A qualitative study of high-reputation plant managers: Political skill and successful outcomes

There has been little systematic study of what plant managers actually do on a day-to-day basis that accounts for their success in achieving organizational outcomes. In our field interviews and observations of high-reputation plant managers from 11 manufacturing plants, we found that effective political skill enabled them to influence subordinates in ways that contributed positively to organizational outcomes. Political skill is an interpersonal style that combines social astuteness with the ability to relate well, and otherwise demonstrate situationally appropriate behavior in an engaging way that inspires confidence, trust, and genuiness [Ferris, G.R., Perrewé, P.L., Anthony, W.P., Gilmore, D.C., 2000. Political skill at work. Organizational Dynamics 28 (4), 25–37]. We observed that effective plant managers possessed a configuration of dispositional traits (self-motivation, sense of humility, and affability), systematically employed interpersonal behaviors (creating accountability, leading by example, and developing trust), and focused on managerial processes (stretch goals, influencing and learning from below, and empowering direct reports). By juxtaposing the political skill and power literatures, we propose a theory of plant manager effectiveness as a combination of political skill and the use of unobtrusive and systemic power to achieve both affective and substantive outcomes.     

The role of affective commitment and political skill in the work interfering with family (WIF) conflict – voluntary turnover relationship

The present study explores how political skill affects an employee’s coping behavior in response to Work Interfering with Family (WIF) conflict. Applying Conservation of Resource theory, we argue that politically skilled individuals are more cognizant of the social embeddedness of WIF, and because of cross-domain resource (e.g. time, attention, energy) depletion, lack the resources to cope with its effects. As such, they leverage their political skill to more effectively turnover from the organization than less politically skilled individuals by detaching their identity and lowering their affective commitment to their organization. We tested the hypotheses using a sample of 181 individuals from a retail firm, and results support the hypothesized model. First, a test of indirect effects confirmed that affective commitment partially mediated the link between WIF and voluntary turnover (measured six months later). Second, a moderated-mediation test revealed, as hypothesized, that affective commitment only functioned as a mediator for individual with high levels of political skill. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.     

基于需求理论视我国国有企业经营者的精神激励机制

在现阶段国有企业经营者过分追求薪酬激励,常常忽视精神激励的作用,频频导致国有企业经营者腐化现象严重。基于此现状,在需求理论的指导下,寻求国有企业经营者更高层次的需求———精神激励,依照博弈论的观点,从企业经营者事业、控制权和声誉三方面讨论经营者的精神激励机制。     

Expatriate career support: predicting expatriate turnover and performance

This study aimed at explaining why multinational companies have difficulty retaining their repatriates as well as how multinational companies can improve in- and expatriate performance. In the study 100 in- and expatriates of a multinational company operating in the food and personal care industry reported the career support they experienced, their perceived career prospects within and outside the home organization, their intentions to leave, and their performance. As predicted, it was found that perceived career support negatively related to intentions to leave. Additionally, it was found that perceived career support positively related to perceived career prospects within the home organization and expatriate performance. Interestingly, no relationship was found between perceived career prospects outside the home organization and intentions to leave. Implications and directions for future research and HR practices in multinational companies are discussed.     

Hard,soft or ambidextrous? Which influence style promotes managers’ task performance and the role of political skill

Abstract

Ambidexterity at the manager level focuses on the crucial, but underexplored, role of managers’ knowledge, skills, and behaviors to address competing demands and promote organizational ambidexterity. As such, to successfully complete their assigned duties, managers need to employ the appropriate interpersonal style and calibrate their behavior to different contextual demands. This study highlights the role of the individual in the ambidexterity process by introducing the concept of influence tactic ambidexterity, to denote the frequent use of both hard and soft influence and investigating its role on task performance. Drawing on the literature on ambidexterity and HRM, we analyze data from a sample of 172 middle managers and their corresponding 68 supervisors working for multinational organizations, and provide evidence that influence tactic ambidexterity relates to higher levels and less variation in managers’ task performance compared to the sole use of either hard or soft tactics. Our findings also show that political skill positively moderates the relationship between influence tactic ambidexterity and a manager’s task performance. Therefore, this study suggests that influence tactic ambidexterity and political skill can be considered valuable HR assets for managers.     

西方企业经营者选拔机制比较研究

文章首先回顾了西方职业经理人的演变历程,然后探讨了欧美和日本职业经营者的选拔方式,最后,就职业经营者的评价标准进行了简要述评。     

高职院校思政师资队伍建设与管理

本文在分析高职院校思政师资队伍建设的现状和挑战的基础之上,提出了相关的建设策略。     

如何实现员工的工作和家庭两不误？——基于技能与关系的视角

内容提要：本文从技能与关系视角出发,首先考察员工政治技能对职业发展的积极影响,以及对工作—家庭冲突的抑制作用。进一步地,基于工作—家庭边界理论和角色理论,探讨上下级关系在员工政治技能和职业发展,以及员工政治技能和工作—家庭冲突之间的中介效应。利用409份两时点、上下级匹配的样本数据和结构方程模型进行实证研究,结果显示：员工政治技能对其职业发展存在显著正向影响,同时对工作—家庭冲突存在显著负向影响;上下级关系在员工政治技能和职业发展的关系中起部分中介作用,同时也在员工政治技能和工作—家庭冲突的关系中起部分中介作用。