Easing the strain: The buffer role of supervisors in the perceptions of politics–strain relationship
Corresponding Author
Kenneth J. Harris
School of Business, Indiana University Southeast, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Kenneth J. Harris, School of Business, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN 47150, USA (e-mail: [email protected]).Search for more papers by this authorK. Michele. Kacmar
Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Alabama, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Kenneth J. Harris
School of Business, Indiana University Southeast, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Kenneth J. Harris, School of Business, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN 47150, USA (e-mail: [email protected]).Search for more papers by this authorK. Michele. Kacmar
Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Alabama, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
The positive relationship between perceptions of politics and strain has received a great deal of confirmation in the literature. What has been missing from these studies is a search for variables that minimize the negative outcomes associated with this relationship. In an effort to fill this void, the present paper investigated three possible moderators of the relationship between perceptions of politics and strain: leader–member exchange, participative decision-making, and communication with supervisors. Results from a sample consisting of 1,255 respondents from two different organizations provided support for the buffering effect of supervisor variables on the perceptions of politics and strain relationship.
References
- Aiken, L. S. West, S. G. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions Newbury Park, CA Sage 1991.
- Ambrose, M. Harland, L. Procedural justice and influence tactics: Fairness, frequency, and effectiveness R. S. Cropanzano K. M. Kacmar Organizational politics, justice, and support: Managing the social climate of the workplace Westport, CT Quorum Books 1995.
- Baron, R. Kenny, D. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 51 1173–1182 1986.
- Beehr, T. A. Psychological stress in the workplace London Routledge 1995.
- Bernardi, R. A. The relationships among locus of control, perceptions of stress, and performance Journal of Applied Business Research 13 1–8 1997.
- Burgoon, J. K. Saine, T. The unspoken dialog: An introduction to nonverbal communication Boston, MA Houghton Mifflin 1978.
- Carlson, D. S. Perrewé, P. L. The role of social support in the stressor–strain relationship: An examination of work-family conflict Journal of Management 25 513–540 1999.
- Champoux, J. E. Peters, W. S. Form, effect size, and power in moderated regression analysis Journal of Occupational Psychology 60 243–255 1987.
- Cohen, J. Cohen, P. Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences Hillsdale, NJ Erlbaum 1983.
- Cropanzano, R. Howes, J. C. Grandey, A. A. Toth, P. The relationship of organizational politics and support to work behaviors, attitudes, and stress Journal of Organizational Behavior 18 159–180 1997.
- Dansereau, F. Graen, G. B. Haga, W. J. A vertical dyad approach to leadership within formal organizations Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 13 46–78 1975.
- DeFrank, R. S. Ivancevich, J. M. Stress on the job: An executive update Academy of Management Executive 12 55–66 1998.
10.5465/AME.1998.1109050 Google Scholar
- Dienesch, R. M. Liden, R. C. Leader-member exchange model of leadership: A critique and further development Academy of Management Review 11 618–634 1986.
- Drory, A. Perceived political climate and job attitudes Organization Studies 14 59–71 1993.
- Drory, A. Romm, T. Politics in organization and its perception within the organization Organization Studies 9 165–179 1988.
- Drory, A. Romm, T. The definition of organizational politics: A review Human Relations 43 1133–1154 1990.
- Eisenhardt, K. M. Bourgeois, L. J. Politics of strategic decision making in high-velocity environments: Toward a mid-range theory Academy of Management Journal 31 737–770 1988.
- Evans, M. G. A Monte Carlo study of the effects of correlated method variance in moderated multiple regression analysis Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 36 305–323 1985.
- Ferris, G. R. Adams, G. Kolodinsky, R. Hochwarter, W. Ammeter, A. Perceptions of organizational politics: Theory and research directions F. Dansereau F. Yammarino Multi-level issues in the organizational sciences Oxford, UK JAI Press 2003.
- Ferris, G. R. Brand, J. F. Brand, S. Rowland, K. M. Gilmore, D. C. Kacmar, K. M. Burton, C. A. Politics and control in organizations E. J. Lawler B. Markovsky K. Heimer J. O'Brien Advances in group processes 10 83–111 Greenwich, CT JAI Press 1993.
- Ferris, G. R. Frink, D. D. Galang, M. C. Zhou, J. Kacmar, K. M. Howard, J. L. Perceptions of organizational politics: Prediction, stress-related implications, and outcomes Human Relations 49 233–266 1996.
- Ferris, G. R. Russ, G. S. Fandt, P. M. Politics in organizations R. A. Giacalone P. Rosenfeld Impression management in the organization 143–170 Hillsdale, NJ Erlbaum 1989.
- Gandz, J. Murray, V. V. The experience of workplace politics Academy of Management Journal 23 237–251 1980.
- Ganster, D. C. Fusilier, M. R. Mayes, B. T. Role of social support in the experience of stress at work Journal of Applied Psychology 71 102–110 1986.
- Ganster, D. C. Schaubroeck, J. Work stress and employee health Journal of Management 17 235–271 1991.
- Gilmore, D. C. Ferris, G. R. Dulebohn, J. H. Harrell-Cook, G. Organizational politics and employee attendance Group and Organizational Management 21 481–494 1996.
- Graen, G. B. Scandura, T. A. Toward a psychology of dyadic organizing L. L. Cummings B. M. Staw Research in organizational behavior 9 175–208 Greenwich, CT JAI Press 1987.
- Hochwarter, W. A. Kacmar, K. M. Treadway, D. C. Watson, T. S. It's all relative: The distinction and prediction of political perceptions across levels Journal of Applied Social Psychology 33 1995–2016 2003.
- House, R. J. Work stress and social support Reading, MA Addison-Wesley 1981.
10.1046/j.1365-2648.1997.1997025095.x Google Scholar
- House, R. J. Rizzo, J. R. Toward measurement of organizational practices: Scale development and validation Journal of Applied Psychology 56 388–396 1972.
- Jackson, S. E. Participation in decision making as a strategy for reducing job-related stress Journal of Applied Psychology 68 3–19 1983.
- Jex, S. M. Stress and job performance: Theory, research, and implications for managerial practice Thousand Oaks, CA Sage 1998.
- Jex, S. M. Beehr, T. A. Emerging theoretical and methodological issues in the study of work-related stress G. R. Ferris K. M. Rowland Research in personnel and human resources management 9 Greenwich, CT JAI Press 1991.
- Kacmar, K. M. Baron, R. A. Organizational politics: The state of the field, links to related processes, and an agenda for future research G. R. Ferris Research in personnel and human resources management 17 1–39 Greenwich, CT JAI Press 1999.
- Kacmar, K. M. Bozeman, D. P. Carlson, D. S. Anthony, W. P. An examination of the perceptions of organizational politics model: Replication and extension Human Relations 52 383–416 1999.
- Kacmar, K. M. Ferris, G. R. Perceptions of organizational politics scale (POPS): Development and construct validation Educational and Psychological Measurement 51 193–205 1991.
- Lewin, K. Principles of topological psychology New York McGraw-Hill 1936.
10.1037/10019-000 Google Scholar
- Liden, R. C. Sparrowe, R. T. Wayne, S. J. Leader-member exchange theory: The past and potential for the future G. R. Ferris Research in personnel and human resources management 15 47–119 Greenwich, CT JAI Press 1997.
- Manzoni, J. Barsoux, J. The set-up-to-fail syndrome. How good managers cause great people to fail Boston, MA Harvard Business School Press 2002.
- Millar, F. E. Rogers, L. E. A relational approach to interpersonal communication G. R. Miller Explorations in interpersonal communication 87–104 Beverly Hills, CA Sage 1976.
- O'Driscoll, M. P. Beehr, T. A. Supervisor behaviors, role stressors and uncertainty as predictors of personal outcomes for subordinates Journal of Organizational Behavior 15 141–154 1994.
- Parasuraman, S. Alutto, J. A. Sources and outcomes of stress in organizational settings: Toward the development of a structural model Academy of Management Journal 27 330–350 1984.
- Parasuraman, S. Greenhaus, J. H. Granrose, C. W. Role stressors, social support, and well-being among two-career couples Journal of Organizational Behavior 13 339–356 1992.
- Podsakoff, P. M. Organ, D. W. Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects Journal of Management 12 531–544 1986.
- Pretty, G. M. McCarthy, M. E. Catano, V. M. Psychological environments and burnout: Gender considerations within the corporation Journal of Organizational Behavior 13 701–711 1992.
- Scandura, T. A. Graen, G. B. Novak, M. A. When managers decide not to decide autocratically: An investigation of leader-member exchange and decision influence Journal of Applied Psychology 71 579–584 1986.
- Stone, E. F. Hollenbeck, J. R. Clarifying some controversial issues surrounding statistical procedures for detecting moderating variables: Empirical evidence and related matters Journal of Applied Psychology 74 3–10 1989.
- Sutton, R. Kahn, R. L. Prediction, understanding, and control as antidotes to organizational stress J. Lorsch Handbook of organizational behavior 272–285 Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall 1986.
- Thibaut, J. Walker, L. A theory of procedure California Law Review 23 40–51 1975.
- Valle, M. Perrewé, P. L. Do organizational politics perceptions relate to political behaviors? Test of an implicit assumption and expanded model Human Relations 53 359–386 2000.
- Vigoda, E. Organizational politics, job attitudes, and work outcomes: Exploration and implications for the public sector Journal of Vocational Behavior 57 326–347 2000.
- Vigoda, E. Stress-related aftermaths to workplace politics: The relationships among politics, job distress, and aggressive behavior in organizations Journal of Organizational Behavior 23 571–591 2002.
- Viswesvaran, C. Sanchez, J. I. Fisher, J. The role of social support in the process of work stress: A meta-analysis Journal of Vocational Behavior 54 314–334 1999.
- Wall, T. D. Jackson, P. R. Mullarkey, S. Parker, S. K. The DC-model of job strain: A more specific test Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 69 153–166 1996.
- Witt, L. A. Influence of supervisor behaviors on the level and effects of workplace politics R. S. Cropanzano Kacmar Organizational politics, justice, and support: Managing the social climate of the workplace Westport, CT Quorum Books 1995.
- Witt, L. A. Enhancing organizational goal congruence: A solution to organizational politics Journal of Applied Psychology 83 666–674 1998.
- Witt, L. A. Andrews, M. C. Kacmar, K. M. The role of participation in decision-making in the organizational politics-job satisfaction relationship Human Relations 53 341–358 2000.
- Wright, P. M. Kacmar, K. M. McMahan, G. C. DeLeeuw, K. Ability as a moderator of the relationship between personality and job performance Journal of Management 21 1129–1139 1995.