The Dark Web of Machiavellianism and Psychopathy: Moral Disengagement in IT Organizations

In the current paper, we were interested in examining a series of predictors of organizational moral disengagement, namely Machiavellianism and psychopathy, along with a series of demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, and work experience). Our sample consisted of 114 IT employees aged 21 to 54 (M = 28.51, 62% males). We used a cross-sectional approach and an original scale to measure organizational moral disengagement. The hierarchical regression analysis suggested that the most important predictor of organizational moral disengagement was Machiavellianism, followed by gender (i.e., males). A significant, negative association emerged between organizational moral disengagement and age, suggesting that the older we grow, the lower the organizational moral disengagement. Machiavellianism and psychopathy were significantly associated with all moral disengagement mechanisms, except one - diffusion of responsibility. The most powerful association we found were between Machiavellianism and moral justification and between psychopathy and euphemistic language. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Automated summary

This paper examines the predictors of organizational moral disengagement, including Machiavellianism and psychopathy, as well as demographic variables such as gender, age, and work experience. The study findings indicate that Machiavellianism is the most important predictor of organizational moral disengagement, followed by gender (males). There is a significant negative association between organizational moral disengagement and age, suggesting that as we grow older, our level of organizational moral disengagement decreases. Machiavellianism and psychopathy are significantly associated with all moral disengagement mechanisms, except for diffusion of responsibility, with the strongest associations found between Machiavellianism and moral justification, and between psychopathy and euphemistic language.