Do environment and intuition matter in the relationship between decision politics and success?

Abstract

AbstractLittle is known about the relationship between political behavior and successful decision making in non-Western national settings, or about the impact of environmental factors on this relationship. Moreover, our understanding of the decision processes through which political behavior translates into decision outcomes is also not well understood. The present research extends previous studies by examining how political behavior influences decision success in a new setting, with reference to the moderating impact of three environmental factors representing industry and society/nation environment effects, and the mediating role of a decision process, intuition. The findings from a survey of 131 Tunisian firms suggest that the practice of political behavior negatively influences decision success. We also find evidence of the importance of product uncertainty and intuition in understanding this relationship. Our findings address key issues not yet well understood in the theoretical literature, and provide managerial insights into ways of improving strategic choices in organizations.