The Effect of Leadership Narcissism on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Internal State and Need for Self-Esteem (Case Study: Eshtehard Municipality Organization)
Keywords:
Leadership Narcissism, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Perceived Internal State, Intrinsic Motivation, Need for Self, Esteem, MunicipalityAbstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of leadership narcissism on organizational citizenship behavior, considering the mediating roles of perceived internal state and need for self-esteem among managers and employees of Eshtehard Municipality Organization. This applied, quantitative, cross-sectional study employed a descriptive-correlational survey design. The statistical population consisted of 220 managers and employees of Eshtehard Municipality Organization, from whom 140 participants were selected using the Krejcie and Morgan table and simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Leadership Narcissism Questionnaire by Ames et al. (2006), the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire by Podsakoff et al. (1990), the Perceived Internal State/Intrinsic Motivation Questionnaire by McAuley et al. (1989), and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967). Reliability and validity were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted, factor loadings, the Fornell-Larcker criterion, and HTMT. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 and SmartPLS through partial least squares structural equation modeling and the Sobel test. Leadership narcissism had no significant direct effect on organizational citizenship behavior (β = 0.113, t = 1.831, p = 0.058), but significantly predicted perceived internal state (β = 0.654, t = 11.593, p < 0.001) and need for self-esteem (β = 0.649, t = 13.598, p < 0.001). Perceived internal state significantly predicted organizational citizenship behavior (β = 0.774, t = 15.277, p < 0.001), whereas need for self-esteem did not (β = 0.074, t = 1.343, p = 0.180). The Sobel test confirmed the mediating role of perceived internal state (z = 9.255), while the mediating role of need for self-esteem was not supported (z = 1.338). Leadership narcissism influences organizational citizenship behavior primarily through employees’ perceived internal state rather than through a direct pathway or need for self-esteem, highlighting the importance of employees’ internal motivational experiences in translating leadership characteristics into discretionary organizational behavior.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rouhollah Sharifi; Saeed Sadeghian Gharaghieh (Author)
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