Perception of organizational politics and employee performance: Antidotal role of impression management

Abstract

The perception of organizational politics seriously affects working people, and it is an unavoidable detrimental aspect of an organization. Prior studies are focused on the detrimental consequences of perceived organizational politics and not paid attention to its remedial actions. Therefore, proper intervention as a corrective action for the harmful effect of organizational politics perception was essential. Hence, this study was motivated to know: (a) the effect of the perception of organizational politics on employees’ performance, and (b) the mitigating role of impression management (self-promotion and ingratiation) for the detrimental effect of perception of organizational politics on work performance. Perceptual cross-sectional data was taken from 725 employees working in Nepalese banks. Quantitative data analysis revealed that perception of organizational politics has a detrimental impact on employee performance; impression management (self-promotion and ingratiation) worked as an antidote for such effects. The study’s unique findings were a different form of association of perception of organizational politics with work performance under the different situations of impression management (self-promotion and ingratiation). Moreover, those employees were less suffered from the perceived organizational politics who were good in impression management (self-promotion and ingratiation). Impression management (self-promotion and ingratiation) is controlled, as an antidote, comparatively more effectively for the high poli-tics perceiver than the low perceiver. Numbers of theoretical and practical implications are suggested to cure perceived organizational politics’ detrimental outcomes on employee performance. AcknowledgmentThis article is a part of the PhD research work that was funded by the University Grants Commission of Nepal (award number: PhD/73-74/Mgmt/04).