The effect of perceived destructive leadership behaviors onemployees' job performance

In today's business environment, the perception of destructive leadership behaviors among employees varies depending on organizational structure, team dynamics, and individual characteristics. This leadership style can have a direct impact on employee job performance. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of perceived destructive leadership behaviors on job performance and whether this effect differs based on employees' demographic and personality traits. The research was conducted with 495 employees working in the Gaziantep Organized Industrial Zone. Data were collected using unbiased sampling techniques and analyzed using both parametric and non-parametric tests. According to the findings, male employees perceive higher levels of destructive leadership behaviors such as excessive authoritarianism, incompetence, unethical conduct, resistance to change, and insensitivity to subordinates compared to female employees. While age did not yield significant differences, employees aged 54 and over reported higher perceptions of destructive leadership. Married employees showed higher perception levels in certain sub-dimensions. Increased work experience was associated with higher perception in some sub-dimensions of destructive leadership. Lower-paid employees perceived unethical behavior and resistance to change more strongly, whereas higher-paid employees perceived incompetence more intensely. However, no significant differences were found in terms of job performance across most variables. KEYWORDS: Leadership, Destructive Leadership, Job Performance