The Formation of Political Sub-Climates: Predictions from Social Identity, Structuration, and Symbolic Interaction

Treadway, Darren C.; Adams, Garry L.; Goodman, Joseph M.

doi:10.1007/s10869-005-8259-z

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Since differing mean levels of pay system effectiveness were related to perceptions of organizational politics and fairness, the result suggests that the adopted merit pay systems were not ineffective or detrimental per se but that the effectiveness varied as a function of the established 'political' and 'fairness' climates (Treadway et al, 2005) at different levels of the organization. Situational factors (Valle and Perrewe, 2000), such as job ambiguity, scarcity of resources, and trust in supervisors (Poon, 2003(Poon, , 2006 might have accounted for the differences in these climates between the organizations.…”

Section: Managerial Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…We conducted supplemental post hoc analyses to examine to what extent there are political and fairness sub-climates (Treadway et al, 2005) on the unit level (here 26 units) in addition to the organizational level. According to our analysis (ANOVA in SPSS), there were no significant mean differences in politics in pay decisions and distributive justice on the unit level (in addition to the organizational level, see Table 2).…”

Section: Perceptions Of Politics and Fairness In Merit Pay 18mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceptions of politics and fairness in merit pay

Salimäki¹,

Jämsén²

2010

Journal of Managerial Psychology

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Purpose: Employee perceptions of politics and fairness were studied in a work setting where a new merit pay system had recently been implemented.Design/methodology/approach: Based on the literature on organizational politics, equity, procedural justice, and social exchange theory, we expected that employee perceptions of politics and fairness are associated with the perceptions of merit pay effectiveness. The results are based on employee survey responses from three governmental organizations (N=367) that had implemented analogous merit pay systems. Findings:Hierarchical moderated regression results indicated that perceptions of politics and fairness distinctively and interactively predicted whether the pay system was perceived effective in achieving its objectives. The results suggest that some forms of politics in performance appraisals (e.g., compression) might be perceived less detrimental than others (e.g., favoritism). In a high politics environment, the pay system effectiveness varied as a function of the level of distributive justice. Voice in the pay system development only mattered in a situation where there was a low level of organizational politics. Research implications/limitations:One of the main limitations of this study is its reliance on cross-sectional data. Future research should complement employee perceptions about pay system effectiveness with objective data from the organizations studied. Research on the effect of contextual factors, such as national culture on the motives in and reactions to organizational politics, is desired. Practical implications:The result suggests that the adopted merit pay systems were not ineffective or detrimental per se, but that the effectiveness varied as a function of the established political and fairness climates at different levels of the organization. Originality/value:This study contributes to the discussion on what are the conditions under which politics and fairness are antithetical, and when they are interactively associated with outcomes.

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Section: Managerial Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Perceptions Of Politics and Fairness In Merit Pay 18mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of politics and fairness in merit pay

Salimäki¹,

Jämsén²

2010

Journal of Managerial Psychology

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“…Evidence that employees distinguish between political activities at different levels has led to the suggestion that multiple political environments can exist within an organization Treadway, Adams & Goodman 2005). For example, by comparing the impact of perceived political activity at a work group and an organizational level, Maslyn and Fedor (1998) found that politics perceived at an organizational level predicted increased intentions to leave among subordinates after controlling for the effects of supervisor-subordinate relationship.…”

Section: Politics and Politicians At Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pettigrew (1973), for example, describes company politics as the by-play that occurs when a person or group wishes to advance themselves or their ideas regardless of whether or not those ideas would help the organization. Another important feature of this perspective is the argument that organizational politics involves activities not sanctioned by the organization that lead to dissent (Treadway, Adams & Goodman, 2005). A good illustration of this is Mintzberg"s (1985, p.134) description of political behaviour as "neither formally authorized, widely accepted, nor officially certified" and which, as a consequence, "is typically divisive and conflictive, often pitting individuals and groups against formal authority, accepted ideology and/or certified expertise or else against each other".…”

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confidence: 99%

“…These findings suggest that an individual"s ability or skill at working in a political environment can alleviate some of the negative consequences of perceptions of politics, but the relationship is not simple. Personal values such as beliefs in equity or fairness may mediate the impact of political environments and political working indicating the need for further research in this area.Another question relating to perceptions of politics is whether the organizational level at which political activity is perceived to occur can influence how individuals respond.Evidence that employees distinguish between political activities at different levels has led to the suggestion that multiple political environments can exist within an organization Treadway, Adams & Goodman 2005). For example, by comparing the impact of perceived political activity at a work group and an organizational level, Maslyn and Fedor (1998) found that politics perceived at an organizational level predicted increased intentions to leave among subordinates after controlling for the effects of supervisor-subordinate relationship.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Politics and Politicians at Work

Silvester

2008

International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2008

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This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. (Gandz & Murray, 1980). Much less likely would be descriptions of political actions being used for the good of others or to achieve some work-related goal. Permanent repository linkPolitics is associated with the "dark side" of workplace behaviour and researchers have described political behaviour as inherently divisive, stressful, and a cause of dissent and reduced performance (e.g., Bolino, 1999;Fandt & Ferris, 1990; Ferris, Adams, Kolodinsky, Hochwater & Ammeter, 2002;Kacmar & Baron, 1999;Witt, 1998). For the most part political activity is seen as something that needs to be minimized or removed to maximize organizational functioning.Yet, politics and politicians are also at the heart of democracy: their performance affects This chapter considers why I/O psychologists do not look to political arenas to test or apply their theories and research, and why there have been so few attempts to explore organizational politics in the broader political context of government organizations. It considers whether this is a missed opportunity or whether valid differences make it difficult to draw comparisons between politics in the workplace and the politics of government. In order to do this, the chapter critically reviews research on workplace politics by I/O psychologists and reflects on findings in relation to the broader arena of politicians and political work. The primary focus is on individuals acting politically rather than groups or political systems. It asks whether a better understanding of political activity at work might be gained by studying politicians and political environments. The 1970s and 1980s saw burgeoning interest in the topic of organizational politics.Effort was devoted to explaining why politics occurred, when it was likely to occur, the form it might take, as well as its likely consequences. Research focused on politics as an organizational phenomenon, with political activity resulting from individuals or groups with different needs competing for limited organizational resources. Organizations were described as political battlegrounds where coalitions form and deform in the process of building and exercising power, and daily campaigns are waged in an effort to control scarce resources (Bies & Tripp, 1995;Ferris, Perrewé, Anthony & Gilmore, 2000). Two broad perspectives emerged from this work. In the first of these researchers typically view politics as an illegitimate aspect of organizational life: a phenomenon that causes conflict and division between organizational members, impeding the achievement of organizational goals. Central to this perspective is the idea that politics involves placing self-interest above the interests of organization and other organizational members (see definitions of political behaviour in Table 1). Pettigrew (1973), for example, describes company politics as the by-play that occurs when a person or group wishes to advance themselves or their ideas...

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