality investigations.

Originality: The investigation involved two countries with a cross-cultural approach. In an international and multicultural scenario, it becomes strategic to deeper investigate specificities of work-related constructs in different nations, aiming at effective and contextualized management practices.

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Author Biographies

André Luiz Mendes Athayde, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Doutor em Administração pela Universidade de Brasília (UnB) com Estágio Doutoral na University of Tampa (UT), em Tampa-FL, Estados Unidos (Bolsista Capes - PDSE); Mestre em Administração pela Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV); Graduado em Administração pelo Instituto Educacional Santo Agostinho (FASA); Graduado em Letras Inglês pela Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (Unimontes); Formação complementar em Inglês Avançado na Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) em Nashville-TN, Estados Unidos. Formação complementar em Supply Chain Management na NN/AS em Copenhagen, Dinamarca. Já apresentou trabalhos científicos na Universidade de Oxford, Inglaterra (St Annes College - University of Oxford) e na Facultad de Ciencias Sociales da Universidad de Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica. Possui trabalho científico publicado pela Academy of Management (AoM) e já recebeu prêmio de melhor artigo da área de Estudos Organizacionais em evento nacional promovido pela Universidade de São Paulo (SemeAd - USP) . Atuou como Coordenador de Transportes e Exportação em indústria multinacional; Atuou como Coordenador de Planejamento e Infraestrutura da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Atuou como Coordenador do Tema Educação Superior e Internacionalização da Divisão EnEPQ/ANPAD em evento científico. Atualmente, é Professor Adjunto do Magistério Superior lotado na Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) - Campus Montes Claros; Subcoordenador do Curso de Administração; Membro do Comitê de Coordenação do Centro de Estudos Latino-Americanos, vinculado à Diretoria de Relações Internacionais (DRI/UFMG); Membro da Associação Internacional de Psicologia Transcultural (IACCP); Coordenador do Grupo de Estudos em Administração (GEA/ICA/UFMG) e Membro do Núcleo Docente Estruturante (NDE) do Curso de Administração da referida Universidade.

Claudio Vaz Torres, University of Brasília (UnB).

Possui graduação em Psicologia pela Universidade de Brasília (1988), mestrado em Psicologia pela Universidade de Brasília (1991) e Ph.D. em Industrial Organizational Psychology - California School of Professional Psychology (1999), pós-doutorado em Marketing pela Griffith University, Austrália (2004), pós-doutorado em Cross-cultural Research pela University of Sussex, Inglaterra (2009), pós-doutorado em Cross-cultural Psychology and Human Values pela Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (2013) e pós-doutorado em Basic Human Values na University of Haifa (2018). Em todos estágios pós-doutorais, desenvolveu e validou para amostras brasileiras medidas para uso em pesquisa transcultural, notadamente o Questionário Refinado de Valores - PVQ-RR. Atualmente é revisor do JCCP - Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology; IJIR - International Journal of Intercultural Research; American Psychologist Journal; Revista Psicologia: Teoria e Prática; RAC - Revista de Administração Contemporânea; e RAM - Revista de Administração da Mackenzie. Avaliador de trabalhos da Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração. É filiado à Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-graduação em Psicologia, na qual coordena um Grupo de Trabalho em Psicologia e Segurança Pública. Membro da International Association for Cross Cultural Psychology, da qual também é o Representante Regional para a América do Sul. Parte das atribuições desta representação inclui a aplicação, para o contexto nacional, de pesquisas transculturais a carências e problemas sociais da América do Sul.

Stephanie Jeanne Thomason, University of Tampa (UT) - USA.

Ph.D. Business Administration, International Business and Human Resource Management, Florida Atlantic University, USA, 2007.

MBA Business Administration, Florida Atlantic University, USA, 1999.

B.S. Business Management, Florida State University, USA, 1989.

Professor at University of Tampa (UT), USA. Department of Administration.

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Published

2022-07-20

How to Cite

Athayde, A. L. M., Torres, C. V., & Thomason, S. J. (2022). Dark personality traits and the use of sources of guidance at work: a comparison between the United States and Brazil. Revista De Administração Da UFSM, 15(2), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465965100

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Vol. 15 No. 2 (2022): Apr-Jun

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