Leading Toward Stress? Exploring the Impact of Destructive Leadership on Employee Work Stress and the Mediating Mechanism of Job Autonomy and Moderating Mechanism of Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This study examines how destructive leadership influences employee work stress, using the JD-R model as a theoretical framework. Specifically, it investigates the mediating role of job autonomy and the moderating role of self-efficacy. A cross-sectional dyadic survey design was used to collect data from both employees and supervisors. The results showed that destructive leadership had no significant direct effect on work stress. The mediating effect of job autonomy in the relationship between destructive leadership and work stress was not supported, but destructive leadership was negatively related to job autonomy. Additionally, no evidence was found for the moderating effect of self-efficacy. These findings highlight that destructive leadership may undermine employees’ job autonomy, suggesting its potential role in understanding how destructive leadership influences the work environment. Moreover, the study contributes to the literature on leadership by differentiating between passive and active forms of destructive leadership within the JD-R framework.