Published by Just-web Research
Institute [11TH September, 2019]
THE IMPACT OF OFFICE POLITICS ON THE
ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE
BY
DEEDENWII, BARITURE NEELE
(ND, D.CL)
Tel: +234-7012543482 or +234-9050517580
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Feffer (1992,) defined politics as the processes, the
actions, the behaviors through which potential power is utilized and realized.
Another author (Dubrin, 2001) defined organizational politics as informal
approaches to gaining power through means other than merit or luck. It could be
argued that politics are used primarily to achieve power, either directly or
indirectly, e.g., by being promoted, receiving a larger budget or other
resources, or gaining desirable assignments.
Many people regard organizational politics as something
negative (e.g., pursuing self-interests at the expense of others) and
something to be minimized. Consequently, although most people know that
organizational politics are common, they avoid saying so when it concerns one’s
own behavior. When we win on an issue, we call it leadership; when we lose, we
call it politics. In many organizations, politics is a taboo subject, which
makes it difficult for individuals to deal with this crucially important aspect
of organizational reality.
It is believed that leader must skillfully use organizational
politics to acquire and retain power and to accomplish major goals. Therefore, it would be a mistake to pretend
that politics does not exist or to fantasize that a leader can be effective
without appropriate (and ethical, I would add) use of politics. As Pericles
wrote over 2500 years ago, "Just because you
do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you." I regard organizational
politics as neither good nor bad, per
se, although it is important for us to distinguish between ethical and
unethical political behavior. (Morgan, 1980) As Scottish sociologist Tom Burns
has pointed out, most modern organizations promote various kinds of political
behavior because they are designed as systems of simultaneous competition and
collaboration. People must collaborate in pursuit of a common task, yet are
often pitted against each other in competition for limited resources, status,
and career advancement. These conflicting dimensions of organization are most
clearly symbolized in the hierarchical organization chart, which is both a
system of cooperation, in that it reflects a rational subdivision of tasks, and
a career ladder up which
people are motivated to climb.
The fact that there are
more jobs at the bottom than at the top means that competition for the top
places is likely to be keen, and that in any career race there are likely to be
far fewer winners than losers. Along with the fact that different individuals
and groups are mandated to exercise
authority and influence over others, the hierarchy more or less ensures the
kinds of competitive struggle on which organizational politics thrives.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM:
Office politics have become more of increased to its impact
and effect in an organization due to the major challenges and problem faced in
business organization which influences the overall running of the organization.
Organizations are faced with the following problems which
this research seeks to address in cause of its investigation.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this
study is to examine the impact of office politics on the organizational
performance.
The specific objectives of the study are
1.
To investigate
the effect of office politics in organizations.
2.
To find out the
causes of office politics in organizations.
3.
What can office
politics in an organization lead to
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of this research work will be of great benefit
to Students, Management of polytechnics, Nigerian government and the General
public.
The findings will help office managers, students and teachers
(Head of departments and Lecturers) comfortably handle office politics in the
organizations. The Nigerian society will be a better place as managing officers
in different organizations would function optimally to the success of their
organizations and the society at large.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research
questions should be examined and answered to these questions and solution shall
be proffered subsequently.
1.
What are the
effects of office politics in an organizations?
2.
What are the
causes of office politics in an organizations?
3.
What can office
politics in an office lead to?
1.6 HYPOTHESES
For this study to be carried out, the following
hypotheses will be tested;
H0: There is no significance relationship between office politics
and organizational productivity.
Hi: There is significant relationship between office politics and organizational productivity.
Hi: There is significant relationship between office politics and
what it may lead to?
1.7 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study is primarily concerned with the impact of office
politics on the organizational productivity. It is centered on the Head of
departments, lecturers, students, office managers, general public.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact
of office politics on the organizational performance.
To be able to carry out this study, the researcher will review relevant
literature on the problem. The source of information for the literature review
include books and past research projects, seminar papers and journals. The
literature review will be conducted under the headings as shown below. The
study will review relevant concepts as indicated below;
2.2 CONCEPTUAL
FRAMEWORK
2.2.1 COPING
To invest own conscious efforts to
solve personal and interpersonal problems, in order to try to master, minimize
or tolerate stress and conflict.
2.2.2 CHALLENGES
The situation of being
faced with something that needs great mental
and physical efforts in order to be done successfully.
2.2.3 OFFICE
A room, or set of
buildings used as a place for commercial, professional
or bureaucratic work. An office is a
room or other area where administrative
work is done by an organization users in order to support and realized objects and goals of the organizations.
2.2.4 POLITICS
Is the process, the
actions, the behaviors through which potential power
is utilized and realized.
2.2.5 ORGANIZATION
An organization is a group of people who work together, like
a neighborhood association, a charity, a union, or a corporation. Organization
is also the act of forming or establishing something (like an organization). It
can also be referred to as a system of arrangement or order, or a structure for
classifying things.
2.3 THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
2.3.1 THE POWER- POLITICS APPROACH
This is a situation in which the
third party takes the initiative to manage a conflict out of concern (personal)
bordering on realizing its own broader strategic interests rather than the
interest of the parties to the conflict.
The third party throws into the conflict its leverage, weight but not
confidence, process and impose outcome on the parties. The cold war era
witnessed the superpowers largely managing conflicts among states based on
power politics.
A number of tactics used in this
regard include “light” tactics as ingratiation, gamesmanship, persuasion and promises, and “heavy” tactics such as threats and
irrevocable commitments. Although increasingly severe contentious tactic are a
feature of conflict escalation contentious tactics are not necessarily
destructive.
Persuasive arguments are overt
attempts to induce the other party to lower their aspirations. A party usually
argues either that they have a legitimate right to their desired outcome or
that it is in the other party’s best
interests to lower their aspirations. Another tactic involves making an
irrevocable commitment to pursuing some potentially mutually harmful course of
action. In making an irrevocable commitment, ‘the locus of control over the outcome of the exchange has
been shifted from the shoulders of one party to those of another who is now the
only one capable of preventing mutual
disaster” presumably by choosing to yield.
The advantage of this tactic is that it
can be effective and it does not require much relative power (unlike promising
or threatening) the drawback is that it can entail substantial risks, must be
used pre-emptively, must be clear and credible and can foster escalation.
(Gerhard, 2004)
2.3.2 THE INTEGRATIONIST VIEW OF CONFLICT
This is also referred to as the
Contemporary View by Vecchio Beginning in the mid-1970s; Organization Behavior
specialists realized that conflict had both positive and negative outcomes
depending on its nature and intensity.
This perspective introduced the revolutionary idea that organizations could
suffer from too little conflict. Known as the interactionist view, it actually
encourages conflict on the grounds that a harmonious, peaceful, tranquil, and
cooperative group is likely to become static, apathetic and nonresponsive to
the needs for change and innovation. (Higgins, 1998)
2.4 THEORETICAL
STUDIES
2.4.1 MEANING
OF OFFICE POLITICS
Office politics is the process and behavior in human
interactions involving power and authority. It is also a tool to assess the
operational capacity and to balance diverse views of interested parties. It is
also known as office politics
and organizational politics. It is the use of power and social networking
within an organization to achieve changes that benefit the organization or
individuals within it. (Ejiofor, 1994)
Influence by individuals may serve personal interests without
regard to their effect on the organization itself. Some of the personal
advantages may include access to tangible assets, or intangible benefits such
as status or pseudo-authority that influences the behavior of others. On the
other hand, organizational politics can increase efficiency, form interpersonal
relationships, expedite change, and profit the organization and its members
simultaneously. Both individuals and groups may engage in office politics which can be highly destructive,
as people focus on personal gains at the expense of the organization.
"Self-serving political actions can
negatively influence our social groupings, cooperation, information sharing,
and many other organizational functions (Effiong, 1999). Thus, it is vital to
pay attention to organizational politics and create the right political
landscape. "Politics is the
lubricant that oils your organization's internal gears." Office politics has also been described as
"simply how power gets worked out on a practical, day-to-day basis."
Psychologist
Oliver James identifies the dark triadic personality traits (psychopathy,
narcissism and Machiavellianism) to be of central significance in understanding
office politics. (Gbadamosi, et al
1996)
AIMS
OF OFFICE POLITICS
The aims of office politics or manipulation in the workplace
are not always increased pay or a promotion. Often, the goal may simply be
greater power or control for its own end; or to discredit a competitor. Office politics do not necessarily stem
from purely selfish gains. They can
be a route towards corporate benefits, which give a leg up to the company as a
whole, not just an individual. "A 'manipulator' will often achieve career
or personal goals by co-opting as many colleagues as possible into their
plans." Despite the fact that the hidden agenda is a personal victory with unsuspecting co-workers
strengthens the manipulator's personal position and ensures that they will be
the last person accused of wrongdoing. (Katz, et al, 1998)
Office politics is a major issue in business because the
individuals who manipulate their working relationships consume time and
resources for their own gain at the
expense of the team or company. In addition to this problem, the practice of
office politics can have an even more serious effect on major business
processes such as strategy formation, budget setting, performance management,
and leadership. This occurs because when individuals are playing office
politics, it interferes with the information flow of a company. Information can
be distorted, misdirected, or suppressed, in order to manipulate a situation
for short- term personal gain. (Likert,
1967)
2.4.3 FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING TO POLITICAL BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS
(Morgan, 1986) It is useful to
remember that in its original meaning, the idea of politics stems from the view
that, where interests are divergent, society should provide a means of allowing
individuals to reconcile their differences through consultation and negotiation.
In ancient Greece, Aristotle advocated politics as a means of reconciling the
need for unity in the Greek polis
(city-state) with the fact that the polis was an "aggregate of many
members." Politics, for him, provided a means of creating order out of
diversity while avoiding forms of totalitarian rule. Political science and many
systems of government have built on this basic idea, advocating politics, and
the recognition and interplay of competing interests
that politics implies, as a means of creating a non-coercive form of social
order. Organizational politics are a natural result of the fact that people
think differently and want to act differently. This diversity creates a tension
that must be resolved through political means. There are many ways in which this can be done, for example: autocratically ("We'll do it this way"); bureaucratically
("We're supposed to do it this way"); technocratically ("It's
best to do it this way"); or democratically ("How shall we do
it?"). In each case the choice between alternative paths of action usually hinges on the power
relations between the actors involved.
An organization's politics is
most clearly manifest in the conflicts and
power plays that sometimes occupy center stage, and in the countless interpersonal
intrigues that provide diversions in the flow of organizational activity.
Politics occurs on an ongoing basis, often in a way that is invisible to all but those directly involved.
(Mullins, 1998).
One does not have to be
consciously cunning or deviously political to
end up playing organizational politics. Political behavior is a fairly natural response to the tensions created
between individuals and their organizations. The setting of budgets and work
standards, the day-to-day supervision and control of work, as well as the
pursuit of opportunity and career, are often characterized by sophisticated
forms of gamesmanship. Take, for example, the situations that reveal the guile
with which factory workers are able to control their pace of work and level of
earnings, even when under the close
eye of their supervisors or of efficiency experts trying to find ways of increasing productivity.
The workers know that to maintain their positions they have to find ways of
beating the system, and do so with great skill and ingenuity. Individuals who
systematically wheel and deal their way through organizational affairs merely
illustrate the most extreme and fully developed form of a latent tendency
present in most aspects of organizational life. (Usoro, 2000)
A number of individual and
organizational factors contribute to political
behavior;
1.
Pyramid-shaped
organization structure: A pyramid concentrates power at the
top. Only so much power is therefore available to distribute among the many
people who would like more of it. Each successive layer on the organization
chart has less power than the layer above. At the very bottom of the
organization, workers have virtually no power. Since most organizations today
have fewer layers than they previously had, the competition for power has
become more intense.
2.
Subjective
standards of performance: People often resort to
organizational politics because they do not believe that the organization has
an objective and fair way of judging their performance and suitability for
promotion. Similarly, when managers have no objective way of differentiating
effective people from the less effective, they will resort to favoritism.
3.
Environmental
uncertainty and turbulence: When people operate in
an unstable and unpredictable environment, they tend to behave politically.
They rely on organizational politics to create a favorable impression because
uncertainty makes it difficult to determine what they should really be
accomplishing. The uncertainty, turbulence, and insecurity created by corporate
mergers or downsizing is a major contributor to office politics.
4.
Emotional
insecurity: Some people resort to political
maneuvers to ingratiate themselves with superiors because they lack confidence
in their talents and skills.
5.
Manipulative
tendencies: Some
people engage in political behavior because they want to manipulate others,
sometimes for their own personal advantage.
6.
Disagreements
that prevent rational decision making: Many executives
attempt to use rational criteria when making major decisions, but rational
decision making is constrained by major disagreements over what the
organization should be doing. Unless strategy and goals are shared strongly
among key organizational members, political motivation is inevitable in
organizational decision making.
2.4.4 DEALING
WITH ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
Organizational politics is itself similar to a game, one that
requires an assumption of risks just
like any contact sport. "It must be played with diligence and a full
understanding of the landscape, players and rules." The dynamics of the
situation should always dictate a reexamination of the players and how they fit
into the landscape." One must be careful relying on alliances made on
previous circumstances; once the situation changes, alliances need to be
reassessed. Building strong alliances will maximize the efficiency of the collective
political radar and alert you before conflicts arise. In time of conflict,
data-driven employees who rely on
hard facts will have an easier time diffusing political conflicts. Always
looking out for the best interests of your company is a certain way to insure
that your motivation will remain unquestioned. L.A. Witt (1990) from the
University of New Orleans, through his findings, believes that if supervisors
were to mold employee values to match their own, it would protect employees from the negative effects of
organizational politics and help
improve their performance.
2.4.5 POLITICAL STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
To make effective use of
organizational politics, leaders must be able to make appropriate use of
specific political strategies and tactics. Remember that ethical behavior is
regarded as an important requirement for effective leadership. (Iniekong,
1998). As one of many guidelines, The Center for Business Ethics at Bentley
College has developed six questions to help evaluate the ethics of a specific decision. Before engaging
in a particular influence act or
political tactic, they recommend that a person seek answers to the following
questions;
v Is it
right? Based
on absolute principles of moral rights
v Is it
fair? Based
on absolute principles of justice
v Who gets
hurt?
v Would you be comfortable if the details of your
decision or actions were made public in the media or through electronic mail?
Let's look at a representative
group of political tactics and strategies, categorized in the following two
sections as ethical or unethical, although many of the strategies and tactics
could fall into either category, depending on motivations and methods of
implementing them. Used with tact,
diplomacy, and good intent, ethical influence tactics can be quite effective. Sequencing of tactics is another
important consideration. In general, it is best to begin with the most
positive, or least abrasive, tactic. If you
do not gain the advantage you seek, proceed to a stronger tactic. Also, begin
with low-cost, low-risk tactics. (Ihejimaizu, 2003)
Essentially Ethical Political
Strategies and Tactics
Dubrin, (1988) Describes a
sampling of ethical political behaviors, divided into three related and
overlapping groups: strategies and tactics aimed at (a) directly gaining
power, (b) building relationships with superiors and coworkers, and (c) avoiding
political blunders. All of these approaches help a leader gain or retain power.
They also help the leader cope with the fact that organizations are not entirely
rational.
Strategies and Tactics Aimed Directly
at Gaining Power
It could be argued
that all political tactics are aimed at acquiring and maintaining power, if we
consider power in a broad scope. Tom Peters says that, although power can often
be abused, it can also be used to benefit many people, "and as a career
building tool, the slow and steady (and subtle) amassing of power is the surest
road to success. (Higgins, 1998)
1. Develop
Power Contacts and Relationships. After powerful people have been identified, alliances
with them must be established. Cultivating friendly, cooperative relationships
with powerful organizational members and outsiders can make the leader's cause
much easier to advance. These contacts can benefit a person by supporting his
or her ideas in meetings and other public forums. One way to develop these
contacts is to be more social, for example, throwing parties and inviting
powerful people, although they may not be available.
2. Make an
Early Showing. A
display of dramatic results can help gain acceptance for one's efforts. Once a
person has impressed management with his or her ability to solve an important
problem, that person can look forward to working on problems that will bring
greater power.
3. Keep
Informed. It
is politically important to keep informed. Successful leaders develop a network
to help them keep abreast, or ahead, of developments within the firm. For this
reason, a politically astute individual befriends key staff members and executive
administrative assistants, for example.
4. Control
Vital Information. Power
accrues to those who control vital information. For example, many former government
or military officials have found power niches for themselves in industry as a
Washington representative of a firm that does business with the government. The
vital information they control I s knowledge of whom to contact to shorten some
of the complicated procedures in getting government contracts approved.
5. Control
Lines of Communication. Related
to controlling information is controlling lines of communication, particularly
access to key people. Administrative assistants and staff assistants
frequently control an executive's calendar. Both insiders and outsiders must
curry favor with the conduit in order to see an important executive. Although
many people attempt to contact executives directly through email, some
executives delegate the responsibility of screening email messages to an
assistant.
6. Provide
Favors and Develop Ingratiation. A skillful
leader always has a positive balance of favors given, and can draw on that
balance when something is needed in return.
7. Display
Loyalty. A
loyal worker is valued because organizations prosper more with loyal than with
disloyal employees. Blind loyalty the belief that the organization cannot make
a mistake is not called for; most rational organizations welcome constructive
criticism. An obvious form of loyalty to the organization is longevity,
although its value varies.
8. Develop
a Reputation as a Subject Matter Expert. Expertise is
one of the major sources of power.
Others come to and ask help from an expert.
9. Manage
Impressions. Impression
management includes behaviors directed at enhancing one's image by drawing
positive attention to oneself. Although this can deal with clothing and
grooming, it also deals with deeper aspects of behavior, such as speaking well
and presenting one's ideas coherently. Another part of impression management
is to tell people about your success or imply that you are an "insider."
10. Bring in
Outside Experts for Support. To
help legitimate their positions, executives will often hire a consultant to
conduct a study or cast an opinion. One possible problem to avoid is that,
consciously or unconsciously, some consultants may slant things to support the
executive's position. This tactic would be considered unethical if the executive
is intentionally seeking a non-objective opinion.
11. Consult
With and Ask Advice of Others. Consulting with others, even when not required,
helps build support for a decision or action.
Consulting and asking advice on work-related topics builds relationships
with other employees. Asking another person for advice--someone whose job does
not require giving it--will usually be perceived as a compliment, and asking
advice transmits a message of trust in the other person's judgment.
12. Ask
Satisfied Customers to Contact your Boss. A favorable comment by a customer receives
considerable weight because customer satisfaction is a top corporate priority.
If a customer says something nice, the comment will carry more weight than one
from a coworker or subordinate.
13. Be
Courteous, Pleasant, and Positive. It has been argued that courteous, pleasant, and
positive people are the first to be hired and the last to be fired (assuming
they also have other important qualifications).
14. Flatter
Others Sensibly. Flattery
in the form of sincere, specific praise can be an effective relationship
builder. By being generous in your positive feedback and comments, you can
build relationships with work associates and make them more receptive to your
ideas.
15. Develop
Coalitions.
Sometimes coalitions are initiated by less powerful actors who seek the support
of others. At other times they may be developed by the powerful to consolidate
their power. Whether formal or informal, confined to the organization or
extended to include key interests outside, coalitions and interest groups often
provide important means of securing desired ends.
16. Declining
an offer from top management. Turning down top management, especially more than
once, is a political blunder. You thus have to balance your other interests
against the blunder of refusing a request from someone powerful in the
organization. An increasing number of managers and professionals today decline
opportunities for promotion when the new job requires geographic relocation.
For these individuals, family and lifestyle preferences are more important than
gaining political advantage on the job.
Potentially Unethical Political Strategies
and Tactics
(Dubrin, 1990) Any technique of
gaining power can be unethical if practiced in the extreme and with negative
intentions. For example, a person who supports a boss by feeding him or her
insider information that could affect the price of company stock is being
unethical. Some approaches are almost
unequivocally unethical, such as the those described next. In the long run
they can erode a leader's effectiveness by lowering his or her credibility.
1. Back
Stabbing. The ubiquitous back stab requires that you pretend
to be nice, but all the while plan someone's demise. A frequent form of back
stabbing is to initiate a conversation with a rival about the weaknesses of a
common boss, encouraging negative commentary and making careful mental notes
of what the person says. When these comments are passed along to the boss, the
rival appears disloyal and foolish. Email has become a medium for back
stabbing. The sender of the message documents a mistake made by another
individual and includes key people on the distribution list. A sample message
sent by one manager to a rival began as follows, "Hi, Sam. I'm sorry you
couldn't make our important meeting. I guess you had some other important
priorities. But we need your input on the following major agenda item we
tackled . . . ."
2. Purge
All But Loyalists. The ancient strategy of purge those you
have conquered suggests that you remove from the organization rivals who
suffered past hurts through your efforts; otherwise the wounded rivals might
retaliate at a vulnerable moment. This kind of strategy is common after a
hostile takeover or even a Amerger of equals,@
e.g., the purge of former Chrysler Corporation executives by the former
Daimler-Benz executives after the merger to form DaimlerChrysler.
3. Set a Person
Up for Failure. The object of a setup is to place a
person in a position where he or she will either fail outright or look
ineffective. For example, an executive whom the CEO dislikes might be given
responsibility for a troubled division whose market is rapidly collapsing. The
newly assigned division president cannot stop the decline and is then fired for
poor performance.
4. Exert
Undue Pressure.
Even if you have the power to do this, it would be unethical if used to
further your interests at the expense of others. In any case, it may have longer-term
repercussions.
5. Divide
and Conquor.
An ancient military and governmental strategy, this tactic is also used
in business. The object is to have peers struggle among themselves, therefore
yielding the balance of power to another person. If team members are not
aligned with one another, there is an improved chance that they will align with
a common superior. One way of getting subordinates to fight with one another is
to place them in intense competition for resources.
6. Play
Territorial Games. Also referred to as turf wars,
territorial games involve protecting and hoarding resources that give one
power, such as information, relationships, and decision-making authority. A
relationship is "hoarded" in such ways as not encouraging others to
visit a key customer, or blocking a high performer from getting a promotion or
transfer. Other examples of territorial
games include monopolizing time with clients, scheduling meetings so someone
cannot attend, and shutting out coworkers from joining you on an important
assignment.
2.4.6 EXERCISING
CONTROL OVER DYSFUNCTIONAL POLITICS
(Loosely based on
Culbert & McDonough, 1985; Dubrin, 2001, and Pettigrew, 2003) Although
necessary, organizational politics can hurt an organization and its members
when carried to excess. Too much politicking can result in lower morale, higher
turnover, and wasted time and effort, thereby lowering performance. To avoid
these negative consequences,
leaders should combat political behavior when it is excessive and
dysfunctional. Some steps that can help
accomplish this follow.
1. To
control politics, organizational leaders must be aware of its causes and
techniques. For example, during a downsizing, the CEO can be on the alert for
instances of back stabbing and transparent attempts to please him or her.
2. Open
communication also can constrain the impact of political behavior. For
instance, open communication can let everyone know the basis for allocating
resources, thus reducing the amount of political behavior. When communication
is open, it also makes it more difficult for some people to control information
and pass along gossip as a political weapon.
3. Avoiding
favoritism is a potent way of minimizing politics within a work group. If group
members believe that getting the boss to like them is much less important than
good job performance in obtaining rewards, they will try to impress the boss
through task-related activities.
4. Setting
good examples at the top of the organization can help reduce the frequency and
intensity of organizational politics. When leaders are nonpolitical in their
actions, they demonstrate in subtle ways that political behavior is not welcome.
It may be helpful for the leader to announce during a staff meeting that devious
political behavior is undesirable and unprofessional.
5. Another
way of reducing the extent of political behavior is for individuals and the
organization to have goal congruence, i.e., share the same goals, with
thorough understanding of what they mean. If political behavior will interfere
with the company and individuals achieving their goals, workers with goal
congruence are less likely to play office politics excessively.
6. Politics
can sometimes be constrained by a threat to discuss questionable information
in a public forum. People who practice devious politics usually want to operate
secretly and privately. They are willing to drop hints and innuendoes and make
direct derogatory comments about someone else, provided they will not be
identified as the source. An effective way of stopping the discrediting of
others is to offer to discuss the topic publicly.
2.5 RELATED
EMPIRICAL STUDIES
Smith and Roger, (2001) in their
study entitled ‘’managing office politics’’ the population of the study consist
of 100 workers from selected organisations. They used simple random sampling.
Data was analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test respectively.
The study found out that
organization can perform very well without any hindrance, if the management of
the organization will be able to manage any conflict that may arise either by
the prevailing ideologies, shaping of management policies, starting in the
1940s more abstract and generic conception of performance began to emerge in
the discourse on organizational performance. Gradually, concept such as
effectiveness, efficiency and employee morals gained ground in the management
literature and by, the 1060s where considered major components of performance.
Managers understood an organization to be performing well if it achieved its
intended goals and used relatively few resources in doing so (efficiency), and
converting conflict into agreeable issues for better workflow. (Gbadamosi, et al 1996)
The study is related to the present
study as a deal with manager’s ability to convert politics into an agreeable
issues for better workflow (that is bridging the gap between conflict and
performance thereby making it possible for conflict not to be a hindrance to
the performance of employee since the gap has already been bridged by proper
management.
From this perspective, an effective
yet inefficient organization would not survive any better than an efficient
organization that was not achieving its stated goals. To perform well, even
educational organizations must operate efficiently, as measured. However, since
the 1970s many other variables associated with organization performance.
Organizational performance can be seen as the out framework defining
organization as a good performer when it balances effectiveness, efficiency
relevance and being financially viable, including moral, innovation turnover,
adaptability and orientation to change. (Fiedler, 1996)
2.9 SUMMARY OF REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Related literature was reviewed
under conceptual framework, theoretical framework, theoretical studies and
empirical studies. Under conceptual framework relevant concepts in the title
were reviewed, such as concept organizational politics etc. The study derived
its theoretical basis from different theory of conflict /school of thought by
Richard woodman. The theory shows that one group believe more about conflict
while the other does not. The concept also talks on the sources of conflict and
its levels.
Empirical studies related to the
study were reviewed. Most of the studies however dealt with manager’s ability
to convert conflict into an agreeable issue (dialogue) for better workflow,
bridging of gap between conflict and performance, moral, innovation, turnover,
adaptability and orientation to change.
This study would therefore,
adequately fill the gap between conflict and employees performance in an
industrial environment.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
This study is
carried out to examine the impact of office politics on the organizational
performance. This chapter examines the method used in carrying out the study as
shown below.
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN
A survey
research was employed since the study was to find out the impact of office
politics on the organizational performance. For the collection of primary data,
the questionnaire and interview method of survey were the tools used due to the
nature of the topic. These instruments were considered adequate and convenient
under investigation. The researcher used statistical method to analyze the
data.
3.3 SOURCES OF DATA
The researcher
used two sources of data for this research. These are the primary and the
secondary sources of data.
3.3.1 PRIMARY SOURCES OF DATA
The basic
primary sources of data collection method are oral. Interview and
questionnaire.
3.3.2SECONDARY
SOURCES OF DATA
This was
collected froth information published in journals, magazines, reports presented
at various seminars and meetings, past write-ups, textbooks, libraries and
research projects.
3.4 POPULATION
The population
of the study is hundred (100) staff in the selected organizations.
35 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
The sampling
technique used was the simple random sampling method. This statistical
technique gives equal chance to every item of the population to be selected and
included in this sample.
3.6 SAMPLE SIZE
The sample size
of the study is 75 drawn from the population. The random sampling was used to
enable all the items in the population to have equal chance of being selected
and included in the sample.
3.7 INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION
The instruments
used for data collection are questionnaires and oral interview. The
questionnaires were distributed by the researcher and retrieved personally. The
table below shows the distribution and retrieved of the questionnaires.
3.8 VALIDATION OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
The
questionnaire for data collection was drawn by the researcher and submitted to
the project supervisor who critically examined, and corrected the mistakes he
also made useful suggestions to improve the content before finally approving it
for administration.
3.9 RELIABILITY OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
The researcher
carried out a test pre-test survey on a population outside the area of study to
ensure that the instrument measure what it is supposed to measure. The result
obtained from the tests were consistent with the ones carried out earlier thus
proving that the instrument was reliable.
3.10 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
In determining
the method for the collection of data, the questionnaires were administered and
retrieved in person by the researcher in order to get information from
respondents who responded to the questionnaires.
Table 1. Questionnaire Distribution and
Retrieval Tables
|
S/No
|
Organization
|
Number of questionnaire distributed
|
Number of questionnaire retrieved
|
|
1.
|
Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited
|
40
|
30
|
|
2
|
Shell Petroleum Development Company
|
20
|
15
|
|
3
|
Rivers State Ministry of Education
|
40
|
35
|
|
|
|
100
|
80
|
Source: Survey Data, 2019.
3.11 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
In this
research study research will use Likerts five point rating scale to determine
the mean score.
The
mean score X
Strongly agreed SA - 5.00
Agreed A - 4.00
Undecided U - 3.00
Disagreed D - 2.00
Strongly Disagreed SD - 1.00
15 = 3.0
5
Meaning
Score 3.0
DECISION
RULE:
Any
mean score above. 3.00 is accepted and those from 3.0 and below are rejected.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter will be involved in the presentation and
analysis of data used in this research work. The data collected was a
synergistic product from the respondent from the interview and questionnaires
administered.
A total of 75 questionnaires were administered to the
respondents the selected staff. The total number of questionnaire retrieved is
75.
4.2 RESEARCH
QUESTION ONE
Data collected in respect to this
research question were analyzed, and the results are presented in table 2.
Table 2: Respondents mean ratings on the
effect of office politics in organization
|
s/no
|
effect of office
politics in organization
|
SA
(5)
|
A
(4)
|
U
(3)
|
D
(2)
|
SD
(1)
|
MEAN
|
Remark
|
|
1.
|
Office politics hinders the performance of
employees
|
58
|
15
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
4.74
|
Accepted
|
|
2.
|
Morales of employee are weaken by conflict
|
8
|
46
|
15
|
5
|
1
|
3.73
|
Accepted
|
|
3.
|
Office politics tends to affect production of
business in an organisation
|
12
|
39
|
-
|
24
|
-
|
3.52
|
Accepted
|
|
4.
|
Office politics can bring negative impact on
organisations
|
28
|
27
|
1
|
18
|
1
|
3.84
|
Accepted
|
|
5.
|
The negative effect of office politics can
tend to organisational breakdown
|
16
|
36
|
-
|
13
|
10
|
3.46
|
Accepted
|
Source: Survey Data, 2018.
The table above shows that, in the
first item 58 of the total respondents strongly agreed, 15 agreed, and 2
undecided. The mean rating item is 4.74. It was remarked accepted by the
researcher.
The second items on the table shows
that 8 strongly agreed, 46 agreed, 15 undecided, 5 decided, 1 strongly
disagreed leading the various mean and standard deviation to 3.73.
The third items on the table shows that 12 strongly agreed,
39 agreed, 24 decided, leading the various mean and standard deviation to 3.52.
The fourth items on the table shows that 28 strongly agreed,
27 agreed, 1 undecided, 18 decided and 1 strongly disagreed, leading the
various mean and standard deviation to 3.84.
The last items on the table shows that 16 strongly agreed, 36
agreed, 13 decided and 10 strongly disagreed, leading the various mean and
standard deviation to 3.46.
From the above presentation and
analysis, it can be deduced that office politics has effect in the
organization.
4.3 RESEARCH
QUESTION TWO
Table 3: The respondents mean rating on the
causes of office politics in organization
|
s/no
|
Causes of office
politics in organization
|
SA
(5)
|
A
(4)
|
U
(3)
|
D
(2)
|
SD
(1)
|
Mean
|
Remark
|
|
6.
|
Communication
problem can promote office politics
|
21
|
22
|
13
|
9
|
10
|
3.33
|
Accepted
|
|
7.
|
Problem of communication can lead to
employees differences
|
10
|
32
|
22
|
2
|
9
|
3.42
|
Accepted
|
|
8.
|
the activities of an organisation can be
hindered by office politics
|
5
|
37
|
12
|
21
|
-
|
3.34
|
Accepted
|
|
9.
|
The activities of an organisation can cause
poor organisational performance
|
16
|
18
|
38
|
3
|
-
|
3.62
|
Accepted
|
|
10.
|
Poor employees performance can be attributed
to office politics in the organisation
|
17
|
29
|
9
|
10
|
10
|
3.44
|
Accepted
|
Source: Survey Data, 2018.
The first item in Table 3 shows
that, 21 of the total respondents strongly agreed, 22 agreed, 13 undecided, 9
decided and 10 strongly disagreed. Making the mean rating of the item 3.33 and
it was rated “Accepted”.
The second item in the table shows
that, 10 strongly agreed, 32 agreed, 12 undecided, 2 decided and 9 strongly
disagreed. The mean and standard deviation of the item are 3.42. It was also
rated “Accepted”.
The third item in the table shows that, 5 strongly agreed, 37
agreed, 22 undecided, and 21 decided. The mean and standard deviation of the
item are 3.34. It was also rated “Accepted”.
The fourth item in the table shows that, 16 strongly agreed,
18 agreed, 38 undecided, and 3 decided. The mean and standard deviation of the
item are 3.62. It was also rated “Accepted”.
The final item in the table shows that, 17 strongly agreed,
29 agreed, 9 undecided, 10 decided and 10 strongly disagreed. The mean and
standard deviation of the item are 3.44. It was also rated “Accepted”.
4.4 RESEARCH
QUESTION THREE
Table
4:
The respondents mean ratings on what can
office politics in an organization lead to.
|
s/no
|
What can office
politics in an organization lead to
|
SA
(5)
|
A
(4)
|
U
(3)
|
D
(2)
|
SD
(1)
|
MEAN
|
Remark
|
|
11.
|
Office politics in an organisation can lead
to loss of customers
|
12
|
27
|
7
|
27
|
2
|
3.62
|
Accepted
|
|
12.
|
Office politics can reduce the value of an
organisation.
|
16
|
23
|
8
|
20
|
8
|
3.25
|
Accepted
|
|
13.
|
Office politics tends towards waste of resources
|
9
|
20
|
22
|
15
|
9
|
3.06
|
Accepted
|
|
14.
|
Office politics can lead to emotional
insecurity.
|
7
|
20
|
41
|
6
|
1
|
3.34
|
Accepted
|
|
15.
|
Office politics can lead to environmental
turbulence in an organisation
|
4
|
20
|
30
|
10
|
6
|
3.14
|
Accepted
|
|
16.
|
Office politics can lead to subjective
standards of the performance of an organisation
|
4
|
9
|
47
|
17
|
-
|
3.08
|
Accepted
|
Source: Survey Data, 2018.
The first item in Table 4 shows that, 12 of the total
respondents strongly agreed, 27 agreed, 7 undecided, 27 decided and 2 strongly
disagreed. Making the mean rating of the item 3.62 and it was rated “Accepted”.
The second item in the table shows that, 16 of the total
respondents strongly agreed, 23 agreed, 8 undecided, 20 decided and 8 strongly
disagreed. Making the mean rating of the item 3.25 and it was rated “Accepted”.
The third item in the table shows that, 9 of the total
respondents strongly agreed, 20 agreed, 22 undecided, 15 decided and 9 strongly
disagreed. Making the mean rating of the item 3.06 and it was rated “Accepted”.
The fourth item in the table shows that, 7 of the total
respondents strongly agreed, 20 agreed, 41 undecided, 6 decided and 1 strongly
disagreed. Making the mean rating of the item 3.34 and it was rated “Accepted”.
The fifth item in the table shows that, 4 of the total
respondents strongly agreed, 25 agreed, 30 undecided, 10 decided and 6 strongly
disagreed. Making the mean rating of the item 3.14 and it was rated “Accepted”.
The final item in the table shows that, 4 of the total
respondents strongly agreed, 9 agreed, 47 undecided, and 17 decided. Making the
mean rating of the item 3.08 and it was rated “Accepted”.
From the above presentation and
analysis, it can be deduced that office politics in an organization can lead to
low productivity.
4.5 HYPOTHESES
HYPOTHESIS
1:
H0: There
is no significant relationship between the effect of office politics and
organizational productivity.
H1: There is
significant relationship between the causes of office politics and
organizational productivity.
H1: There is
significant relationship between what office politics can lead and
organizational productivity.
TABLE 6
HYPOTHESIS TABLE 1
Z-test of the difference between mean rating of
experienced and less experience respondents on the extent to which office
politics affects the organisation.
|
Year of experience
|
N
|
X
|
SD
|
A
|
Df
|
z-cal
|
Z-crit
|
Decision
|
|
0-10
|
25
|
4.74
|
0.8
|
0.05
|
58
|
1.34
|
2.00
|
NS
|
|
11 and above
|
15
|
3.84
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Survey Data, 2018.
The above table presentation on the table shows that
calculated Z-value of 1.34 is less than the critical Z-value of 2.0 at 0.05
level of significance and 58 degree of freedom. This means that highly
experienced and less experienced manager and record officer do not differ
significant in their mean rating on the quality of faculties used for records
keeping. The null hypothesis is there not rejected (upheld).
HYPOTHESIS TWO:
Male and female managers do not differ in their mean
rating on to which there is significance relationship between the causes of
office politics in the organization.
TABLE 7 HYPOTHESIS TABLE 2
Z-test of the difference between mean rating of senior
and junior respondents on the extent to which there is significance
relationship between the causes of office politics in the organization .
|
Year of experience
|
N
|
X
|
SD
|
A
|
Df
|
z-cal
|
Z-crit
|
Decision
|
|
Senior
|
35
|
3.62
|
0.84
|
0.05
|
58
|
0.7
|
2.00
|
NS
|
|
Junior
|
5
|
3.44
|
0.83
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Survey Data, 2018.
The above table shows that, the calculated Z-value of 0.7
is less than the critical Z-value of 2.00 at 0.05 level of significance and 58
degree of freedom. This means that senior and junior managers do not differ in
their mean rating on to which there is significance relationship between the
causes of office politics in the organization. Therefore the null hypothesis is
not rejected.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 INTRODUCTION
In the course of carrying out this research work personal
interviews and questionnaires were designed and administered to some selected
employees of the organization. These employees consist of management staff and
security of the organization, and total of hundred (100) questionnaires were
administered and Seventy Five (75) was retrieved while twenty were not
retrieved.
5.2 DISCUSSION
OF FINDINGS
Office politics is being perceived as an evil and is negatively affecting the morale of
the employees. More than 90% of
employees will agree that they feel uneasy
and a fear of threat was always there while working in such an environment. This disclosure suggests that generating insights into the “dark”
sides of behaviors in the
organization is important for both the development of knowledge regarding office politics and for conceptualizing contemporary organizational life.
However, a key contribution of this article is the provision of insights into the
emotional status and feelings that
employees develop while working in such an
environment. A number of scholars of organizational politics have noted the impact of such an environment on job attitudes and stress related
problems (Nye and Witt, 1993). This
article adds to the knowledge of organizational politics through contributing grounded insights into the views, opinions and
strategies that employees adopt to
cope while working in such an environment.
5.3 SUMMARY
AND CONCLUSION
The respective literatures on
workplace learning and organisational politics are fairly well developed.
However, the potential benefits to be gained from systematically combining
these two fields of enquiry have been generally neglected until now. This is
where this study has sought to make a contribution; in taking a systematic view
of micro-political behaviours in organisations and attempting to illuminate the
supportive and inhibitive effects that they can have on learning. Though the
observations and the responses of the respondents are not to be viewed as
established, objective facts, this study has identified issues which it is
asserted add to the knowledge on the effect of politics on workplace learning.
It is clear that political
behaviour may have a profound effect on the employees’ learning, particularly
informal learning. These effects can be inhibitive and devastating for some,
and supportive and fruitful for others. The study also identified that the
organisation yields a lot of rivalry games due to its bureaucratic structure
that seems to generate such political games concerning rivalry. One example of
rivalry is occurring because one group of employees has the perception that the
other group is treated and paid much better. In other cases, a small number of
employees seem to have had no effect on their learning due to their choice to
remain detached from the political manoeuvres
5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
1.
First, management should take
appropriate steps to curb the political environment prevailing in the
organization.
2.
The management should encourage equity
and transparency and promote a culture of organizational support amongst the
employees. Some authors have demonstrated how politics in organizations could
be helpful for members of the organization and for its strategic decisions.
3.
Concurrently, the human resource department
should adopt a proactive approach in implementing performance based career
growth and succession planning. This not only helps in strengthening
employer-employee relationship but also motivates employees to focus on
productive activities, leading to growth of the organization.
4.
Emphasis should focus on motivating
managers and above to discourage such activities and providing juniors with
equal opportunities, and discouraging politically motivated actions.
5.
Induction programmes should clearly
state that such behaviors are not encouraged or rewarded. These approaches may
require changes in disciplinary codes.
5.5
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Further research may usefully
contribute to this area by examining in a similar way the experiences of employees
in other universities, or perhaps employees in a different type of organization
with other types of jobs. Key informants, who are not presently engaging in
workplace learning, whilst included in informal discussions as part of the data
collection process, played only a minor part in this study and only the
perceptions and actions of those newly employed, promoted or transferred to
another department played a major role. There is also the need to gain more
understanding of the mediating effect that individual dispositions have on the
relationship between politics and learning.
In the
future research, qualitative research methods may also be included to check the
validity of quantitative research methods. For the enhancement of the validity,
this research may also be expanded in the whole country.
5.6 LIMITATIONS
OF THE STUDY
In course of carrying out the
research, certain inherent problems were encountered. Firstly, as
characteristics of research of this nature many administrative bureaucracies post
severe setback to the continuity of this study.
The unwillingness of companies to
disclosed some important information especially when it pertains to their
productivity despite assurance of concealing its identity has also reduce the
depth of this study.
The most limiting factor encountered
in course of carrying out this research work was lack of fund. Also, the time
duration required for the completion was too short, hence not encouraging.
Sourcing for material was a difficult task due to the fact that some materials
were not available at the time of writing.
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