The mediating role of psychological capital on the effect of dark leadership on organizational justice

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of academic staff's perception of dark leadership on their perception levels of organizational justice, and to identify the mediating role of academic staff's perception of psychological capital in this impact. It is believed that this study will contribute to the literature by providing scientific data on the subject and serving as a reference for future studies, as there is no existing study in the literature on this topic. A quantitative research method was employed in the study, and a predictive correlational research model was preferred. The sample of the study consists of 156 academic staff members working at Istanbul Medipol University Preparatory School during the 2022-2023 academic year, selected through purposive sampling method. 'Dark Leadership Perception Scale', 'Organizational Justice Scale', and 'Psychological Capital Scale' were used as data collection tools in the study. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, variance tests, and regression analysis were used for data analysis. The research model was tested using the AMOS 16 Program. According to the analysis results obtained from the study, it was found that academic staff's perceptions of dark leadership were low, their perceptions of organizational justice were moderate, and their levels of psychological capital were high. It was found that the perception of optimism, one of the sub-dimensions of psychological capital, varied according to age. It was determined that the partial mediation role of academic staff's psychological capital in the impact of their perceptions of dark leadership on organizational justice was played. Based on this result, managers should regularly provide performance feedback to their staff to raise awareness about negative leadership behaviors and support their development.