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This study examined the Perceptions of Politics Model (Ferris, Russ, & Fandt, 1989) in a three-phase process. In the first phase, the model was examined using Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) two-step approach to structural equations modeling. The model was tested on data collected from 786 employees of a state government agency and 469 employees of an electric utility cooperative. Results from this phase indicated that the model had acceptable fit and was more parsimonious than any of the competing models to which it was compared. In the second phase, understanding as a moderator of the relationships between perceptions of organizational politics and several outcome variables was examined. Results indicated that understanding only moderated the outcome relationship between politics and job satisfaction, not intent to turnover or job anxiety. Finally, in phase three, the additional outcome variables of organizational satisfaction, supervisor effectiveness, and self-reported individual performance were included in an effort to expand the Ferris et al. (1989) framework. Additionally, the moderating effects of understanding on the relationships between perceptions of politics and these new outcome variables were explored. Results from the final step indicated that adding the new outcome variables increased the parsimony of the model without decreasing model fit. With respect to the moderating effects, only the politics-performance relationship was moderated by understanding. All of these results are discussed in light of their implications for future research.

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Tacit knowledge is not easily recognized or acknowledged, but it can be a key factor in enhancing the quality of strategic decisions made by the top management team. A working definition of tacit knowledge is the work-related practical know-how that is acquired through direct experience and instrumental in achieving goals important to the holder. The study provides an integration of the cognitive and strategic literatures to show that tacit knowledge is accessible and how it plays an integral role in the context of strategic decision making. The authors propose that better decisions will occur when tacit knowledge is employed overtly during strategy sessions. Among other methods, the use of guided mental imagery seems to provide the simultaneous benefits of explicating tacit knowledge as well as enhancing the socialization process necessary for its transfer among team members.