Exploring dynamics of toxic leadership's antecedents using interpretive structural modeling (ISM)

The purpose of this study was designing the interpretive structural model of toxic leadership’s antecedents. In this regard, after studying literature and identifying antecedents of toxic leadership, a half-closed questionnaire embodied antecedents was developed based on Likert scale and distributed among 28 experts from administrative organizations in Rafsanjan, using concept and snowball sampling. Based on fuzzy analysis, the questionnaires statements were screened. Then, the other identified antecedents and consequences of toxic leadership were screened and after categorizing antecedents of toxic leadership, the measure for ISM were developed and distributed among mentioned experts. Finally, data were analyzed and interpretative structural model of studied phenomenon were drew. The model possessed 12 variables in 6 levels (the first level: leader’s individual shortcomings; the second: leader’s psychological traits; the third: leader’s managerial shortcomings and organization’s external environment; the fourth: bureaucratic structure and nonefficient organizational human resource management; the fifth: leader’s psychological-attitudinal properties, leader’s tyranny, nonfunctional organizational climate, and leader’s political and service deviant behaviors; the sixth: abusive supervision).