Narcissus the innovator? The relationship between grandiose narcissism, innovation, and adaptability

The current study tests a model in which adaptability mediates the relationship between grandiose narcissism and innovation. Little research has investigated grandiose narcissism as a predictor of innovation, particularly innovation in the workplace. We test our proposed model via two studies. Study 1 is a lab study in which undergraduate students performed an innovative marketing task based upon the Heuristic Ideation Technique. The participants self-reported the focal variables and blind raters scored the innovativeness of the participant's marketing ideas. In a second study, working adults self-reported grandiose narcissism and adaptability and supervisors provided ratings of each employee's innovation at work. The findings from the two studies provide support for our model suggesting that grandiose narcissism indirectly influences innovation through adaptability. We discuss the implications for theory and practice as well as opportunities for future research in this area. •Studied the indirect effects of grandiose narcissism on innovation via adaptability•The narcissism-innovation relationship is mediated by adaptability.•Studied the mediation model in a lab setting with blind raters and a field setting with employees and supervisors