Except for neuroticism, the Big Five traits are what we call socially desirable. Researchers have found that three other socially undesirable traits, which we all have in varying degrees, are also relevant to organizational behavior. Because of their negative nature, researchers have labeled these the Dark Triad. The Dark Triad may sound sinister, but these traits are not clinical pathologies hindering everyday functioning. Sustained high levels of dark personality traits can cause individuals to derail their careers and personal lives.

The personality characteristic of Machiavellianism (often abbreviated Mach) is named after Niccolo Machiavelli, who wrote in the sixteenth century about how to gain and use power. An individual high in Machiavellianism is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and believes ends can justify means. “If it works, use it” is consistent with a high-Mach perspective. Machiavellianism does not positively predict overall job performance. High-Mach employees, by manipulating others to their advantage, win in the short term at a job, but they lose those gains in the long term because they are not well liked.

In psychology, narcissism describes a person who fantasies of grand success, a tendency to exploit situations and people, and a lack of empathy. However, narcissists can be hypersensitive and fragile people. When they receive feedback about their performance, they often tune out information that conflicts with their positive self-perception, but they will work harder if rewards are offered. Psychopathy is part of the Dark Triad, but in organizational behavior, it does not connote clinical mental illness. In the OB context, psychopathy is defined as a lack of concern for others and a lack of guilt or remorse when actions cause harm.

Measures of psychopathy attempt to assess the motivation to comply with social norms; impulsivity; willingness to use deceit to obtain desired ends; and disregard, that is, lack of empathic concern for others. Personality traits have both positive and negative aspects. The degree of each trait in a person, and the combination of traits, matter to organizational outcomes.