Envy from above: A social comparison examination of leaders' malicious envy and affective trust in organizations

Abstract Negative emotions can often serve as a proximal driver of toxic dynamics in organizations, yet the role of leaders' malicious envy remains underexplored. Although emerging research has acknowledged that leaders' envy can foster negative outcomes, the relational mechanisms through which leaders' envy translates into harmful leader behaviours remain unclear. Drawing on social comparison theory, we examine how leaders' malicious envy undermines their affective trust in envied subordinates, thereby motivating negative behaviours such as reducing helping and increasing avoidance behaviours. Across two independent multi‐wave studies, including an online panel study ( N = 180) and a field study involving leader–subordinate one‐to‐one dyads ( N = 232), we found consistent evidence that leaders' malicious envy reduces their affective trust in envied subordinates, which, in turn, promotes negative behaviours towards envied subordinates. These findings advance theoretical understanding of how leaders' malicious envy is a vital emotional experience that can drive toxic leader–subordinate dynamics in organizations. We discuss the practical implications for mitigating the impact of leaders' malicious envy in organizations.