How Machiavellian and narcissistic leadership undermine teachers’ happiness at work: the mediating role of leader–member exchange

This study investigates how narcissistic and Machiavellian leadership styles influence university teachers’ happiness at work (HAW), and examines the mediating role of the leader–member exchange (LMX) in this process. Drawing on the social exchange theory (SET), survey data were collected in three waves from 424 university faculty members in southwestern China. The findings reveal that both narcissistic and Machiavellian leadership are negatively related to teachers’ HAW, and that LMX plays a significant mediating role. This study contributes to the leadership literature by deepening the understanding of how dark leadership styles affect employees’ HAW in academic settings by extending the relevance of SET to negative leadership contexts. It also provides practical significance for improving the HAW of university teachers.