Putting self before team: understanding the root of self-serving leadership and its impact on employee psychological withdrawal behaviours

Purpose This study aims to explore the antecedents and consequences of self-serving leadership within a unified framework. Drawing on social dominance theory, this study investigates whether Machiavellianism, as a dark personality trait, contributes to self-serving leadership and whether perceived organisational politics intensifies this relationship. It also examines the impact of self-serving leadership on employee psychological withdrawal. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 239 matched employee–supervisor dyads working in various service sector organisations. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships among the constructs. Findings The results support all proposed hypotheses. Leaders with Machiavellian tendencies are more prone to engage in self-serving behaviours, particularly in highly political organisational climates. Furthermore, self-serving leadership significantly contributes to employee psychological withdrawal, underlining its negative influence on employee well-being and organisational functioning. Practical implications Organisations must recognise the harmful effects of self-serving leadership, particularly in organisationally politically charged environments. Screening for Machiavellian tendencies during leadership selection, promoting transparency and minimising unfavourable organisational political behaviour may help reduce self-serving tendencies and associated employee withdrawal. Originality/value This research provides an integrated model that explains both the emergence and outcomes of self-serving leadership, offering new insights into how dark personality traits and organisational politics jointly shape leadership behaviour and employee reactions. It contributes to leadership and organisational behaviour literature and provides actionable guidance to organisational decision-makers.