Research examining the influence of perceptions of organizational politics (POPs) is currently at a nexus—capable of recognizing its previous contributions but also with an eye toward the future. Scholars credit much of the maturation over the past 30 years to Ferris, Russ, and Fandt’s seminal model. Despite the ever-increasing number of publications attributed to this topic, and model, opportunities to bridge and expand the current research base remain plentiful. We begin this review by differentiating POPs from political behavior and constructs considered overlapping conceptually. We then describe the evolution of two models responsible for guiding POPs research and conclude our review by summarizing meta-analytic studies investigating antecedents and outcomes of POPs. Doing so allows us to identify gaps currently impeding development and to recommend relevant approaches to extend research. Following this review, we introduce event systems theory as a guiding framework for integrating and expanding the knowledge base. This structure allows scholars to recast POPs as a discrete phenomenon capable of being evaluated in terms of its novelty, disruption, and criticality. Theoretically, this approach allows for greater precision in identifying causes and consequences of POPs, and it provides insight into how such perceptions emerge and evolve. Last, we discuss future research opportunities intended to improve understanding of this pervasive phenomenon, and we encourage much-needed future research examining the dynamics of POPs in contemporary work settings.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the scholarship on political skill and political will so that the authors might inspire future work that assesses these constructs individually and in tandem.Design/methodology/approachThe “political skill” and “political will” concepts were introduced about 40 years ago, but they only have been measured and produced empirical results much more recently. Since that time, substantial research results have demonstrated the important roles political skill and political will play in organizational behavior. This paper provides a comprehensive review of this research, draws conclusions from this work and provides a meta-theoretical framework of political skill and political will to guide future work in this area.FindingsScholarship in this area has developed quite rapidly for political skill, but less so for political will. The authors hope that recent developments in a political will can set the stage for scholars to create a theoretical and empirical balance between these two related constructs.Originality/valueThe authors corral the vast and widespread literature on political skill and will and distill the information for scholars and practitioners alike.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the interactive effects of grit (e.g. supervisor and employee) and politics perceptions on relevant work outcomes. Specifically, the authors hypothesized that supervisor and employee grit would each demonstrate neutralizing effects when examined jointly. Design/methodology/approach Three studies (N’s=526, 229, 522) were conducted to test the moderating effect across outcomes, including job satisfaction, turnover intentions, citizenship behavior and work effort. The authors controlled for affectivity and nonlinear main effect terms in Studies 2 and 3 following prior discussion. Findings Findings across studies demonstrated a unique pattern differentiating between grit sources (i.e. employee vs supervisor) and outcome characteristic (i.e. attitudinal vs behavioral). In sum, both employee and supervisor grit demonstrated neutralizing effects when operating in politically fraught work settings. Research limitations/implications Despite the single source nature of data collections, the authors took steps to minimize potential biasing factors (e.g. time separation, including affectivity). Future research will benefit from multiple sources of data as well as a more expansive view of the grit construct. Practical implications Work contexts have grown increasingly more political in recent years primarily as a result of social and motivational factors. Hence, the authors recommend that leaders investigate factors that minimize its potentially malignant effects. Although grit is often challenging to cultivate through interventions, selection and quality of work life programs may be useful in preparing workers to manage this pervasive source of stress. Originality/value Despite its practical appeal, grit’s impact in work settings has been under-studied, leading to apparent gaps in science and leadership development. Creative studies, building off the research, will allow grit to maximize its contributions to both scholarship and employee well-being.

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine frontline employees' self-monitoring personality as an antecedent of their emotional exhaustion and how supervisor-rated performance mediates this relationship. In addition, the authors explored the moderating role of perceived competitive climate on the indirect relationship between self-monitoring and emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachTwo hundred and thirty-seven frontline employees and their immediate supervisors working in hospitality organizations responded to the survey using time lagged research design. Measurement model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis to assess the distinctiveness of study constructs, and proposed moderated mediation model was tested using Process macro.FindingsResults show that high self-monitoring leads to high supervisor-rated performance, and this relationship is stronger in highly competitive work climate. The supervisor-rated performance was negatively related to emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the interaction effects of self-monitoring and perceived competitive climate on frontline employees' performance and emotional exhaustion, particularly in the frontline jobs. Supervisor-rated performance has not been previously theorized or researched as an underlying mechanism of the effect of self-monitoring on emotional exhaustion.