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Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS)3

Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS) Test

Understand how your manager may be draining motivation and wellbeing in about 4 minutes. Get a clear snapshot in 19 items to spot risks early and support healthier leadership and retention.

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Questions: 194 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

24,520 views

2,939 completions

2,356 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

3/5

Demotivating Leadership (DL)

Measures the extent to which a leader’s behavior makes employees’ work feel meaningless and reduces motivation and engagement.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.4: Low | 2.5 – 3.4: Moderate | 3.5 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of demotivating leadership behaviors that may sometimes undermine employees’ sense of meaning and motivation at work.

example score

2/5

Divisive Leadership (DL)

Measures the extent to which a manager’s behavior isolates an employee from the team and undermines belonging.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.3: Low | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate | 3.7 – 5: High

A score of 2 indicates a low level of disconnecting leadership, suggesting relatively few isolating behaviors are perceived.

example score

4/5

Devaluing Leadership (DL)

Measures the extent to which a leader devalues employees and undermines their confidence and professional development.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.3: Low | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate | 3.7 – 5: High

A score of 4 indicates a high level of disparaging leadership, suggesting frequent behaviors that may reduce employees’ sense of competence and hinder growth.

example score

3/5

Coercive Leadership (CL)

Measures the extent to which a leader uses controlling, directive behaviors that limit employee autonomy in day-to-day work.

Low coercion

Moderate coercion

High coercion

1 – 2.4: Low coercion | 2.5 – 3.4: Moderate coercion | 3.5 – 5: High coercion

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of coercive leadership, suggesting noticeable control and direction that may sometimes reduce autonomy and engagement.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Frustrated team members

46%OF USERS

Employees take it to check whether their manager’s behaviors are undermining motivation and contributing to stress or burnout.

HR and people leaders

32%OF USERS

HR professionals and senior managers use it to spot harmful leadership patterns and target coaching or culture interventions.

Researchers and students

22%OF USERS

Organizational researchers and students take it to measure destructive leadership and compare results across teams or studies.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Demotivating Leadership (DL)

Average

2.4

Normal range

1.8 — 3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Disconnecting Leadership (DL)

Average

3.7

Normal range

3.1 — 4.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Disparaging leadership (Dl)

Average

2.2

Normal range

1.5 — 2.8

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Coercive Leadership (CL)

Average

3.1

Normal range

2.5 — 3.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below is a series of statements, each beginning with the words “my immediate supervisor.” Please rate the extent to which you believe each statement reflects your situation at work.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 19 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS) Test - Symptoms and Signs

leadership

management

arrange

leadership style

This self-report measure is designed to assess employees’ perceptions of harmful or undermining leader behaviors in the workplace. The Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS), developed by Jean M. Lipman-Blumen and Robert J. House, focuses on behaviors that may erode motivation, engagement, and psychological needs relevant to effective functioning.

The instrument contains 19 items and typically requires about 4 minutes to complete. Responses can be used to characterize the perceived frequency or intensity of destructive leadership behaviors and to inform organizational assessment, research, and targeted follow-up. Results from the Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS) should be interpreted within the broader organizational context and alongside other sources of information when used for decision-making.

Author: Jean M. Lipman-Blumen, Robert J. House

Literature: Tepper, B. J. Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal. 2000.; Nikolova, I., Caniëls, M. C. J., Schaufeli, W., & Semeijn, J. H. Disengaging leadership scale (DLS): Evidence of initial validity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021.