Measuring Political Will in Organizations: Theoretical Construct Development and Empirical Validation

Abstract

Political will is widely recognized as an important, yet profoundly underinvestigated, construct that lacks conceptual clarity and valid measurement. To address this lack, we conducted four studies encompassing six samples (N = 925) from three countries (United States, Greece, and United Kingdom) that establish the psychometric properties and nomological network of the Political Will Scale. We demonstrate that the scale exhibits both convergent and discriminant validity with several conceptually related constructs while also determining that political will positively relates to influence and work-related behaviors. As an extension of our findings, political will seems to explain variance over and above political skill in relation to influence tactics, status, and career growth potential. The theoretical implications of this new scale are discussed in relation to organizational politics, leadership, and social change.

From Politically Naïve to Politically Mature: Conceptualizing Leaders’ Political Maturation Journey

“…Additionally, while Kapoutsis et al . () argued that political will has both instrumental and benevolent components, findings show that junior leaders tend to understand political engagement largely through its instrumental facet (e.g. career progression − stages 1 and 2), while the benevolent facet is construed later, with seniority, as linked to leadership responsibilities (e.g.…”

“…Typical for this stage was a relatively simplistic construal of political engagement as driven by narrow self‐interest (Kapoutsis et al ., ) and synonymous with backstabbing. There was reluctance to engage in politics and negative attitudes on the ethical dimension of political will (Doldor, Anderson and Vinnicombe, ).…”

“…They noted that leaders experience tensions and ambivalence on these three dimensions, holding opposing beliefs about politics. While Treadway (2012, p. 533) emphasized the self-serving aspect of political will, defining it as 'motivation to engage in strategic, goal-directed behaviour that advances the personal agenda and objectives of the actor', Kapoutsis et al (2015) highlight two facets of political will: a benevolent one that benefits the target of influence, and a self-serving one that benefits primarily the self. Therefore, willingness to engage in political behaviour is a multifaceted phenomenon that requires further research.…”

“…By focusing on political skill outcomes, extant scholarship overlooks how individuals progress from being politically unskilled to being astute and effective in handling politics (Kimura, 2015). The notion of political will was similarly treated: research focused on the nature and dimensionality of political will and its outcomes (Doldor, Anderson and Vinnicombe, 2013;Kapoutsis et al, 2015;Treadway et al, 2005), neglecting how leaders' political will develops with time and experience. These questions are critical to understanding how leaders learn to cope with politics.…”

“…As you go through your career, those things become more visible to you and you're then able to more easily read what is actually going on, rather than be naïve about it. (Sandra, ML) Typical for this stage was a relatively simplistic construal of political engagement as driven by narrow self-interest (Kapoutsis et al, 2015) and synonymous with backstabbing. There was reluctance to engage in politics and negative attitudes on the ethical dimension of political will (Doldor, Naïve assumptions about meritocracy and rationality in organizational life were gradually dismantled as leaders began to grasp the unwritten rules of the workplace.…”