Title: The impact of despotic leadership on emotional exhaustion: mediating role of dehumanisation and moderating role of core self-evaluation

Authors: Mula Nazar Khan; Ishfaq Ahmed

Addresses: Hailey College of Commerce, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan ' Hailey College of Commerce, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract: Leadership is one of the most important variables which have been discussed by different researchers for many years. Since inception, leadership has been considered by accentuating the positive effects of leaders on subordinates while ignoring the dark side of leadership. Considering this gap, the aim of the current study is to investigate the impact of despotic leadership on emotional exhaustion with the mediating role of dehumanisation and the moderating role of core self-evaluation. In this study, data were collected from the sales force of pharmaceutical industry through questionnaire. Findings of the study reveal that despotic leadership has positive effect on emotional exhaustion, while dehumanisation partially mediates this relationship. Furthermore, core self-evaluation reduces the impact of despotic leadership on dehumanisation. This study is novel in investigating the mediating role of dehumanisation between despotic leadership and emotional exhaustion. Conservation of resources theory and social exchange theory support the study.

Keywords: core self-evaluation; dehumanisation; despotic leadership; emotional exhaustion.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2023.131946

Middle East Journal of Management, 2023 Vol.10 No.4, pp.425 - 447

Received: 25 Dec 2021
Accepted: 24 Feb 2022
Published online: 05 Jul 2023 *

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