Political skill and self-serving counterproductive work behaviors: Moderating role of perceptions of organizational politics

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Fariha Zahid ◽  
Arif Nazir Butt ◽  
Abdul Karim Khan
Keyword(s):  
Political Skill ◽  
Organizational Politics ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Counterproductive Work Behaviors ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Work Behaviors ◽  
Perceptions Of Organizational Politics ◽  
Political Perceptions ◽  
Activation Theory ◽  
Trait Activation

AbstractThe scholarship on political skill documents that it is a social savvy, personal style construct, associated with positive personal and organizational outcomes. However, this study takes a counterintuitive view and demonstrates that despite being a positive resource, political skill also has the potential to be used as a self-serving device to achieve one's personal agendas in the form of self-serving counterproductive work behaviors. Borrowing insights from the trait activation theory, this study demonstrates that a context, high in political perceptions, acts as an incentivized condition for politically skilled people to execute its dark side. The results supported the hypothesis and revealed that under high perceptions of organizational politics, political skill will have a significant, positive relation with self-serving counterproductive work behaviors. The study discusses important theoretical and practical implications of these results and extends the domains of political skill and counterproductive work behaviors.

scholarly journals Machiavellian Leader Effectiveness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna A. Genau ◽  
Gerhard Blickle ◽  
Nora Schütte ◽  
James A. Meurs
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Leadership Effectiveness ◽  
Political Skill ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Leader Effectiveness ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Activation Theory ◽  
Trait Activation ◽  
Trait Activation Theory

Abstract. Research on the effectiveness of Machiavellian leaders has found contradictory results. By linking socioanalytic and trait activation theory to the Machiavellianism and leadership literature, we argue that political skill may explain these findings by moderating the relation between Machiavellianism and leadership effectiveness. Using a multisource design and moderated mediation analyses with 153 leaders, 287 subordinates, and 153 superiors, we show that leaders who are both strongly politically skilled and high on Machiavellianism successfully enact transformational leadership, mediating improved leader effectiveness. However, when leader political skill is low, high Machiavellianism is negatively associated with (subordinate-rated) transformational leadership, resulting in lower leader effectiveness ratings by superiors. We discuss these results in light of current research on Machiavellianism in leadership and work contexts.

scholarly journals The Dark Side of Extra Role Behaviors: Investigating the Link between Extra-role and Counterproductive Behaviors in Organizations using Moral Licensing Theory

2019 ◽  
pp. 178-190
Author(s):  
Atefeh Sodeiri
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Counterproductive Work Behaviors ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Work Behaviors ◽  
Citizenship Behaviors ◽  
Negative Relation ◽  
Moral Licensing ◽  
Culture Dimensions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Role Behaviors

Most researches in the organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) field illustrate a wide range of positive outcomes for both employees and organizations. Some studies have investigated the other side of the coin, as well as the dark side of OCBs and the tendencies of these kinds of behaviors to increase deviant and counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). Nowadays, investigations about counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) and the finding of their causes is crucial for organizations. Sometimes the causes of CWBs are clarified, but sometimes extra-role behaviors such as OCBs, which have a negative relation with CWBs as well as organizational culture, can contribute to the formation of counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). In this paper, by considering moral licensing theory and effects of abusive climate in organizations, as well as dysfunctional culture dimensions, I discuss how employees who engage in OCB may subsequently participate in counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs).

scholarly journals Investigating the Role of Psychological Contract Breach, Political Skill and Work Ethic on Perceived Politics and Job Attitudes Relationships: A Case of Higher Education in Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hira Khan ◽  
Zhiqiang Ma ◽  
Muhammad Abubakari Sadick ◽  
Abdul-Aziz Ibn Musah
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Work Ethic ◽  
Political Skill ◽  
Job Attitudes ◽  
Organizational Politics ◽  
Psychological Contract Breach ◽  
Contract Breach ◽  
Perceptions Of Organizational Politics ◽  
Perception Of Politics ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to investigate how a Psychological contract breach can mediate the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and job attitudes and how political skill and work ethic can influence the negative association between perceptions of organizational politics and job attitudes. A systematic sampling method was used with a sampling size of 310 faculty members of public sector universities of Pakistan. Data were analyzed by using partial least squares structural equations modeling PLS-SEM to test the hypotheses by Smart PLS software. The findings revealed that the perception of politics is significantly and negatively related to job attitudes and indirectly through psychological contract breach. Moreover, the results indicated a significant moderating effect of work ethic on the relationship between the perception of politics and job attitudes. However, political skill did not moderate the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and job attitudes. Moreover, research implications and limitations are elucidated.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? A Triarchic Perspective on Psychopathy at Work

2021 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2110226
Author(s):  
Iris Kranefeld ◽  
Gerhard Blickle
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Political Skill ◽  
Counterproductive Work Behavior ◽  
Work Behavior ◽  
Counterproductive Work Behaviors ◽  
Adaptive Performance ◽  
Work Behaviors ◽  
Workplace Outcomes ◽  
And Task ◽  
Triarchic Model

Does psychopathy have an upside in vocational contexts? Applying the triarchic model of psychopathy, we propose that the dimensions of boldness, disinhibition, and meanness have different relations to workplace outcomes. Focusing on boldness and in line with socioanalytic personality theory, we propose that political skill moderates the relation between boldness and job performance. Using a sample of 477 target-coworker pairings, we found interaction effects of boldness and political skill on contextual and task performance, and the buffering of counterproductive work behavior. Furthermore, political skill moderated the relation between boldness and adaptive performance. Disinhibition and meanness were positively correlated with counterproductive work behaviors, thereby reflecting the dark core of psychopathy. In sum, boldness is a trait linked to career success in the absence of the other traits that make up psychopathy as a whole. Furthermore, we encourage the use of the triarchic model as an overarching framework in vocational contexts.

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