The study, published in the European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, examined how two traits from the HEXACO personality model – integrity and extraversion – are linked to the motivation to climb the career ladder.
Less integrity, more ambition
The VU researchers (all three affiliated with the Amsterdam Leadership Lab) analysed data from students and working adults. A clear pattern emerged: people who score lower on integrity are more likely to have the ambition to be promoted. The same applies to extraverts, who draw energy from interacting with others.
It is striking that possessing just one of these two traits appears to be sufficient for high leadership ambition. In particular, people who are both introverted and principled appear to have relatively little ambition to hold a position of power.
Two paths to leadership
According to the researchers, extraversion and low integrity do not reinforce one another, but rather act as substitutes. A high score on one trait can partially compensate for the lack of the other. Whether someone is highly extraverted or lacks integrity: both paths lead to a similarly high level of leadership ambition. This may help explain why certain personality profiles are relatively common in senior positions.
Ambition does not explain everything
The study shows that extraversion and low integrity are associated with leadership ambitions, and that leadership ambitions are associated with attaining senior roles. However, the evidence that ambition actually provides a complete explanation for the relationship between personality and career outcomes proved to be less robust. Further research and more data are likely to be required to establish this.
Who will rise to the top?
It is precisely this finding that makes the research socially relevant. Organisations often base promotion decisions heavily on visible ambition. According to the researchers, this poses a risk: employees with a strong moral compass often do not promote themselves as prominently. The researchers therefore recommend basing promotion decisions on a broader range of tools, such as structured interviews, integrity tests and 360-degree feedback. In addition, organisations should actively identify and develop talented employees with high integrity, precisely because they are less likely to put themselves forward.
Leaders of integrity do not always stand out
According to De Vries, high integrity often goes hand in hand with modesty. People who score highly on integrity are generally less interested in status, power, prestige and money, and consequently often have less ambition to hold a position of power. Yet it is precisely these individuals who, in leadership roles, can play a key part in fostering collaboration, inclusivity and support for vulnerable groups within organisations. The research thus highlights an important point for organisations to consider: do not focus solely on who wants to reach the top, but above all on who ought to be there.
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