Vainglorious Villains or Master Strategists? The Paradox of Problematic Personality Traits

Across two studies (N = 264, N = 307), we apply self-regulation theory to theorize and test curvilinear relationships between Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and new venture performance, and the mediating effects of knowledge sharing. We find support for curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) effects of two of the three traits – Machiavellianism and psychopathy – on performance, such that performance is maximized at a midrange of each trait. Further, we discover that knowledge sharing mediates the curvilinear effects at moderate and high levels of both traits. Our research has implications for how we conceive of and understand the influence of personality in the context of performance-related outcomes, offers a more comprehensive understanding of how self-regulation can explain differences in behaviors at varying levels of these traits, and highlights a unique paradox centering around the theme of control in entrepreneurship.