Article Review: Perception of Politics and Political Skill

Introduction

This review critically assesses Jam et al.'s (2011) paper with regard to its subject introduction, intellectual framework, methodology, discussion, and outcomes. The article is first summarized, followed by an analysis of its structure and quality across several evaluative dimensions.

The paper examined the relationship between perception of politics (POP) and employee job outcomes, with political skill serving as a moderating variable, in companies operating within Pakistan. Several job outcomes were addressed, including job stress, affective commitment, contextual performance, and turnover intent. The research is grounded in the resource conservation theory (Hobfoll, 2002), which holds that political capabilities help employees manage job-related stressors. Accordingly, examining the role of political skill in relation to POP and job outcomes may help employees develop their political capabilities and reduce the negative effects of workplace politics.

The researchers surveyed three hundred employees from service-sector and public-sector firms using self-report measures. Study findings were broadly consistent with the hypotheses; however, the researchers failed to establish a significant linkage between affective commitment and POP as hypothesized. The discussion section connects findings to prior studies largely through name-dropping rather than substantive engagement. The research implications and conclusion suggest that findings can assist HR departments in recruitment efforts and in predicting workforce job outcomes by evaluating employees' political skill levels.

Authority and Accuracy

The paper was published in the African Journal of Business Management (AJBM), issued by Academic Journals, which is an impact-factor journal and therefore a credible source. Academic Journals publishes several peer-reviewed journals across the physical sciences, biology, and social sciences. As noted by Skelly (2014), gaps in credibility must be identified and addressed at every level of research planning, publication, and reporting, regardless of research design.

The researchers' credibility is further established by their roles as senior faculty members at well-regarded Pakistani private universities. The study's lead researcher holds a doctoral degree. However, no links are provided to other papers published by these authors, which would have strengthened their authority within this specific research area.

The data presented in the paper are appropriate to the context and supported by in-text citations and a complete bibliography. Sources include international journals and books, which contribute to the content's overall accuracy. That said, accuracy has not been fully maintained: some information in the abstract — specifically, the indication that the study was cross-sectional — does not appear in the paper's body. Because the abstract is the section most likely to be read first, it must accurately reflect the paper's content. This type of discrepancy creates room for misinterpretation and should be corrected in future revisions.

Currency and Relevance

Published in 2011, the paper may appear at first glance to be a relatively recent contribution to the literature. However, many of its cited references date to the 1970s, 1990s, and early 2000s, and this broad publication date range limits the paper's currency. The core hypotheses are derived from theories and studies published in 1970 and 1977, respectively. Considerable political, cultural, and economic changes have occurred since then; it would have been more prudent for the authors to ground their study in more contemporary theories and literature.

Despite its reliance on older sources, the paper remains relevant in terms of its intellectual framework and context. Researchers draw on distinct findings and information from the literature review when establishing their study hypotheses. The journal in which the paper appears is also appropriate to the subject matter and field. However, the study title and its content are not sufficiently aligned. The phrase "combined effects" in the title may lead readers to expect an experimental design, when the study is in fact entirely correlational. Even the literature reviewed consists of correlational, not experimental, studies — a mismatch that could mislead readers about the nature of the research.

Conclusion

On the whole, the authors made a commendable effort to study political capabilities' moderating impact on several job outcomes and POP. The moderation findings reveal that POP is relatively harmless when combined with adequate political skill. The authors' examination of these relationships using control variables deserves recognition, as does the use of advanced statistical analysis for interpreting results.

However, the research would have been sounder and more representative of the broader population had the authors employed random sampling (Liu, Ren, & Wang, 2010). If employees from both service-sector and public-sector firms were to be included together, their organizational affiliation could itself be treated as a moderating variable, given the differing dynamics and outcomes associated with each sector. Additionally, the discussion section should have offered more substantive justification supported by relevant theories and empirical evidence rather than relying on passing references to prior work.

The absence of any discussion of study limitations is also a notable gap, as such a discussion would assist future researchers in taking precautionary measures when attempting to replicate or extend the study. Nevertheless, this paper represents a constructive addition to the literature on workplace politics and political skill. The suggestions for result reporting via figures and tables offered in this review can further expand the scope and clarity of future research reports in this area.

References

Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

APA. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/ethics-code-2017.pdf

Hobfoll, S. E. (2002). Social and psychological resources and adaptation. Review of General Psychology, 6, 307–324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.6.4.307

Liu, Q. M., Ren, Y. J., & Wang, W. F. (2010). Application of a simple random sampling method on surveys at the community level. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 31(4), 421–423.

Skelly, A. C. (2014). Credibility matters: Mind the gap. Evidence-Based Spine-Care Journal, 5(1), 2–5.

Wunsch, G. (2007). Confounding and control. Demographic Research, 16(4), 97–120.