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Disentangling the Leadership Theory Jungle: A Reconciliation of Bright and Dark Side Leadership Theories

Jianyun Tang & Mary Crossan

Journal of Management Studies2026https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.70058article
FT50AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

The literature on the relationship between leader behaviours and effectiveness is a jungle of complementary yet often conflicting leadership theories that perplexes researchers and practitioners alike, as indicated by various theories of bright and dark side leadership (i.e., leader behaviours reflecting widely considered positive and negative leadership qualities, respectively). We disentangle this jungle by offering a conceptual model that improves our understanding of bright and dark side leadership and their respective effectiveness, based on the concepts of leader character and context integrity. Our theory helps to reconcile the various bright and dark side leadership theories at a general level and suggests critical implications for leadership theory and practice.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.70058

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@article{jianyun2026,
  title        = {{Disentangling the Leadership Theory Jungle: A Reconciliation of Bright and Dark Side Leadership Theories}},
  author       = {Jianyun Tang & Mary Crossan},
  journal      = {Journal of Management Studies},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.70058},
}

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Disentangling the Leadership Theory Jungle: A Reconciliation of Bright and Dark Side Leadership Theories

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.