The moderating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between managers' dark personality traits and employee motivation

The concept of personality, which has its origins in the existence of humanity, expresses the characteristics and behaviors that distinguish individuals from one another. In this study, personality traits that are conceptualized as the "dark triad" in the literature and that emphasize the dark side of personality are discussed. Motivation, on the other hand, refers to a motive that encourages individuals to carry out their work. In this study, the general work motivation of employees, which are an important component of business life, was examined. Additionally, psychological resilience, an individual difference variable that is defined as the ability of individuals to cope with difficult situations and to obtain positive outcomes from this difficult situation, was discussed in this study. It was the goal of this study to examine the relationship between the concepts in question using quantitative methods, and to investigate whether psychological resilience moderates the negative relationship between managers' dark triad personality traits and employee motivation. Within the scope of the study, a hand-distributed questionnaire was administered to 251 staff operating with different titles and in different units of the Metropolitan and Battalgazi Municipalities in Malatya. This questionnaire measured employees' perceptions regarding their managers' dark triad personality traits and their own motivation and psychological resilience levels. The data obtained from the questionnaires were tested using the SPSS 22 program, and the relationship between managers' dark triad personality traits and employee motivation as well as the moderating role of psychological resilience in this relationship were examined. Based on the findings from the data analysis, it has been determined that both the total score and the sub-dimensions of managers' dark triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy) are negatively related with employee motivation, and psychological resilience plays a moderating role in this relationship.