Title:
Dark Triad and Cultural Intelligence as Predictors of Voice Behaviour: Assessing the Roles of Transformational Leadership and Intention to Leave

Authors:
Sabilla Affifi, Salamah Wahyuni, Indonesia

Abstract:

Voice behaviour plays a pivotal role in driving organizational improvement, yet it inherently carries personal risks for employees. This study investigates the effects of Dark Triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy) and Cultural Intelligence on employee voice behaviour, while evaluating the mediating role of Transformational Leadership and the independent as well as moderating roles of Intention to Leave. Data were collected using a non-probability sampling approach with a purposive sampling technique, yielding a final sample of 307 Customer Service Live Chat agents at Shopee in Surakarta. Based on PLS-SEM analysis, the results indicate that Machiavellianism, Cultural Intelligence, and Intention to Leave exert significant positive impacts on driving employee voice behaviour. Conversely, Psychopathy exhibits a significant negative effect, whereas Narcissism demonstrates no significant influence. Furthermore, Cultural Intelligence strongly and positively influences Transformational Leadership, which subsequently fosters employee voice behaviour. For the indirect and interaction effects, Transformational Leadership is proven to significantly mediate the relationship between Cultural Intelligence and voice behaviour. Meanwhile, Intention to Leave is found to significantly moderate and weaken the relationship between Machiavellianism and voice behaviour, while showing no significant moderating effects on Narcissism and Psychopathy. This research extends Self-Determination Theory by uncovering how individual traits and situational factors interact within a high-intensity e-commerce customer service environment.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51505/IJEBMR.2026.10707