How Perceptions of Organizational Politics Influence Employee Outcomes: A Moderated Mediation Model of Workplace Ostracism and Hostile Attribution Bias

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of employee perceptions regarding the political environment of their organization on workplace outcomes (turnover intention, counterproductive work behavior) through a moderated mediation model based on a detailed literature review. The study maintains that workplace ostracism mediates the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and employee work outcomes. Hostile attribution bias as the proposed moderator of the study, examines the conditional direct and indirect effects between workplace ostracism and employee outcomes relationship and perceptions of organizational politics and employee outcomes relationship respectively. Data was collected from 320 individuals working in different private sector organizations of Pakistan, through convenience sampling technique. Social exchange theory serves as the overarching theory support for the proposed structural model. Perceptions of organizational politics were found to have a positive and significant relationship with turnover intention and counterproductive work behavior. The mediating role of workplace ostracism between the relationship of perceptions of organizational politics and employee outcomes was found positively significant by the results. The results of the moderation revealed that employees with high hostile attribution bias lower their intention to leave the organization when confronted with negative workplace environment instead they engage more in counterproductive work behaviors. Keywords- Perceptions of Organizational Politics, Hostile Attribution Bias, Workplace Ostracism, Employee Outcomes, Social Exchange Theory