Dark pathway: knowledge sabotage as a mediating mechanism linking dark triad traits to performance

Purpose This study aims to investigate how Dark Triad personality traits – narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy – shape work performance through the mediating role of knowledge sabotage. By integrating trait activation and social contagion theories, this study explains how destructive knowledge behaviors emerge and spread inside competitive work environments. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 264 Indonesian sales employees in a context characterized by high competition and intensive knowledge exchange. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 3.0. Measurement validity and reliability were established through outer loadings, composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha and average variance extracted. Hypotheses were evaluated using bootstrapping procedures. Findings Individual and coworker Dark Triad traits significantly predicted knowledge sabotage, while coworker sabotage strongly triggered individual sabotage through behavioral contagion. Knowledge sabotage had a small positive effect on work performance and mediated the influence of Machiavellianism and psychopathy but not narcissism on performance. These results identify knowledge sabotage as a behavioral pathway through which Dark Triad traits translate into performance outcomes. Practical implications Organizations should monitor team dynamics and implement ethical training and collaborative norms to mitigate deceptive knowledge behaviors. Originality/value This study advances trait activation and social contagion theories by identifying knowledge sabotage as a behavioral transmission mechanism that links dark personality traits to performance outcomes. It contributes to the counterproductive knowledge behavior literature by shifting the focus from static antecedents to dynamic processes, showing how destructive knowledge behaviors are activated by situational cues and amplified through social interaction within teams.