Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The Formation of Political Sub-Climates: Predictions from Social Identity, Structuration, and Symbolic Interaction

  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Merging the climate and politics literatures, this study evaluates whether organizations have a singular, shared political climate or whether sub-climates, “pockets of politics,” exist. Sub-climate formation is investigated by utilizing both political and climate explanations to determine the level of formation. The sample consisted of 891 employees of a retail services firm and the results of the study indicate that political climates do exist and may be best distinguished by defining the employee’s interactional patterns.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • S. Baldi D. B. McBrier (1997) ArticleTitleDo the determinants of promotion differ for blacks and whites? Work and Occupations 24 478–497

    Google Scholar 

  • R. J. Bies T. M. Tripp (1995) The use and abuse of power: Justice as social control R. S. Cropanzano K. M. Kacmar (Eds) Organizational politics, justice, and support Quorum Westport, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Cartwright C. L. Cooper (1993) ArticleTitleThe role of culture compatibility in successful organizational marriage Academy of Management Executive 7 57–69

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Christiansen P. Villanova S. Mikulay (1997) ArticleTitlePolitical influence compatibility: Fitting the person to the climate Journal of Organizational Behavior 18 709–730 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199711)18:6<709::AID-JOB811>3.3.CO;2-W

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Cropanzano J. C. Howes A. A. Grandey P. Toth (1997) ArticleTitleThe relationship of organizational politics and support to work behaviors, attitudes, and stress Journal of Organizational Behavior 18 159–180 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199703)18:2<159::AID-JOB795>3.0.CO;2-D

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Drexler (1977) ArticleTitleOrganizational climate: Its homogeneity within organizations Journal of Applied Psychology 62 38–42 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.62.1.38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. R. Denison (1996) ArticleTitleWhat is the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate? A native’s point of view on a decade of paradigm wars Academy of Management Review 21 619–654

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Drory (1993) ArticleTitlePerceived political climate and job attitudes Organization Studies 14 59–71

    Google Scholar 

  • InstitutionalAuthorNameFederal Glass Ceiling Commission (1995) Good for business: Making full use of the nation’s resources Government Printing Office Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • D. F. Fedor G. R. Ferris G. Harrell-Cook G. S. Russ (1998) ArticleTitleThe dimensions of politics perceptions and their organizational and individual predictors Journal of Applied Social Psychology 28 1760–1797

    Google Scholar 

  • G. R. Ferris G. Adams R. W. Kolodinsky W. A. Hochwarter A. P. Ammeter (2002) Perceptions of organizational politics: Theory and research directions F. Dansereau F. J. Yammarino (Eds) Research in multi-level issues Elsevier Science/JAI Press Oxford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • G. R. Ferris D. D. Frink D. P. S. Bhawuk J. Zhou D. C. Gilmore (1996a) ArticleTitleReactions of diverse groups to politics in the workplace Journal of Management 22 23–44 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0149-2063(96)90011-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G. R. Ferris D. D. Frink M. C. Galang J. Zhou K. M. Kacmar J. L. Howard (1996b) ArticleTitlePerceptions of organizational politics: Prediction, stress-related implications and outcomes Human Relations 49 233–266

    Google Scholar 

  • G. R. Ferris K. M. Kacmar (1992) ArticleTitlePerceptions of organizational politics Journal of Management 18 93–116

    Google Scholar 

  • G. R. Ferris G. S. Russ P. M. Fandt (1989) Politics in organizations R. A. Giacalone P. Rosenfeld (Eds) Impression management in the organization Lawrence Erlbaum Hillsdale, NJ 143–170

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Giddens (1979) Central problems in social theory: Action, structure, and contradiction in social analysis University of California Press Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Gould (1979) ArticleTitleCharacteristics of career planners in upwardly mobile occupations Academy of Management Journal 22 539–550

    Google Scholar 

  • W. A. Hochwarter K. M. Kacmar D. C. Treadway T. S. Watson (2003) ArticleTitleIt’s all relative: The distinction and prediction of political perceptions across levels Journal of Applied Social Psychology 33 1995–2016

    Google Scholar 

  • M. A. Hogg D. Abrams (1993) Towards a single-process uncertainty-reduction model of social motivation in groups M. A. Hogg D. Abrams (Eds) Group motivation: Social psychological perspectives Harvester Wheatsheaf London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • S. E. Jackson J. F. Brett V. I. Sessa D. M. Cooper J. A. Julia K. Peyronnin (1991) ArticleTitleSome differences make a differences: Individual dissimilarity and group heterogeneity as correlates of recruitment, promotions, and turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 76 675–689 Occurrence Handle10.1037/0021-9010.76.5.675

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. J. Johnson (2000) ArticleTitleDifferences in supervisor and non-supervisor perceptions of quality culture and organizational climate Public Personnel Management 29 119–128

    Google Scholar 

  • A. P. Jones L. R. James (1979) ArticleTitlePsychological climate: Dimensions and relationships of individual and aggregated work environment perceptions Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 23 201–250

    Google Scholar 

  • W. F. Joyce J. Slocum (1984) ArticleTitleCollective climate: Agreement as a basis for defining aggregate climate in organizations Academy of Management Journal 27 721–742

    Google Scholar 

  • T. A. Judge G. R. Ferris (1992) ArticleTitleThe elusive fit in human resources staffing decisions Human Resources Planning 15 47–67

    Google Scholar 

  • K. M. Kacmar R. A. Baron (1999) Organizational politics: The state of the field, links to related processes, and an agenda for future research G. R. Ferris (Eds) Research in personnel and human resources management NumberInSeries17 JAI Press London 1–39

    Google Scholar 

  • K. M. Kacmar G. R. Ferris (1991) ArticleTitlePerceptions of organizational politics scale (pops): Development and construct validation Educational and Psychological Measurement 51 193–205

    Google Scholar 

  • K. M. Kacmar D. P. Bozeman D. S. Carlson W. P. Anthony (1999) ArticleTitleAn examination of the perceptions of organizational politics model: Replication and extension Human Relations 52 383–414

    Google Scholar 

  • D. C. Lau J. K. Murnighan (1998) ArticleTitleDemographic diversity and faultlines: The compositional dynamics of organizational groups Academy of Management Review 23 325–340

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Lewin (1951) Field theory in social science Harper and Row New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D. A. Major S. W. Kozlowski G. T. Chao P. D. Gardner (1995) ArticleTitleA longitudinal investigation of newcomer expectations, early socialization outcomes, and the moderating effects of role development factors Journal of Applied Psychology 80 418–431 Occurrence Handle10.1037/0021-9010.80.3.418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. M. Maslyn D. B. Fedor (1998) ArticleTitlePerceptions of politics: Does measuring different foci matter? Journal of Applied Psychology 84 645–653 Occurrence Handle10.1037/0021-9010.83.4.645

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. McCann J. R. Galbraith (1981) Interdepartmental relations P. C. Nystrom W. H. Starbuck (Eds) Handbook of organizational design: Remodeling organizations and their environments Oxford University Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • M. E. McGill J. W. Slocum SuffixJr. (1994) The smarter organization: How to build a business that learns to adapt to marketplace needs John Wiley & Sons New York

    Google Scholar 

  • F. J. Milliken L. L. Martins (1996) ArticleTitleSearching for common threads: Understanding the multiple effects of diversity in organizational groups Academy of Management Review 21 402–433

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Mullen (1991) ArticleTitleGroup composition, salience, and cognitive representations: The phenomenology of being in a group Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 27 297–323 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-1031(91)90028-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C. P. Parker R. L. Dipboye S. L. Jackson (1995) ArticleTitlePerceptions of organizational politics: An investigation of antecedents and consequences Journal of Management 21 891–912 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0149-2063(95)90046-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Riley (1983) ArticleTitleA structurationist account of political cultures Administrative Science Quarterly 28 414–437

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Schneider (1975) ArticleTitleOrganizational climate: An essay Personnel Psychology 28 447–479

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Schneider (1990) The climate for service B. Scheider (Eds) Organizational climate and culture Jossey-Bass San Francisco 383–412

    Google Scholar 

  • W. R. Scott (1995) Institutions and organizations Sage Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • D. E. Super (1957) The psychology of careers Harper and Row New York

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Tagiuri G. Litwin (Eds) (1968) Organizational climate: Explorations of a concept Harvard Business School Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Tajfel J. C. Turner (1979) The social identity theory of intergroup behavior W. G. Austin S. Worchel (Eds) The social psychology of intergroup relations Nelson-Hall Chicago 7–24

    Google Scholar 

  • D. J. Terry (2003) A social identity perspective on organizational mergers: the role of group status, permeability, and similarity S. A. Haslam D. Knippenber Particlevan M. J. Platow N. Ellemers (Eds) Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice Taylor and Francis Books New York

    Google Scholar 

  • E. Leeuwen ParticleVan D. Knippenberg Particlevan (2003) Organizational identification following a merger: The importance of agreeing to differ S. A. Haslam D. Knippenber Particlevan M. J. Platow N. Ellemers (Eds) Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice Taylor and Francis Books New York

    Google Scholar 

  • L. A. Witt T. F. Hilton W. A. Hochwarter (2001) ArticleTitleAddressing politics in matrix teams Group and Organization Management 26 230–247

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Treadway, D.C., Adams, G.L. & Goodman, J.M. The Formation of Political Sub-Climates: Predictions from Social Identity, Structuration, and Symbolic Interaction. J Bus Psychol 20, 201–209 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-8259-z

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-8259-z

Keywords

Navigation