Political Skill in Organizational Contexts
Summary
Political skill refers to the capacity to understand and influence others to enhance one’s own or one’s organisation’s objectives. It comprises a constellation of interpersonal competences, including social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking ability and apparent sincerity. Within organisational settings, political skill has been shown to predict job performance, leadership effectiveness and individuals’ capacity to navigate complex social environments. The construct also moderates the impact of workplace stressors, such as perceptions of unfair treatment, by enabling employees to regulate tensions and maintain performance. Practically, both leaders and followers draw on political skill to manage relationships, build coalitions and secure resources across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.
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Political Skill in Organizational Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in political skill in organizational contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Political skill: An individual’s ability to understand others’ motives and influence their behaviour to further personal or collective objectives.
Social astuteness: The capacity to accurately perceive and interpret social cues and organisational dynamics.
Networking ability: The talent for establishing and maintaining contacts that grant access to information and support.
Interpersonal influence: The aptitude for persuading and convincing others through tailored communication and rapport.
Apparent sincerity: The skill of projecting genuineness and trustworthiness to secure cooperation and goodwill.
References
- The Moderating Effect of Employee Political Skill on the Link between Perceptions of a Victimizing Work Environment and Job Performance. Frontiers in Psychology (2017).
- Political skill and cross-cultural adjustment among self-initiated expatriates: the role of host employer's psychological contract fulfillment. Journal of Global Mobility The Home of Expatriate Management Research (2022).
- Why a lot of grandiose narcissism can be a good thing for leadership effectiveness: Political skill as game changer. Personality and Individual Differences (2024).
- Use of Political Skills by Leaders to Establish Successful Organizational Change. Group & Organization Management (2024).
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