Beyond the Dark Side of Executive Psychology: Current Research and New Directions
2010, European Management Journal, 28(5), pp.362-376
Top executives
Hubris
Overconfidence
Narcissism
Authenticity
Self
Corporate finance
Strategic management
Abstract
In corporate finance and strategic management, the idea of executive hubris has come to dominate perceptions of the psychology of top managers. We analyze existing research and identify issues in definitions and measurement and describe how researchers have fallen prey to hubris fascination. This leads us to put forward two options for future research: within the hubris tradition (improving measures and examining positive aspects and antecedents) and outside it (basing analyses on the self rather than the ego and using a more dynamic and holistic approach).