A influência da orientação regulatória na relação entre os traços sombrios de personalidade e o gerenciamento de resultados contábeis

Abstract

Many organizations face strong pressure to achieve various profit-related targets, leading some professionals to resort to Earnings Management (EM) to meet them. However, it remains unclear why some managers are more prone to yielding to this pressure than others. Prior literature has shown that high levels of dark personality traits (Dark Triad) are associated with increased engagement in EM practices. It has also demonstrated that the effectiveness of formal and informal control mechanisms in reducing such practices among Dark Triad individuals is limited. In this context, drawing on Regulatory Focus Theory as the theoretical foundation, this dissertation aimed to investigate the moderating effect of regulatory orientation on the relationship between dark personality traits and earnings management. To accomplish this, a between-subjects experimental study was conducted. The analysis was based on a 2x2 factorial design, in which regulatory focus was manipulated at two levels (promotion vs. prevention) and dark personality traits were measured and divided into two groups (high vs. low), resulting in four groups. The final sample consisted of 294 accountants from the five regions of Brazil. The dependent variable was the level of EM, measured through the estimated warranty expenses for a new product, and the independent variables were regulatory focus, dark personality traits, and an interaction term between these factors. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that accountants with high Dark Triad traits exhibited a higher propensity for EM (H1), and that inducing a prevention focus significantly reduced this propensity compared with a promotion focus (H2). However, regulatory focus did not moderate the relationship between dark traits and EM (H3), suggesting that individuals with high levels of dark traits are less sensitive to situational motivational cues. Additional analyses revealed a significant moderating effect of regulatory focus on the relationship between Machiavellianism and EM. Specifically, a prevention focus inhibited EM among Machiavellian individuals, whereas a promotion focus increased their propensity to engage in EM. However, the absence of moderation effects for narcissism and psychopathy suggests that these traits operate more autonomously with respect to motivational context. Finally, complementary SEM results showed that regulatory fit increased individuals’ feeling of correctness regarding their decision, though this feeling did not mediate the relationship between regulatory fit and EM. This study advances the EM literature by integrating motivational and dispositional factors in the decision-making process of accounting professionals. Unlike previous research that examined the effects of regulatory focus or dark personality traits separately, this study investigates how these two dimensions interact to influence the propensity toward EM. It offers evidence of motivational mechanisms capable of mitigating EM within organizations, including among individuals with high levels of Machiavellianism. From a practical standpoint, the results suggest that organizational interventions that foster a prevention focus may reduce EM practices. Such interventions may be implemented through formal organizational documents (such as codes of ethics, mission and value statements), organizational culture, incentive systems, and other institutional policies.