Research suggests that political behavior often results in negative outcomes for individuals and organizations. But in certain situations, it may have positive outcomes. Sun and Chen (2017) found that when employees choose to “play the political game” and engage in political behavior, it can serve as a coping mechanism that reduces the negative effects of perceived organizational politics on employee psychological empowerment and ultimately on employee task performance. However, it appears that these positive benefits may come with an associated cost. Their findings also suggest that political behavior also increases the negative effects of perceived organizational politics on employee emotional exhaustion, thereby reducing task performance. These researchers suggest that employees should be aware of both the positive and negative effects of political behavior as a coping strategy, while managers should attempt to minimize employee perceptions of organizational politics. As long as employees perceive organizational politics, they are likely to suffer one way or the other. If they actively “play the political game,” they may gain a sense of greater control, but at the cost of more emotional exhaustion. On the other hand, if they choose not to politick, they will likely experience lower levels of psychological empowerment.
Word Count & Depth
400 – 600 Words
Research Quality
3 + Sources
Questions to Answer
1. How does the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory explain the complex dynamics between perceived organizational politics, individual political behavior, psychological empowerment, and emotional exhaustion? Discuss how these elements interact and impact task performance within an organization.
2. Examine the dual role of political behavior in the workplace as presented by Sun and Chen (2017). Considering both its resource protection and resource consumption aspects, discuss under what conditions political behavior might be more beneficial than detrimental to an employee’s psychological state and job performance.
3. Reflect on the implications of the findings for organizational leadership and HR practices. How can leaders and human resources practitioners use the insights from this article to design interventions that minimize the adverse effects of perceived organizational politics and promote a healthier work environment?
