Handbook of Organizational Politics: Organizational Politics

390 Pages·2006·1.65 MB·English

by  Eran Vigoda-Gadot

HANDBOOK OF ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS

Handbook of Organizational
Politics
Edited by
Eran Vigoda-Gadot
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Public Administration,
University of Haifa,Israel
Amos Drory
Professor of Organizational Behavior,School of Management,Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev,Israel
Edward Elgar
Cheltenham,UK • Northampton,MA,USA
© Eran Vigoda-Gadot and Amos Drory,2006
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical or photocopying,recording,or
otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Published by
Edward Elgar Publishing Limited
Glensanda House
Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham
Glos GL50 1UA
UK
Edward Elgar Publishing,Inc.
136 West Street
Suite 202
Northampton
Massachusetts 01060
USA
A catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
Library ofCongress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Handbook of organizational politics/edited by Eran Vigoda-Gadot,Amos Drory.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.Office politics—Handbooks,manuals,etc.2.Organizational behavior—
Political aspects—Handbooks,manuals,etc.3.Business and politics—
Handbooks,manuals,etc.I.Title:Organizational politics.II.Vigoda-Gadot,
Eran,1966– .III.Drory,Amos.
HF5386.5.H36 2006
302.3’5—dc22 2005052090
ISBN-13:978 1 84376 995 8 (cased)
ISBN-10:1 84376 995 6 (cased)
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd,Bodmin,Cornwall
Contents
List of contributors vii
Preface:Challenges and new frontiers for organizational politics in modern
worksites byEran Vigoda-Gadot and Amos Drory ix
PART I: THE INDIVIDUAL’S PERSPECTIVE:POLITICS,PERSONALITY
AND LEADERSHIP
1 Organizational politics,leadership and performance in modern public
worksites:A theoretical framework 3
Eran Vigoda-Gadot and Yinnon Dryzin-Amit
2 Agreeableness and extraversion as moderators of the political influence
compatibility–work outcomes relationship 16
John P.Meriac and Peter D.Villanova
3 Personality and politics perceptions:A new conceptualization and
illustration using OCBs 29
Christopher C.Rosen,Chu-Hsiang Chang and Paul E.Levy
4 Antecedents,processes and outcomes of collective (group-level) politics
in organizations 53
Keith James
5 The politics of impression management in organizations:Contextual effects 75
Amos Drory and Nurit Zaidman
PART II: ETHICS AND JUSTICE:VALUES,FAIRNESS AND THE
POSSIBILITIES FOR TRUST IN WORKPLACE POLITICS
6 Organizational politics,definitions and ethics 89
Chris Provis
7 The direct and indirect influence of organizational politics on
organizational support,trust and commitment 107
Simon Albrecht
8 Politics as determinant of fairness perceptions in organizations 122
Constant D.Beugré and Patrick R.Liverpool
PART III: EMOTIONS AND STRESS:ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
AND EMPLOYEES’WELL-BEING
9 Organizational politics and workplace stress 139
Russell Cropanzano and Andrew Li
10 The emotion of politics and the politics of emotions:Affective and
cognitive reactions to politics as a stressor 161
Yongmei Liu,Gerald R.Ferris,Darren C.Treadway,Melita L.Prati,
Pamela L.Perrewé and Wayne A.Hochwarter
v
vi Contents
11 The strain-related reactions to perceptions of organizational politics
as a workplace stressor:Political skill as a neutralizer 187
Robyn L.Brouer,Gerald R.Ferris,Wayne A.Hochwarter,Mary Dana Laird
andDavid C.Gilmore
PART IV: SYSTEMS AND PERFORMANCE:STRATEGY,CHANGE
AND DECISION MAKING AS A POLITICAL PROCESS
12 A micro-political perspective of strategic management 209
Jane Gunn and Stephen Chen
13 Organizational politics:Affective reactions,cognitive assessments and
their influence on organizational commitment and cynicism toward change 230
Simon Albrecht
14 The relationship between perceptions of politics,social support,
withdrawal and performance 253
Jonathon R.B.Halbesleben and Anthony R.Wheeler
15 Competing perspectives on the role of understanding in the politics
perceptions–job performance relationship:A test of the ‘antidote’versus
‘distraction’hypotheses 271
Wayne A.Hochwarter,Robert W.Kolodinsky,Lawrence A.Witt,
Angela T.Hall,Gerald R.Ferris and Michele K.Kacmar
16 The symbiosis of organizational politics and organizational democracy 286
David Butcher and Martin Clarke
PART V: THE PROFESSIONALS’PERSPECTIVE:HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING IN A POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT
17 Speaking truth to power:Three perspectives on consultation 303
Robert T.Golembiewski
18 Twelve foundations for the power position of consultants 313
Astrid I.Boogers-van Griethuijsen,Ben J.M.Emans,Janka I.Stoker and
Arndt M.Sorge
19 Organizational politics:Building positive political strategies in
turbulent times 328
Ronnie Kurchner-Hawkins and Rima Miller
Index 353
Contributors
Simon Albrecht,Department of Psychology,Monash University,Australia
Constant D.Beugré,School of Management,Delaware State University,USA
Astrid I.Boogers-van Griethuijsen,Faculty ofManagement and Organization,University
of Groningen,The Netherlands
Robyn L.Brouer,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
David Butcher,Cranfield School of Management,UK
Chu-Hsiang Chang, Department of Psychology, Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences,
University of Akron,USA
Stephen Chen,National Graduate School ofManagement,Australian National University,
Australia
Martin Clarke,Cranfield School of Management,UK
Russell Cropanzano,Department of Psychology,Colorado State University,USA
Mary Dana Laird,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
Amos Drory,School of Management,Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,Israel
Yinnon Dryzin-Amit,Division of Public Administration and Policy,University of Haifa,
Israel
Ben J.M. Emans, Faculty of Management and Organization, University of Groningen,
The Netherlands
Gerald R.Ferris,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
David C. Gilmore, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at
Charlotte,USA
Robert T. Golembiewski, School of Public and International Affairs, Department of
Public Administration and Policy,University of Georgia,USA
Jane Gunn,Australian National University,National Graduate School of Management,
Australia
Jonathon R.B.Halbesleben,College of Business,California State University,USA
Angela T.Hall,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
Wayne A.Hochwarter,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
Keith James,Department of Psychology,Colorado State University,USA
Michele K.Kacmar,Department ofManagement and Marketing,University ofAlabama,
USA
vii
viii Contributors
Robert W.Kolodinsky,Department of Management,James Madison University,USA
Ronnie Kurchner-Hawkins,President,Kurchner-Hawkins Associates,Philadelphia,USA
Paul E. Levy, Department of Psychology, Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences,
University of Akron,USA
Andrew Li,Department of Psychology,Colorado State University,USA
Yongmei Liu,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
Patrick R.Liverpool,School of Business and Industry,Florida A&M University,USA
John P.Meriac,University of Tennessee,Appalachian State University,USA
Rima Miller,Vice-President,Performa Global Ltd,Bangkok,Thailand
Pamela L.Perrewé,Department of Management,Florida State University,USA
Melita L.Prati,Department of Management,East Carolina University,USA
Chris Provis,School of International Business,University of South Australia,Australia
Christopher C.Rosen,Department of Psychology,Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences,
University of Akron,USA
Arndt M. Sorge, Faculty of Management and Organization, University of Groningen,
The Netherlands
Janka I. Stoker, Faculty of Management and Organization, University of Groningen,
The Netherlands
Darren C.Treadway,School of Business Administration,University of Mississippi,USA
Eran Vigoda-Gadot, Division of Public Administration and Policy and the Center for
Public Management and Policy,University of Haifa,Israel
Peter D.Villanova,University of Tennessee,Appalachian State University,USA
AnthonyR.Wheeler,FosterCollegeofBusinessAdministration,BradleyUniversity,USA
Lawrence A.Witt,Department of Management,University of New Orleans,USA
Nurit Zaidman,School of Management,Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,Israel
Preface: Challenges and new frontiers for
organizational politics in modern worksites
Eran Vigoda-Gadot and Amos Drory
Studies in organizational politics:past,present and future
Organizational politics has been a fruitful field ofacademic writing and research for more
than three decades. Dozens of papers, book chapters, and other publications as well as
numerous conference presentations and symposia have been devoted to what was once
considered the hidden dynamics ofpower and influence in organizations,those that create
the politicized worksite.In the past decade,the flow of studies has intensified,reflecting
the growing interest in this arena.More than 150 studies have been published in profes-
sional academic journals that have explored the meaning of this phenomenon, its
antecedents,implications,and significance for managers and employees in various fields
and sectors and across cultures.
Thisbookisanattempttoprovideacomprehensiveunderstandingof afieldthatfor
manyyearsseemedinteresting,butalmostimpossibletostudyempirically.Aswithother
handbooks,weseektopaintthebroadpicture.Therefore,wehaveapproachedmostofthe
scholarswhohavewrittenaboutthisphenomenoninrecentdecadesandofferedthemthe
opportunitytocontributetheiruniqueperspectives.Manyhaveagreedtojoinourjourney
andhavecontributedoriginalpapers,pre-publishedworks,orupdatedversionsof previ-
ouslypublishedpapers.Insum,approximatelythirtychapterswereconsideredforpossi-
bleinclusioninthisvolume,ofwhich19werefinallyselected.Thesearticleswerecarefully
chosenfortheirquality,theirclarityandtheirabilitytoprovidethereaderwithaninte-
grativelookatworkplacepoliticsfromvariousperspectives.Theresultis19chaptersof
whatweseeasathoughtfulandlucidanalysiswrittenbytheleadingresearchersinthefield.
The Handbook of Organizational Politics is therefore designed to offer a broad per-
spective on the fascinating phenomenon of power, influence and politics in modern
worksites. This phenomenon has proven meaningful for individuals, groups and other
organizational stakeholders, as it is related to various aspects of organizational out-
comesandperformances.However,politicsinorganizationsisdifficulttostudybecause
employees, middle managers and corporate leaders are not eager to reveal the political
secretsanddynamicsthathelpthemgetaheadintheworkplaceandadvancetheirper-
sonalagendas.Organizationalpoliticshasmanydefinitions,butallof themrelatetothe
use of personal or aggregate power to influence others and achieve one’s goals in the
workplace.Throughouttheyears,scholarshavestudiednotonlythepositiveandnega-
tive aspects of politics and its internal structure, but also its antecedents and poten-
tial outcomes. The book discusses most, if not all, of these themes, as detailed in
thepartiallistbelow.Thebookisintendedasacomprehensivecollectionof originalor
re-workedstudiesthattogethercompriseacurrentpictureof ourknowledgeaboutthis
area.Thisportraitisbasedonboththeoreticalideasandempiricalfindingsfromaround
theglobe.
ix
x Preface
The art of workplace politics
Organizational politics has been studied empirically for more than two decades, but its
theoretical foundations can be traced back as far as halfa century ago.In a previous book
(Vigoda,2003),we stated that organizational politics represents a unique domain ofinter-
personal relations in the workplace.Its main characteristic is the readiness of people to
use power in their efforts to influence others and secure personal or collective interests or,
alternatively,avoid negative outcomes within the organization (Bozeman et al.,1996).
In recent decades,organizational politics has become a topic of prime importance in
management literature. In the late 1950s, Lasswell claimed that politics is important
because it represents the secret of ‘who gets what, when, and how’ in a social system
(Lasswell,1958).However,until the 1970s,politics in organizations received little or no
attention.Only with the recognition that,as in the national arena,organizations also have
to deal with conflicts, resource-sharing processes, and power struggles among their
members and units has organizational politics begun to attract growing attention.In the
late 1970s and early 1980s, some studies established a theoretical framework for the
inquiry into the role ofpolitics in the workplace (Bacharach and Lawler,1980;Mayes and
Allen,1977;Mintzberg,1983;Pfeffer,1981).
In the early 1990s,Pfeffer (1992,p.8) argued that organizations,particularly large ones,
are like governments in that they are fundamentally political entities.To understand them
one needs to understand organizational politics,just as to understand governments one
needs to understand governmental politics.As interest in organizational politics grew,so
did the variety of approaches to its study (Vigoda,2003).For example,some studies have
tried to typologize the various influence tactics found in the workplace (for example,
Kipnis et al.,1980),while others have used a theory of organizational conflict to explain
power struggles and influence tactics (for example,Putnam,1995).Most of these studies
have focused on the nature and expressions of organizational politics and have done so
using a negative perspective that equates organizational politics with the dark side of
human behavior,such as manipulation,coercive influence,or other subversive and semi-
legal actions (for example,Ferris and King,1991;Mintzberg,1983,1989).Few have used
a balanced approach to determine the effects oforganizational politics on employees’atti-
tudes, behavior and performance in the workplace. The relationship between organiza-
tional politics and organizational outcomes is important because every member of an
organization has power and exercises it in a unique way to benefit himself/herself in
his/her work environment.Power,influence and politics have at least some effect on every
member of an organization and thus on the entire organizational unit.Therefore,many
scholars have argued that the relationship between organizational politics and organiza-
tional outcomes is an important one that deserves further inquiry (Bozeman et al.,1996;
Ferris and Kacmar,1992;Kacmar and Carlson,1994).During the 1990s and on into the
twenty-first century,the interest in organizational politics began to focus on people’s per-
ceptions about the political maneuvers in their workplaces.This shift in focus was based
on the assumption that the reality of politics is best understood through the perceptions
of individuals.
Indeed,most of the relatively few studies on organizational politics have concentrated
on employees’perceptions of politics (Vigoda,2003,pp. 7–8).To date,two approaches to
organizational politics have dominated the literature. The first focuses on employees’
influence tactics at work as the best expression of political behavior.This line of research