Political skill reduces the negative impact of distrust

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 442-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vickie Coleman Gallagher ◽  
James A. Meurs ◽  
Kenneth J. Harris

Purpose A number of studies have explored the benefits (e.g. enhanced job performance and reduced strain), of being politically skilled. Within the framework of uncertainty management theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits of high political skill to affective commitment, job satisfaction, and perceived job mobility, under conditions of distrust in management. Design/methodology/approach Sales representatives were surveyed and moderated multiple regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data. Findings The authors found that as distrust increased, affective commitment decreased for all persons, but was most pronounced for persons low on political skill. However, distrust in management had no impact on job satisfaction for those high on political skill, allowing persons high on political skill to enjoy their jobs despite high levels of distrust (an intrapsychic benefit of political skill). Finally, as distrust in management increased, persons high on political skill had increased perceived job mobility. Research limitations/implications This study is cross-sectional, limiting conclusions about causality in the relationships studied and leaving open the possibility of reverse causation. Practical implications This research has important implications, such that, under conditions of distrust, persons low on political skill are less committed, more dissatisfied, and feel a sense of job immobility, which could lead to poor work outcomes, such as decreased job performance. Originality/value The study is the first to examine how being politically skilled benefits employee outcomes when the employee distrusts management.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuming Chen ◽  
Haiying Kang ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Mingjian Zhou

PurposeDrawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study aims to understand the adverse effects of customer mistreatment on employee performance and well-being by thwarting the satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs. It also examines how these negative effects may be mitigated by empowerment human resource management (HRM) practices.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted using survey data collected in China. In Study 1, cross-sectional data from 321 telemarketing employees were analyzed to examine how customer mistreatment reduces the satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs, harming job performance and job satisfaction. In Study 2, multiwave, multisource data were collected from 149 property agents and their supervisors to replicate the findings of Study 1 and further test empowerment HRM as a moderator of the relationship between customer mistreatment and satisfaction of needs.FindingsThe results from both studies show that customer mistreatment leads to low job performance and job satisfaction via reduced satisfaction of employees' needs for autonomy and competence but not relatedness. Moreover, the negative effect on the satisfaction of employees' needs for autonomy and competence was buffered when organizations had high empowerment HRM practices in place.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights on customer mistreatment by understanding its effects from a motivational perspective, which has not been considered in prior research. It also explores how HRM practices can help satisfy employee needs in adverse work environments induced by customer mistreatment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilona van Beek ◽  
Toon W. Taris ◽  
Wilmar B. Schaufeli ◽  
Veerle Brenninkmeijer

Purpose – The present study aims to investigate the motivational correlates of two types of heavy work investment: workaholism and work engagement. Building on Higgins's regulatory focus theory, the paper examines which work goals workaholic and engaged employees pursue and which strategies they use to achieve these goals. Furthermore, the paper examines how workaholism and work engagement relate to three different work outcomes: job satisfaction, turnover intention, and job performance. Design/methodology/approach – Data from a cross-sectional survey study among 680 Dutch employees in the banking industry were analysed using structural equation modeling. Findings – The analyses revealed that workaholism was primarily and positively associated with having a prevention focus, whereas work engagement was primarily and positively associated with having a promotion focus. Furthermore, workaholism was negatively related to job satisfaction and job performance, and positively related to turnover intention, whereas work engagement was positively associated with job satisfaction and job performance, and negatively associated with turnover intention. Both forms of heavy work investment almost fully mediated the associations between the regulatory foci and the three work outcomes. Research limitations/implications – The conclusions rely on self-report data, a relatively homogeneous sample, and a cross-sectional design. This may have biased our findings to some degree and does not allow inferring causal conclusions. Practical implications – The findings show that workaholic and engaged employees have different work goals and use different strategies to pursue these goals. Moreover, both forms of heavy work investment are oppositely related to work outcomes. Organizations may develop policies to reduce workaholism and to promote work engagement by influencing their employees' regulatory foci. Originality/value – The present study demonstrates that two types of heavy work investment can be distinguished, each with a unique motivational make-up and a unique pattern of work outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Rief ◽  
Samantha Clinkinbeard

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between officer perceptions of fit in their organization and stress (organizational and operational), overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation (within the last 6 months).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 832 officers from two Midwest police departments to examine the relationships between fit, stress and work-related attitudes.FindingsPerceived stress and organizational fit were strong predictors of overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation; organizational fit accounted for the most variation in stress, satisfaction and turnover contemplation. Organizational stress partially mediated the relationship between organizational fit and job satisfaction and organizational fit and turnover contemplation.Research ImplicationsMore research is needed to identify predictors of organizational fit perceptions among police officers.Practical implicationsFindings indicate that agencies should pay close attention to the organizational culture and structure when trying to address issues of officer well-being and retention. Further, the person−environment framework can be a useful tool in examining police occupational outcomes.Originality/valueThe authors findings contribute to research on officer stress by exploring perceptions of organizational fit as a predictor of stress and unpacking how officer stress matters to important work outcomes, including job satisfaction and thoughts of turnover, by considering stress as a mediator between organizational fit and these work outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 967-984
Author(s):  
Melody P.M. Chong ◽  
Xiji Zhu ◽  
Pingping Fu ◽  
Ling Ying Sarinna Wong

Purpose Previous research on influence strategies has almost exclusively indicated negative relationships between assertive influence and employee work outcomes; the purpose of this study is to argue that an assertive influence strategy can also lead to both positive and negative work outcomes, when subordinates hold different attributions towards the leaders’ motive of using assertive influence (hereafter “the cause”). Design/methodology/approach The empirical study was based on data collected from 930 employees in China. The authors developed hypotheses to test the mediating effects of three types of perception in the relationship between an assertive influence strategy and five outcomes, and additional analyses on persuasive and relational influence strategies are also conducted. Findings Results show that when subordinates attribute the cause to their ability (internal attribution), an assertive influence has indirect positive effect on felt obligation, organizational commitment, job performance and organizational citizenship behavior; when subordinates attribute the cause to the poor relationship with their superiors (relational attribution), an assertive influence has indirect negative impact on most outcomes except for job performance; when subordinates perceive that the cause is to the superiors, such as authoritarian leadership (external attribution), an assertive influence has indirect positive effect on job performance. Practical implications The study highlights the importance of subordinates’ perceptions during the leadership influence processes. Originality/value This study was the first to examine the mediation relationship between three types of influence strategies and five organizational outcomes based on a large sample of front-line staff in China. The findings of the study also enrich the literature of leadership and attribution theories.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Muhammad Siddique ◽  
Hinna Fatima Siddique ◽  
Shama Urooj Siddique

PurposeThis study has two primary objectives: (1) to shed light on the mechanism by which authoritarian leadership unfolds its impact on such critical aspects of subordinates' work lives as job satisfaction and in-role performance and (2) to identify the moderating conditions which place limits on the impact of authoritarian leadership on work outcomes.Design/methodology/approachData were collected on 552 supervisor-subordinate dyads from the United Arab Emirates. A series of research hypotheses were tested using a mixed-method statistical approach, including CFA and moderated hierarchical regression analysis.FindingsAs predicted, authoritarian leadership exerts negative impact on subordinates' job satisfaction and performance through poor quality LMX and weak employee organizational embeddedness. Both LMX and employee embeddedness mediated the negative relationship between authoritarian leadership and outcome measures while power distance moderated the relationship of authoritarian leadership with LMX and employee organizational embeddedness. Low power distance orientation was found to exacerbate the negative impact of authoritarian leadership on the quality of both LMX relationships and employee embeddedness.Research limitations/implicationsThe study shares limitations of most studies cast in the survey research design.Practical implicationsThe findings underscore the importance of work environment in nurturing high quality LMX relationships and employee organizational embeddedness to buffer the negative effect of authoritarian leadership on subordinates' job satisfaction and performance. In high power distance cultures where workplace inequality is largely rationalized, subordinates who perceive their leaders as authoritarian tend to show low job satisfaction and poor in-role performance. These findings illustrate the importance of management intervention in the early stage of recruitment and selection to attract managers receptive to egalitarian leadership approaches who can equip subordinates with appropriate resources to enhance their job satisfaction and performance outcomes.Originality/valueThe study offers valuable new insights into the mechanism by which authoritarian leadership influences work outcomes in a high-power distance culture. It represents first systematic effort in the Middle Eastern context to identify the conditions that mediate the linkage between authoritarian leadership and work outcomes. The study adds value to the literature by investigating the moderating role of power distance at the individual level of analysis. It detects significant differences in subordinates' perception of power inequality in the workplace in a culture viewed as a high-power distance culture and illustrates how such differences in turn shape the quality of LMX and employee organizational embeddedness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aslaug Mikkelsen ◽  
Espen Olsen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanisms through which change-oriented leadership in hospitals influences job performance and employee job satisfaction. The authors examine the direct and the mediating effects of perceived learning demands and job involvement. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study is based on a survey of four public hospitals in a regional health authority in Norway. Findings The findings illustrate how change-oriented leadership directly and indirectly influences work performance and job satisfaction. Learning demands and job involvement play mediating roles. Higher levels of change-oriented leadership decrease learning demands and increase job involvement, work performance and job satisfaction. Learning demands have a negative influence on work performance and job satisfaction. Job involvement has a positive influence on work performance and job satisfaction. The strongest relationship in the structural modelling is between change-oriented leadership and job involvement. Research limitations/implications This study is based on cross-sectional data. Future studies should therefore explore this further using a longitudinal design. Practical implications The practical implication of the study is to show how leaders by change-oriented behaviour can influence work performance and job satisfaction by reducing learning demands and increasing job involvement. Social implications This study illustrates different paths towards influencing job performance and job satisfaction from change-oriented leadership. It is important to use the potential of reducing learning demands and increasing job involvement, to improve job performance and job satisfaction. Originality/value The authors have developed and validated a new theoretical mediational model explaining variance in job performance and job satisfaction, and how this is related to change-oriented leadership, job involvement and learning demands. This knowledge can be used to increase the probability of successful change initiatives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 706-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongjun Ye ◽  
Hefu Liu ◽  
Jibao Gu

Purpose Over 83.72 million Chinese firms employing more than 775 million employees. It is essential to explore employee relationships and conflict management practices in China. Although collectivism can influence employee cognition and emotions, the psychological mechanism that links collectivism and job satisfaction is still unclear. Researchers have found existing empirical findings on conflict–performance relationships to be mixed and inconsistent, and have identified the need to pinpoint the explanatory mechanisms and boundary conditions that underlie the effect of conflict on job performance. This study aims to provide some clarification to this important yet relatively unclear issue. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted in China to collect data. The authors received completed questionnaires from 466 employees. Findings Analysis of questionnaire results reveals that job satisfaction mediates the relationships between conflicts and perceived job performance, and that collectivism moderates the relationships between conflicts and job satisfaction. Specifically, the positive relationship between task conflict and job satisfaction is amplified by high levels of horizontal collectivism (HC) and vertical collectivism (VC), while the negative relationship between relationship conflict and job satisfaction is strengthened by HC. Research limitations/implications The main limitation is that this study used a cross-sectional design, meaning that causality in relationships cannot be established from results. Despite this limitation, the present findings provide insights into conflict management, job satisfaction and culture value literature. Originality/value This paper examines the moderating role of employees’ collectivist orientation (not national culture) on the relationships between conflicts and employee job satisfaction at the individual level. It also explores HC and VC and identifies their differential effects on the relationships between conflicts and job satisfaction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 786-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abderrahman Hassi

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the influences of transactional and transformational leadership styles on employee job satisfaction, employee affective commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) within Moroccan organisations. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from a sample of 219 employees working in seven different industries in Morocco and analysed using Structural Equations Modelling (SEM). Findings SEM analyses reveal that employee job satisfaction, affective commitment and OCB are only impacted by the personal recognition dimension of the transformational leadership style. The study indicates that charisma and intellectual stimulation (transformational leadership) as well as contingent reward and management-by-exception (transactional leadership) did not yield significant results. Research limitations/implications The use of a cross-sectional research design limits establishing cause-and-effect relationships. Practical implications The results of the current study may be of use and interest for organisations in designing effective leadership training programs, as it takes into account how managers and/or practitioners tap into their subordinates’ effective behaviour. Originality/value With insights derived from a non-Western perspective, the major theoretical contribution of the present study lies in exploring the effects of transactional and transformational leadership styles on employee job satisfaction, employee affective commitment and OCB in Morocco.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talat Islam ◽  
Saif Ur Rehman Khan ◽  
Ungku Norulkamar Bt. Ungku Ahmad ◽  
Ghulam Ali ◽  
Ishfaq Ahmed

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to investigate the relationship among organizational learning culture (OLC), psychological empowerment (PE), job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment and turnover intention, as very little has been conducted in this regard. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was used via a questionnaire among 412 Malay-Chinese working in the banking and insurance sector of Malaysia. Findings – OLC and PE were found to influence positively on job satisfaction and affective commitment, but negatively on turnover intention. In addition, job satisfaction was found to perform the role of mediator. Research limitations/implications – The study used self-reported data based on cross-sectional survey. Practical implications – OLC and PE were found to influence affective commitment and turnover intention directly and indirectly, providing an avenue of approach for managers to retain their key employees. Originality/value – The paper examines OLC and PE as antecedents of employees’ attitudes (i.e. job satisfaction, affective commitment and turnover intention), neglected variables along with the mediation of job satisfaction.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Dana Laird ◽  
Paul Harvey ◽  
Jami Lancaster

Purpose – Given the entitlement and job mobility associated with Generation Y, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effects of psychological entitlement and tenure on the felt accountability-job satisfaction relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data from a sample of resident assistants were examined using hierarchical moderated regression analysis. Findings – Entitled employees responded to accountability favorably, demonstrating lower job satisfaction than non-entitled employees when accountability was low, but nearly equal levels when accountability was high. All participants reported higher job satisfaction when job tenure was lower, but entitlement-driven satisfaction differences were observed only when accountability was low. Research limitations/implications – Cross-sectional data warrants longitudinal replication to establish causation and to give insight into how much time must pass before accountability begins to reduce the negative effects of entitlement. Practical implications – Findings suggest that managerial tactics that increase employees’ felt accountability could reduce the negative impact of psychological entitlement on job attitudes and related outcomes. Originality/value – Using a unique sample of Generation Y employees, the results provide an indication of how supervisors from earlier generations can improve the workplace attitudes of younger workers.


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