The effect of performance appraisal politics on deviant work behavior: The mediating role of job satisfaction

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Performance management is pivotal in determining employee outcomes. Firms may face undesired consequences in the absence of an impartial and fair performance appraisal system. Organizational justice theory predicts the negative outcomes of performance appraisal politics that the study examines in the form of mediating and outcome variables. OBJECTIVES: There is a paucity of research regarding the impact of justice/fairness perceptions on employee outcomes in the performance appraisal context. Therefore, the study examines the effect of performance appraisal politics on deviant work behavior with the mediating role of job satisfaction. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 309 employees of banks through a likert type scale questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. RESULTS: The results show that performance appraisal politics is positively related to deviant work behaviors. The mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship is also substantiated. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm the view of organizational justice theory regarding the negative impact of performance appraisal politics. The findings also highlight the need to design effective interventions to mitigate the negative effects of such politics. The study provides fresh insight into the dynamics of the interplay between performance appraisal politics, job satisfaction and deviant work behaviors.

A moderated-mediation analysis of performance appraisal politics perception and counterproductive work behavior

“…That is, the appraisee who perceives a high level of performance appraisal politics in the workplace is prone to implement CWB. These findings are consistent with previous research showing a link between performance appraisal politics and employees’ negative behavior ( Naseer and Ahmad, 2016 ; Rosen et al, 2017 ; Sajjad et al, 2017 ; Imran, 2019 ; Imran et al, 2019 ; Tabassum et al, 2021 ; Nagi et al, 2022 ). Although previous studies have confirmed that performance appraisal fairness and satisfaction are negatively associated with CWB ( Colquitt and Zipay, 2015 ; Cohen and Diamant, 2019 ), little research has considered the influence of performance appraisal politics as an antecedent of CWB.…”

“…Some researchers have found that employees’ perception of the fairness of and their satisfaction with performance appraisal have a negative relationship with CWB ( Colquitt and Zipay, 2015 ; Cohen and Diamant, 2019 ). Some studies have also explored the profound effect of performance appraisal politics on employee organizational behavior ( Rosen et al, 2017 ; Imran, 2019 ; Naseeb et al, 2019 ; Tabassum et al, 2021 ; Nagi et al, 2022 ), but less attention has been paid to the influence of performance appraisal politics on CWB.…”

“…Performance appraisal politics has become a common part of the process ( Longenecker et al, 1987 ), so it is important to know how such politics influences employees’ reactions and behaviors. The mainstream view holds that performance appraisal politics exerts a negative effect on employees’ attitudes and behaviors, including turnover intention ( Javed et al, 2013 ; Chaudhry et al, 2016 ; Rosen et al, 2017 ; Imran, 2019 ; Imran et al, 2019 ; Naseeb et al, 2019 ; Tabassum et al, 2021 ); employee performance ( Imran et al, 2019 ; Tabassum et al, 2021 ); and deviant work behavior ( Nagi et al, 2022 ). Although valuable studies exist, these findings pay too much attention to the appraiser’s perspective and attach great importance to the appraiser’s political behavior, while inadequate attention has been paid to the perceptions of appraisees.…”

The effect of perceived organizational justice on workplace deviant behavior of new nurses: the role of emotional labor and psychological capital

“…Nurses' workplace deviant behavior will not only reduce their own work efficiency and work involvement [10,11] but also affect their work performance. In addition, it also increases work pressure and turnover intention of colleagues, weakening job satisfaction, organizational commitment and happiness [12][13][14], and affects the stability of the nursing team [15]. On the other hand, deviant behavior will also affect occupational safety, cause medical safety accidents [16], and affect doctor-patient relationships.…”

“…Although previous studies have made contributions to the field of workplace deviant behavior, there are still some research gaps. Firstly, previous studies on workplace deviant behavior have mostly focused on inter-enterprise situations [17,18], such as bank employees [14] and construction workers [11], while there is still relatively little research on the workplace deviant behavior of new nurses in medical settings. Secondly, there is a lack of research on the mechanisms of workplace deviant behavior.…”