EXAMINING A MODEL OF ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF PERCEPTIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS (POPS)

Abstract

Perceptions of organizational politics (POPS) have received significant attention in the literature and scholars have devoted great efforts to explore this phenomenon. Although they have recognized organizations as inherently political arenas relatively little is known about the antecedents as well as the consequences of POPS on employees and their organizations. This thesis draws on social exchange framework to describe the relationships among POPS and individual and organizational outcomes namely affective commitment, turnover intentions, organisational citizenship behaviors, and innovativeness related behavior. However, what drives employees to engage in POPS? It answers this fundamental question by examining the role of personality in the prediction of POPS. Furthermore, it explores how the mediating variables (organizational cynicism, political influence behavior, and trust) affect these relationships.
A two wave study addresses these questions over a six-month period. In addition this study introduces the political skill self-efficacy (PSSE) construct and investigates its moderating impact on POPS-outcomes relationships. I developed and validated a scale of political skill self-efficacy (PSSE) to measure the proposed construct using three independently samples. Findings indicated that personality trait of neuroticism predicts POPS (T1) while POPS (T1) found to have positive significant relationship with organizational cynicism. I also found evidence that POPS (Time 1) has an impact on turnover intentions (Time 2) and affective commitment (Time 2). Specifically, increased perceptions of politics were associated to decreased affective commitment and increased turnover intentions. In addition, no support found for the mediating role of organisational cynicism, interpersonal trust and political influence behavior in the relationships among POPs (T1) and organizational outcomes (T2). Further, results partially supported the mediating role of organisational trust