Narcissistic leaders more likely to oppose remote work, new research suggests
New research from the Wharton School suggests that CEOs with narcissistic personality traits are more likely to oppose remote work arrangements. The study indicates that these leaders prefer in-office environments to maintain control and command over their employees.
Why it matters
This research provides insight into the psychological drivers behind the ongoing corporate push to end remote work, impacting millions of employees globally.
A paper published this month from researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania argues that leaders who display stronger narcissistic qualities are more likely to dislike remote work.
The researchers took a multipronged approach to examine why some leaders resist remote work while others support it.
It included reviewing public company reports for indicators of narcissism in CEOs, their public comments on remote work, personality surveys and an online experiment that tested the relationship between resistance to remote work and leaders' desire for power and status.
Across their research, authors of the paper say leaders' narcissism was associated with greater resistance to remote work.
"These results underscore that resistance to remote work has social as well as individual roots," says the paper. "Our research accentuates that opposition to virtual work arrangements is more self-centered than previous research has recognized."
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