Overcoming organizational politics: tenacity and passion help employees to overcome disappointment at self-serving cultures and continue to help colleagues voluntarily

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-03-2023-0061
• Published date: 12 May 2023
• Date: 12 May 2023
• Pages: 19-21
• Subject Matter: HR & organizational behaviour,Human resource policy,Employee welfare

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Overcoming organizational politics: tenacity

and passion help employees to overcome

disappointment at self-serving cultures and

continue to help colleagues voluntarily

Acollaborative study between researchers from Canada and China examined the

connection between employees’ perceptions of organizational politics and their

helping behavior. The study explained the mediating roles of both affective

commitment and tenacity and passion for work. The results pointed to a lack of positive

organization-oriented energy as a key mechanism that caused employees to perceive a

negative political environment, leading them away from voluntarily assisting their

colleagues.

The authors said prior research showed the negative impact of beliefs about heavily

politicized organizational climates, which make employees less likely to perform activities

not in their job descriptions. The authors wanted to add to this research by proposing as a

causal mechanism the emotional attachment employees feel toward employers. But they

felt it might be suppressed if employees could rely on energy-enhancing personal

resources.

The study, based on analysis of the experiences of 551 US workers,produced a number of

significant findings, accordingto the authors:

1. The study explained why employees stop helping colleagues in self-serving

organizational climates. Their reserves of positive energy are gradually depleted and

they become less committed. Lack of positive bonding between employer and

employee creates a downward spiral in employee behavior.

2. The results show how this dynamic can be disrupted when employees are tenacious

and passionate. They have the stamina and focus to deal with difficult challenges even

in negative political climates. They have enough resources to protect themselves from

threats and remain emotionally attached to their employer, making them more disposed

to voluntary helping of colleagues.

The study has practical implications for workplaces. When employees have concerns

about working in self-serving environments, they’re likely to feel unable to meet their

goals. HR managers should make sure the organization values transparency and focuses

on the “common good.” Some employees might find it hard to complain about the

political climate, so HR managers should be proactive in identifying and resolving these

tendencies. They could create open forums, or appoint HR representatives to monitor the

situation.

The study, the authors felt, was especially insightful in situations where such climates were

firmly anchored, due to long history or dominant leadership. HR could seek to hire

managers who were concerned to establish less political working cultures, as well as hiring

employees who would be persistentin finding solutions to work problems.

The authors set out to studyfive hypotheses:

DOI 10.1108/HRMID-03-2023-0061 VOL. 31 NO. 4 2023, pp. 19-21, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 0967-0734 jHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL DIGEST jPAGE 19