Perceptions of organizational politics and work outcomes: interactive effects of envy and enactment

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the combined effects of envy and enactment on work outcomes in a high-political environment. Multisource, three-wave field study with a sample of 205 US subordinate-supervisor dyads evaluates a hypothesized three-way interaction model involving perceived organizational politics (POPs), envy, and enactment in predicting work-related outcomes. In highly political situations, employees with high levels of envy who do not engage in enactment experience worse work outcomes, such as lower job satisfaction, reduced work vigor, and diminished task performance. Further, simple-slope analysis reveals that for employees experiencing low envy, low levels of enactment exhibit a marginally positive relationship (p < 0.10) with task performance in high-POP settings. Our research extends prior work by examining when coping strategies effectively mitigate the adverse effects of POPs on work outcomes.