Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1995

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Major Professor

Michael C. Rush

Committee Members

Greg Dobbins, Joyce Russell, John Lounsbury

Abstract

Based on the notion that political activity in organizations can be effectively differentiated in terms of whether it is aimed at accomplishing work-related objectives or obtaining strictly personal benefits, the purposes of this study were to examine select situational and dispositional antecedents of political behavior in organizations, to develop a better understanding of why the experience of workplace politics is dissatisfying to employees, and to investigate whether these antecedents and outcomes might differ depending on the type of political behavior in question. Participants in the study were 323 state government managers who provided information via survey regarding these two facets of political climate in their organizations as well as their attitudes regarding and their use of political influence tactics to accomplish work-related objectives and to obtain personal benefits. In addition, subjects completed measures of job satisfaction and procedural justice in their organizations and indicated the extent to which resource scarcity, limited authority and a lack of common goals characterized their organizations. A model comprising the hypothesized relationships among these variables was tested using structural equations analyses and multiple regression techniques. The results were supportive of most of the hypotheses that were considered, indicating that subjects were more likely perceive procedural injustice in their organizations and, in turn, be less satisfied with their jobs to the extent that political activity aimed at obtaining strictly personal benefits was prevalent in their organizations. Moreover, these effects were stronger among subjects whose attitudes reflected a lack of Receptivity to the use of political tactics, a lack of Efficacy regarding their ability to understand and use political tactics, and a belief that politics is not an organizational Inevitability. By contrast, the political climate surrounding attempts to accomplish work-related objectives was not uniquely related to either procedural justice or job satisfaction. Both of these climates, however, were related to subjects reported use of political tactics, as were subjects' attitudes about politics and organizational conditions reflecting a Lack of Common Goals and Limited Authority among employees. Resource Scarcity was not uniquely related to the use of tactics for work-related or personal benefits-oriented objectives.

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