Politics in the Workplace:
Workplace Politics:
Nourishing or Suppressing?
KEY TAKEAWAY
Organizational Citizenship Behaviours:
There is a psychological dilemma which occurs when employees perceive a workplace as political.
Alicia, Cynthia, Gracie, Harry & Michelle
An employee is not motivated to perform OCBs due to negative feelings towards coworkers or the company.
An employee may feel obliged to perform these behaviours since it is necessary or beneficial for career development.
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) are employee’s spontaneous behaviours that support the social and psychological environment within organizations.
Nourishing:
Organizational politics may encourage individual employees to use citizenship behaviours as a means to shape their public image and pursue personal goals.
"Empirical research has found that OCB is positively related to supervisory performance appraisal and promotion decisions."
Suppressing
Organizational politics lowers job satisfaction, thus employees are less likely to perform Organizational Citizenship Behaviours (OCBs), resulting in lower productivity.
"In a political environment, employees’ efforts and contributions may not be recognized and fairly rewarded."
What is workplace politics?
- Self-serving behaviour
- Strategies taken to get ahead of others
Situational Antecedents and Outcomes of Organisational Politics
References:
Level of Effect:
KEY TAKEAWAY #1:
Lack of information about job objectives + responsibilities or outcomes of job performance (rewards)
Hsiung, H. H., Lin, C. W., Lin, C. S. 2012, 'Nourishing or Suppressing? The Contradictory Influences of Perception of Organizational Politics on Organizational Citizenship Behaviour', Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 85, pp.258-276.
Poon, J. M. L. 2003, 'Situational antecedents and outcomes of organizational politics perceptions', Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 138-155.
Vigoda, E. 2000, 'Organizational Politics, Job Attitudes, and Work Outcomes: Exploration and Implications for the Public Sector', Journal of Vocational Behavior, vol. 57, no. 3, pp.326-347.
Yahr, E. 2016, 'Kelly Ripa's absence shows that office politics exist everywhere', The Washington Post, 21 April, viewed 6 May 2016, <https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/kelly-ripas-absence-shows-that-office-politics-exist-everywhere/2016/04/21/7b3c8b60-07e0-11e6-a12f-ea5aed7958dc_story.html>.
Low level of trust between employees
Employees will perceive their work environment to be political
KEY TAKEAWAY #2:
Employers need to mitigate perceptions of workplace politics due to the negative impact this may have upon individuals, and thus the organisation
Organisational Politics, Job Attitudes & Work Outcomes:
Organisational Politics:
- Achieving self-interests and advantages at the expense of others and sometimes the organisation
- Higher the politics is perceived, the lower the perceived level of justice
In conclusion...
Results of Study
Organisational politics has
- Negative relationship with job attitudes
- Positive relationship with negligent behaviour
- Positive relationship to leave the organsiation
KEY TAKEAWAY #1:
Organisational politics has a negative effect upon employee job attitudes and work outcomes
Outcomes of politics perception:
KEY TAKEAWAY #2:
Typical responses to work politics:
What does this mean for my career?
Three potential responses:
- Job anxiety
- Job dissatisfaction
- Withdrawal
1) Negligent behaviour
2) Increased intention to leave
3) Decrease job satisfaction
#1 Politics in the workplace can invoke a negative effect on employee job attitudes and their work outcomes
#2 Organisations should address the causes of perceptions to mitigate the risks of negative consequences
#3 Perceived workplace politics leads to a psychological dilemma of employee performance
- Be clear and confident in the role your job entails