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Placing Perceptions of Politics in the Context of the Feedback
Environment, Employee Attitudes, and Job Performance
Christopher C. Rosen, Paul E. Levy, and Rosalie J. Hall
University of Akron
The authors proposed a model suggesting that organizational environments supporting high levels of
informal supervisor and coworker feedback are associated with lower employee perceptions of organi-
zational politics. Furthermore, these lowered perceptions of politics were proposed to result in higher
employee morale (as reflected in job satisfaction and affective commitment) and, through morale, to
higher levels of task performance and organizational citizenship. The proposed mediational model was
supported with empirical results from 150 subordinate–supervisor dyads sampled across a variety of
organizations. Higher quality feedback environments were associated with lower perceptions of organi-
zational politics, and morale mediated the relationships between organizational politics and various
aspects of work performance. These findings suggest that when employees have greater access to
information regarding behaviors that are acceptable and desired at work, perceptions of politics are
reduced and work outcomes are enhanced.
Keywords: perceptions of organizational politics, feedback, feedback environment, morale, performance
Employee perceptions of organizational politics have been
linked to a variety of negative outcomes for organizations, includ-
ing low levels of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, task
performance, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB; Cro-
panzano, Howes, Grandey, & Toth, 1997; Ferris et al., 1996). Yet,
researchers’ knowledge of the antecedents and consequences of
organizational politics remains incomplete (Kacmar, Bozeman,
Carlson, & Anthony, 1999). Working within the frameworks of
social marketplaces (Cropanzano et al., 1997; Randall, Cropan-
zano, Bormann, & Birjulin, 1999) and expectancy theory (Valle,
Kacmar, & Zivnuska, 2003), we propose that a positive organiza-
tional feedback environment reduces employee perceptions that
organizational decisions are politically driven (and thus potentially
uncontrollable, threatening, or unfair). Furthermore, a substantial
portion of the positive effects of a supportive feedback environ-
ment on employee morale and performance are mediated through
these reduced perceptions of organizational politics.
Perceptions of Organizational Politics
Our definition of organizational politics derives from work by
Ferris, Kacmar, and colleagues (Ferris, Adams, Kolodinsky,
Hochwarter, & Ammeter, 2002; Ferris & Kacmar, 1992; Ferris,
Russ, & Fandt, 1989). It converges on aspects of political behavior
in organizations that are self-serving, not officially sanctioned by
the organization, and often have detrimental effects (Ferris et al.,
1996; Ferris & Kacmar, 1992; Randall et al., 1999). Ferris et al.
(1989) suggested the importance of considering employee percep-
tions of politics; thus, the network of variables expected to be
associated with politics typically includes individual-level beliefs,
attitudes, and behaviors. Ferris et al. (1989) developed an influen-
tial model that detailed the antecedents and consequences of such
employee perceptions. This model described organizational (e.g.,
centralization, formalization), personal (e.g., age, gender), and
environmental (e.g., feedback, interactions with others) influences
on organizational politics and detailed how perceptions of politics
influence work outcomes such as job involvement, organizational
withdrawal, and job satisfaction. Although the model has been
informative and has led to numerous empirical studies (for inte-
grative reviews, see Ferris et al., 2002; Kacmar & Baron, 1999),
Kacmar et al. (1999) suggested that organizational politics re-
search has been limited by an almost exclusive focus on variables
included in the original Ferris et al. (1989) model.
Thus, we propose a model (see Figure 1) of relationships among
the feedback environment, organizational politics, employee atti-
tudes, and performance, including two sets of mediated effects.
First, employee perceptions of politics are proposed to mediate the
relationship between the feedback environment and the general
level of morale (as reflected by job satisfaction and organizational
commitment). Second, we also propose that morale mediates the
relationships between politics and various aspects of work perfor-
mance, incorporating both discretionary OCBs and task perfor-
mance. Thus, perceptions of politics and their resulting effects on
morale are proposed to play key intervening roles in the feedback
environment–performance relationship.
The Feedback Environment
Feedback is a subset of the available information in the work
environment that indicates how well an individual is meeting his or
her goals. It conveys which behaviors are desired by the organi-
zation and includes an evaluation of the quality of relevant work
behaviors (London, 2003; Steelman, Levy, & Snell, 2004). In
Christopher C. Rosen, Paul E. Levy, and Rosalie J. Hall, Department of
Psychology, University of Akron.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Paul E.
Levy, Department of Psychology, University of Akron, Arts & Sciences
Building, 3rd Floor, Akron, OH 44325-4301. E-mail: pelevy@uakron.edu
Journal of Applied Psychology Copyright 2006 by the American Psychological Association
2006, Vol. 91, No. 1, 211–220 0021-9010/06/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.211
211
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