The effect of destructive leadership on self-efficacy and counterproductive work behaviors: A research on service sector employees in Mersin, Turkey

The aim of this study was to find out the effect of destructive leadership on employees’ self-efficacy and counterproductive work behaviors. The data was collected from a convenience sample of 486 service sector employees in Mersin, Turkey. Descriptive statistics, explanatory factor analysis, and regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data. The results showed that lack of competence in leadership, excessive authoritarianism, and favoritism dimensions increased the organization-oriented counterproductive work behaviors while resistance to technology and change dimension decreased these behaviors. In contrast, insensitivity to subordinates had no effect on counterproductive work behaviors. Furthermore, destructive leadership had no effect on employees’ self-efficacy, but self-efficacy affected counterproductive work behaviors. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for understanding the effect of destructive leadership behaviors on the employees’ self-efficacy and counterproductive work behaviors in the context of the service sector.