Investigation of the effects of Machiavellianism and narcisism -as personality traits- on employees' unethical behaviours: A field study

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of machiavellianism and narcissism personality traits on unethical behaviors. For this purpose, data were collected from 385 white-collar participants working in the private and public sector in Ankara by online survey method. Data analysis was performed using SPPS and AMOS programs (Arbuckle,2011). According to the research findings, Machiavellianism has a significant effect on unethical behavior. However, although narcissism predicts unethical behaviors in the expected direction, that is, in a positive direction, it was seen that the said effect was not significant. In addition, it has been observed that social desirability has a negative relationship with unethical behavior. In supplementary analyses, the differences between male and female participants in the relationship between sub-dimensions of machiavellianism and unethical behavior were examined. In both groups, it was seen that unethical manipulation positively predicted unethical behavior, but the said effect was stronger in female participants compared to male participants. In male participants, it was concluded that the desire for status predicted unethical behaviors positively, but the said effect was not significant in female participants. This difference can be associated with traditional gender roles. Similarly, the differences between working in the law field and working in the education field participants in the relationship between sub-dimensions of machiavellianism and unethical behavior were examined. According to these findings, there is a significant relationship between the dimension of immoral manipulation and unethical behavior in the participants working in the field of law. In educators, the control desire dimension has a positive and statistically significant relationship with unethical behavior. It is thought that this difference may be due to the structure of the professions.