Mapping the Terrain of Organizational Politics Research: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis

Authors

  • Faisal ur Rehman University of East London, United Kingdom
  • Aidi Ahmi Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy, Universiti Utara Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8488-6966
  • Maleeha Ashraf The University of Law, Business School (Manchester), United Kingdom
  • Nazlina Zakaria School of Business Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Shazaib Butt Royal Docklands School of Business and Law, University of East London, United Kingdom
  • Mashal Wattoo The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52962/ipjaf.2025.9.1.163

Keywords:

Organizational politics, bibliometric analysis, leadership behavior, workplace dynamics, employee attitudes, organizational effectiveness

Abstract

This study employs a bibliometric analysis to investigate the landscape of organizational politics research. The study aims to uncover thematic trends, historical patterns, influential works, and productive source titles by examining scholarly publications from diverse sources. Three predominant themes emerge from the analysis: "Perceptions and Effects of Organizational Politics," "Leadership and Political Behavior," and "Organizational Performance and Politics." The findings highlight the multidimensional nature of organizational politics and its intersections with leadership dynamics and overall organizational effectiveness. The historical trends reveal a surge in research output, underscoring the growing importance of understanding organizational politics in contemporary workplaces. Highly cited papers shed light on seminal contributions that have shaped the discourse on organizational politics, offering insights into how they influence employee attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. The analysis of productive source titles identifies key journals that have played a pivotal role in disseminating research on organizational politics. The implications of these findings provide directions for future research endeavors and managerial practices aimed at addressing the complexities of organizational politics and its impact on employee well-being and organizational performance.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmi, A. (2023). OpenRefine: An approachable tool for cleaning and harmonizing bibliographical data. 11th International Conference on Applied Science and Technology 2022 (11th ICAST 2022) AIP Conference Proceedings, 2827, 030006-1-030006–030011. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0164724

Ahmi, A. (2024) biblioMagika, available from https://bibliomagika.com

Allen, R. W., Madison, D. L., Porter, L. W., Renwick, P. A., & Mayes, B. T. (1979). Organizational politics: Tactics and characteristics of its actors. California Management Review, 22(1), 77–83. https://doi.org/10.2307/41164852

Andrews, M. C., & Kacmar, K. M. (2001). Discriminating among organizational politics, justice, and support: Politics, justice, and support. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22(4), 347–366. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.92

Aryee, S., Chen, Z. X., & Budhwar, P. S. (2004). Exchange fairness and employee performance: An examination of the relationship between organizational politics and procedural justice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 94(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2004.03.002

Chang, C.-H., Rosen, C. C., & Levy, P. E. (2009). The relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and employee attitudes, strain, and behavior: A meta-analytic examination. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 779–801. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.43670894

Cropanzano, R., Howes, J. C., Grandey, A. A., & Toth, P. (1997). The relationship of organizational politics and support to work behaviors, attitudes, and stress. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 18(2), 159–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1379(199703)18:2<159::aid-job795>3.0.co;2-d

Edwards, T., & Kuruvilla, S. (2005). International HRM: national business systems, organizational politics and the international division of labour in MNCs. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/0958519042000295920

Ferris, G. R., & Kacmar, K. M. (1992). Perceptions of organizational politics. Journal of Management, 18(1), 93–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639201800107

Ferris, G. R., Adams, G., Kolodinsky, R. W., Hochwarter, W. A., & Ammeter, A. P. (2004). Perceptions of organizational politics: Theory and research directions. In Research in Multi Level Issues (pp. 179–254). Emerald (MCB UP ).

Ferris, G. R., Frink, D. D., Galang, M. C., Zhou, J., Kacmar, K. M., & Howard, J. L. (1996). Perceptions of organizational politics: Prediction, stress-related implications, and outcomes. Human Relations; Studies towards the Integration of the Social Sciences, 49(2), 233–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679604900206

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

Fischer, F. (2004). Revisiting organizational politics: toward a post-empirical approach. Policy and Society, 23(4), 1-31

Kacmar, K. M., & Ferris, G. R. (1991). Perceptions of organizational politics scale (POPS): Development and construct validation. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 51(1), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164491511019

Kacmar, K. M., Bachrach, D. G., Harris, K. J., & Zivnuska, S. (2011). Fostering good citizenship through ethical leadership: Exploring the moderating role of gender and organizational politics. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3), 633–642. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021872

Kacmar, K. M., Bozeman, D. P., Carlson, D. S., & Anthony, W. P. (1999). Human Relations; Studies towards the Integration of the Social Sciences, 52(3), 383–416. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1016949222512

Kipnis, D., Schmidt, S. M., & Wilkinson, I. (1980). Intraorganizational influence tactics: Explorations in getting one’s way. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 65(4), 440–452. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.65.4.440

Miller, B. K., Rutherford, M. A., & Kolodinsky, R. W. (2008). Perceptions of organizational politics: A meta-analysis of outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 22(3), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-008-9061-5

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 339(jul21 1), b2535. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2535

Naseer, S., Raja, U., Syed, F., Donia, M. B. L., & Darr, W. (2016). Perils of being close to a bad leader in a bad environment: Exploring the combined effects of despotic leadership, leader member exchange, and perceived organizational politics on behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 14–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.09.005

Parker, C. P., Dipboye, R. L., & Jackson, S. L. (1995). Perceptions of organizational politics: An investigation of antecedents and consequences. Journal of Management, 21(5), 891–912. https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-2063(95)90046-2

Punj N., Ahmi A., Tanwar A., Abdul Rahim S. (2023). Mapping the field of green manufacturing: A bibliometric review of the literature and research frontiers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 423(138729), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138729

Poon, J. M. L. (2003). Situational antecedents and outcomes of organizational politics perceptions. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18(2), 138–155. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940310465036

Randall, M. L., Cropanzano, R., Bormann, C. A., & Birjulin, A. (1999). Organizational politics and organizational support as predictors of work attitudes, job performance, and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(2), 159–174. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1379(199903)20:2<159::aid-job881>3.0.co;2-7

Van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3

Vigoda-Gadot, E. (2007). Leadership style, organizational politics, and employees’ performance: An empirical examination of two competing models. Personnel Review, 36(5), 661–683. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710773981

Vigoda-Gadot, E., & Meisler, G. (2010). Emotions in management and the management of emotions: The impact of emotional intelligence and organizational politics on public sector employees. Public Administration Review, 70(1), 72–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2009.02112.x

Vigoda-Gadot, E. (2007). Leadership style, organizational politics, and employees performance. Personnel Review, 36(5), 661–683. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710773981

Vigoda, E. (2000). Organizational politics, job attitudes, and work outcomes: Exploration and implications for the public sector. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57(3), 326–347. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1999.1742

Witt, L. A. (1998). Enhancing organizational goal congruence: A solution to organizational politics. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 666–674. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.4.666

Downloads

Published

2025-03-31

Issue

Section

Main Section

How to Cite

Mapping the Terrain of Organizational Politics Research: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis. (2025). Indian-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Finance, 9(1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.52962/ipjaf.2025.9.1.163

Similar Articles

41-50 of 59

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.