Open Access

ARTICLE

Unveiling the dark side of leadership: How exploitative leadership undermines employees’ work-related flow

Lingnan Kong¹, Nuo Chen¹, Ruiqi Wang^2,*, Shunkun Yu¹

1 School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, No. 2, Beinong Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China
2 Department of Outreach and Cooperation, North China Electric Power University, No. 2, Beinong Road, Changping District, Beijing, 102206, China

* Corresponding Author: Ruiqi Wang. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2025, 35(3), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.068040

Received 29 November 2024; Accepted 28 April 2025; Issue published 31 July 2025

Abstract

This study examined how exploitative leadership undermines employees’ experience of flow with work role overload and traditionalist values. Data were collected from 361 staff members across diverse industries in China (females = 58.17%, mean age = 32.14, SD = 5.83). Structural equation modeling results indicated that exploitative leadership reduces employees’ work-related flow via increased role overload. Furthermore, employees’ traditionality level moderates the exploitative leadership effects on role overload. Specifically, employees with higher traditionality reported lower role overload when experiencing exploitative leadership, suggesting that cultural values may buffer its negative impact. This study contributes to understanding the mechanism and contextual factors linking exploitative leadership to work-related flow, filling a gap in the literature. Organizations are encouraged to reduce exploitative leadership behaviors through leadership development programs and to consider employees’ value orientations when designing work environments.

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Keywords

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