Abstract
Based on existing research addressing political skill and social networks, this study explores the congruence effects of the political skills of leaders and followers on workers’ job satisfaction, and the resulting effect on followers’ life satisfaction and affective commitment. Using cross-level polynomial regressions and 3 D response surface analysis on 305 leader and follower dyads, the results supported the congruence and effect hypothesis. Furthermore, this study has also discovered incongruence effects: when leaders’ political skills are higher than those of their followers, the degree of decline in job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and affective commitment is greater than the size of difference between the political skills of leaders and followers. This study also reveals the importance of leaders and followers possessing political skills, especially considering its important effect on work attitude and performance.
Highlights
Political skill between followers and leaders has already received extensive empirical research attention (Dahling & Whitaker, 2016)
This study explores the effect of leader-follower political skill interaction on job satisfaction and work outcomes from a social network theory perspective
We propose that job satisfaction has a partial mediator effect because there may be other mechanisms at play affecting the direct effect of the congruence or incongruence of leader and followers’ political skill on work outcomes
Summary
Political skill between followers and leaders has already received extensive empirical research attention (Dahling & Whitaker, 2016). Political skill is a kind of skill for conducting interpersonal interaction, and lies at the base of organisational operations. Organisation members use these kinds of skills to identify different opportunities in their work environment, and to make their work more efficient (Frederickson, 2006). Political skills can cause positive work outcomes. Political skill refers to: ‘The ability to effectively understand others at work, and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one’s personal and/or organisational objectives’ According to the social network concept, human beings’ emotions and behaviour will influence organisation members’ commitment, work outcomes, and life satisfaction. Whether organisation members are leaders or subordinates, they both display different levels
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