You're draining me! When politically inept employees view organization-linked emotional exhaustion and unforgiveness as reasons for diminished job performance

Abstract

PurposeThis study seeks to unpack the negative relationship between employees' political ineptness and their job performance, by proposing a mediating role of organization-induced emotional exhaustion and a moderating role of perceived organizational unforgiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe research hypotheses were tested with three-round survey data collected among employees and their supervisors across multiple industry sectors.FindingsPolitical ineptness diminishes the likelihood that employees undertake performance-enhancing work behaviors because they perceive that their employer is draining their emotional resources. This mediating role of organization-induced emotional exhaustion is particularly salient when they perceive that organizational authorities do not forgive mistakes.Practical implicationsThis study reveals a critical risk for employees who find it difficult to exert influence on others: They become complacent in their job duties, which then might further compromise their ability to leave a positive impression on others. This counterproductive process is especially prominent if organizational leaders appear unforgiving.Originality/valueThis study contributes to extant research by explicating an unexplored mechanism (organization-induced emotional exhaustion) and catalyst (organizational unforgiveness) related to the escalation of political ineptness into diminished job performance.