International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

line decor
  
line decor

 Volume 12, Issue 6 (June 2025), Pages: 46-55

----------------------------------------------

 Original Research Paper

Leadership in organized crime: Psychological insights and implications

 Author(s): 

 Nga Thi Thanh Nguyen 1, Linh Phuong Pham 2, *

 Affiliation(s):

  1Faculty of Criminal Law, Hanoi Law University, Hanoi, Vietnam
  2Faculty of Psychology and Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam

 Full text

    Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9602-1737

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.06.005

 Abstract

Leadership plays a critical role in the success, stability, and internal management of criminal organizations. Understanding the psychological traits and leadership styles of criminal leaders is essential for developing effective strategies to disrupt organized crime. This literature review examines the psychological characteristics and leadership models that allow criminal leaders to maintain authority, gain loyalty, and manage illegal operations. Studies were selected based on their focus on leadership in criminal groups, social dynamics, and psychological factors, covering a range of criminal organizations across different cultural and socioeconomic contexts. Leadership styles are categorized into four main types: entrepreneurial, prophetic, realist, and social victim. The review used clear selection criteria and searched databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with keywords including “criminal leadership,” “organized crime psychology,” and “gang dynamics.” Peer-reviewed studies from the past 15 years were prioritized, with older sources included only when offering essential theoretical insights. The findings show that traits like courage, violence, organizational ability, and charisma help criminal leaders influence group behavior and maintain control. Each leadership type has specific strengths and weaknesses that shape group unity and strategy. While charisma and management skills can build loyalty, fear-based control through violence may weaken over time. A leader’s adaptability and the social environment also affect their influence. Case studies are used to support the proposed leadership models. Overall, leadership traits and models have a major impact on the operation and survival of criminal organizations, but the diversity of leadership styles and the specific contexts in which these groups operate make it difficult to design universal intervention strategies.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Criminal leadership, Psychological traits, Leadership models, Organized crime, Social dynamics

 Article history

 Received 22 January 2025, Received in revised form 15 May 2025, Accepted 23 May 2025

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

  Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Nguyen NTT and Pham LP (2025). Leadership in organized crime: Psychological insights and implications. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(6): 46-55

  Permanent Link to this page

 Figures

 No Figure 

 Tables

 No Table

----------------------------------------------   

 References (45)

  1. Allum F and Siebert R (2003). Organized crime. In: Allum F and Siebert R (Eds.), Organised crime and the challenge to democracy. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203426418    [Google Scholar]
  2. Almatrooshi B, Singh SK, and Farouk S (2016). Determinants of organizational performance: A proposed framework. International Journal of Productivity Performance Management, 65(6): 844-859.  https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-02-2016-0038    [Google Scholar]
  3. Antonopoulos GA and Papanicolaou G (2018). Organized crime: A very short introduction. Volume 553, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.  https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780198795544.001.0001    [Google Scholar]
  4. Ayling J (2009). Criminal organizations and resilience. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 37(4): 182-196.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2009.10.003    [Google Scholar]
  5. Aytac U and Rossi EJ APSR (2023). Ideology critique without morality: A radical realist approach. American Political Science Review, 117(4): 1215-1227.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055422001216    [Google Scholar]
  6. Bartley J and Daiker ML (2022). Management and leadership. In: Bartley J (Ed.), The CAHIMS review guide: Preparing for success in healthcare information and management systems: 133-158. Productivity Press, New York, USA.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429443862-13    [Google Scholar] PMid:35978156
  7. Bonta J and Andrews DA (2016). The psychology of criminal conduct. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315677187    [Google Scholar]
  8. Braga AA, Weisburd D, and Turchan B (2018). Focused deterrence strategies and crime control: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis of the empirical evidence. Criminology and Public Policy, 17(1): 205-250.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12353    [Google Scholar]
  9. Bumiller K (2017). Victims in the shadow of the law: A critique of the model of legal protection. In: López IH (Ed.), Race, law and society: 105-123. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315245423-6    [Google Scholar]
  10. Campana P (2023). Contagion and connections: Applying network thinking to violence and organized crime. In: Morgan R, Maguire M, and Reiner R (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of criminology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.  https://doi.org/10.1093/he/9780198860914.003.0013    [Google Scholar]
  11. Chopin J and Dupont B (2024). Leaders and leadership in criminal activities: A scoping review. Deviant Behavior, 46(5): 527-547.  https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2024.2357815    [Google Scholar]
  12. Čižikienė J and Urmanavicius J (2021). The expression of managerial leadership in social service organizations. Society Integration Education, 6: 231-244.  https://doi.org/10.17770/sie2021vol6.6458    [Google Scholar]
  13. Cockayne J (2017). Hidden power: The strategic logic of organized crime. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.    [Google Scholar]
  14. Donald I and Wilson A (2021). Ram raiding: Criminals working in groups. In: Alison L (Ed.), The social psychology of crime: 189-246. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315237022-7    [Google Scholar]
  15. Edwards ER (2012). Charisma and the fictions of black leadership. Volume 28, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, USA.  https://doi.org/10.5749/minnesota/9780816675456.001.0001    [Google Scholar]
  16. Eldar S (2012). Holding organized crime leaders accountable for the crimes of their subordinates. Criminal Law and Philosophy, 6: 207-225.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-012-9139-z    [Google Scholar]
  17. Felts BL (2013). Leadership in the criminal justice organization: The prevailing leadership traits and organizational culture related to managing change. Capella University, Minneapolis, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  18. Giordano C, Cannizzaro G, Tosto C, Pavia L, and Di Blasi M (2017). Promoting awareness about psychological consequences of living in a community oppressed by the Mafia: A group-analytic intervention. Frontiers in Psychology, 8: 1631.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01631    [Google Scholar] PMid:28979231 PMCid:PMC5611539
  19. Hoeben EM and Thomas KJ (2019). Peers and offender decision‐making. Criminology and Public Policy, 18(4): 759-784.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12462    [Google Scholar]
  20. Krasno J and LaPides S (2015). Personality, political leadership, and decision making: A global perspective. Bloomsbury Publishing US, New York, USA.  https://doi.org/10.5040/9798400696411    [Google Scholar]
  21. Lessing B (2021). Conceptualizing criminal governance. Perspectives on Politics, 19(3): 854-873.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592720001243    [Google Scholar]
  22. Levitt SD and Venkatesh SA (2000). An economic analysis of a drug-selling gang's finances. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 115(3): 755-789.  https://doi.org/10.1162/003355300554908    [Google Scholar]
  23. Lewis S (2011). Positive psychology at work: How positive leadership and appreciative inquiry create inspiring organizations. John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, USA.  https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119990390    [Google Scholar]
  24. Merton RK (2017). Social structure and anomie. In: Schneider J (Ed.), Gangs 3-13. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351157803-1    [Google Scholar]
  25. Muhammad NMN (2015). Prophetic leadership model: Conceptualizing a prophet’s leadership behaviour, leader-follower mutuality and altruism to decision making quality. European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(3): 80-93.  https://doi.org/10.26417/ejis.v3i1.p93-106    [Google Scholar]
  26. Qian J and Bai S (2024). Loyalty signaling, bureaucratic compliance, and variation in state repression in authoritarian regimes. Comparative Politics, 56(4): 423-447.  https://doi.org/10.5129/001041524X17069685289697    [Google Scholar]
  27. Rego A, e Cunha MP, and Clegg SR (2012). The virtues of leadership: Contemporary challenges for global managers. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.  https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199653867.001.0001    [Google Scholar]
  28. Rose-Ackerman S and Palifka BJ (2018). Corruption, organized crime, and money laundering. In: Basu K and Cordella T (Eds.), Institutions, governance and the control of corruption: 75-111. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65684-7_4    [Google Scholar]
  29. Rostami A (2010). Kriminella gäng i Stockholm. Södertörnspolisen, Stockholm, Sweden.    [Google Scholar]
  30. Scheuerman WE (2011). The realist case for global reform. Polity Press, Cambridge, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  31. Snyder S (2013). Leadership and the art of struggle: How great leaders grow through challenge and adversity. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Oakland, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  32. Sosik JJ (2015). Leading with Character: Stories of valor and virtue and the principles they teach. Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  33. Sözen HC and Basım HN (2022). The dark side of organizational behavior: Examining undesirable aspects of organizational life. Taylor and Francis, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003292401    [Google Scholar]
  34. Stangor C (2015). Social groups in action and interaction. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315677163    [Google Scholar]
  35. Stewart IV CJC (2021). Examining the relationship between emotional intelligence, employee engagement, and burnout: A comparison of administrative officers, criminal investigators and patrol officers in law enforcement. Ph.D. Dissertation, Auburn University, Auburn, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  36. Thrasher FM (2013). The gang: A study of 1,313 gangs in Chicago. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  37. Unnever JD and Gabbidon SL (2011). A theory of African American offending: Race, racism, and crime. Routledge, London, UK.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203828564    [Google Scholar]
  38. van Elteren C, Vasconcelos VV, and Lees M (2024). Criminal organizations exhibit hysteresis, resilience, and robustness by balancing security and efficiency. Scientific Reports, 14(1): 17678.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68445-0    [Google Scholar] PMid:39085455 PMCid:PMC11291755
  39. Verba S (2015). Small groups and political behavior: A study of leadership. Volume 1289, Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA.  https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400872527    [Google Scholar]
  40. Vigil JD (1988). Barrio gangs: Street life and identity in Southern California. University of Texas Press, Austin, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  41. Vugt MV and Ronay R (2014). The evolutionary psychology of leadership: Theory, review, and roadmap. Organizational Psychology Review, 4(1): 74-95.  https://doi.org/10.1177/2041386613493635    [Google Scholar]
  42. Warr M (1996). Organization and instigation in delinquent groups. Criminology, 34(1): 11-37.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1996.tb01193.x    [Google Scholar]
  43. Wong KK (2013). The effect of mentoring on leadership development in the federal bureau of investigation. Walden University, Minneapolis, USA.    [Google Scholar]
  44. Woodiwiss M (2024). Organized crime and American power: A history. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.    [Google Scholar]
  45. Wyatt T, van Uhm D, and Nurse A (2020). Differentiating criminal networks in the illegal wildlife trade: Organized, corporate and disorganized crime. Trends in Organized Crime, 23: 350-366.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-020-09385-9    [Google Scholar]