Recruiter political skill and organization reputation effects on job applicant attraction in the recruitment process : A multi-study investigation

Purpose Researchers have identified various recruiter and organization characteristics that individually influence staffing effectiveness. In extending contemporary research, the purpose of this paper is to address a straightforward question unexamined in previous research, namely, does recruiter political skill interact with organization reputation to influence applicant attraction in the recruitment process? Specifically, the authors hypothesized that for recruiters high in political skill, as organization reputation increases, applicant attraction to the organization increases. Alternatively, for recruiters low in political skill, as organization reputation increases, there is no change in applicant attraction to the organization. Design/methodology/approach Three studies were conducted to create the experimental manipulation materials, pilot test them and then conduct tests of the hypotheses. Study 1 created and tested the content validity of the recruiter political skill script. Study 2 reported on the effectiveness of the recruiter political skill experimental manipulation, whereby a male actor was hired to play the part of a recruiter high in political skill and one low in political skill. Finally, Study 3 was the primary hypothesis testing investigation. Findings Results from a 2×2 between-subjects experimental study (N=576) supported the hypotheses. Specifically, high recruiter political skill and favorable organization reputation each demonstrated significant main effects on applicant attraction to the organization. Additionally, the authors hypothesized, and confirmed, a significant organization reputation × recruiter political skill interaction. Specifically, findings demonstrated that increases in organization reputation resulted in increased applicant attraction to the organization for those exposed to a recruiter high in political skill. However, the effect was not for a recruiter low in political skill. Research limitations/implications Despite the single source nature of data collections, the authors took steps to minimize potential biasing factors (e.g. time separation, including affectivity). Future research will benefit from gathering multiple sources of data. In addition, no experimental research to date exists, examining political skill in a laboratory context. This finding has important implications for the growing research base on political skill in organizations. Practical implications First impressions are lasting impressions, and it is very costly to organizations when recruiters lose good candidates due to the failure to make a memorable and favorable impression. This paper supports the use of political skill in the recruitment process and highlights its capability to influence and attract job applicants to organizations successfully. Originality/value Despite its scientific and practical appeal, the causal effects of political skill on important work outcomes in an experimental setting have not been formally investigated. As the first experimental investigation of political skill, the authors can see more clearly and precisely what political skill behaviors of recruiters tend to influence applicant attraction to organizations in the recruitment process

Mitigating influence of transcendence on politics perceptions’ negative effects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how a cognitive process, transcendence, moderates the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics (POPs) and several work outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Participants across two studies (Study 1: 187 student-recruited working adults; Study 2: 158 information technology employees) provided a demographically diverse sample for the analyses. Key variables were transcendence, POPs, job satisfaction, job tension, emotional exhaustion, work effort, and frustration. Findings Results corroborated the hypotheses and supported the authors’ argument that POPs lacked influence on work outcomes when individuals possessed high levels of transcendence. Specifically, high levels of transcendence attenuated the decreases in job satisfaction and work effort associated with POPs. Additionally, transcendence acted as an antidote to several workplace ills by weakening the increases in job tension, emotional exhaustion, and frustration usually associated with POPs. Research limitations/implications This study found that transcendence, an individual-level cognitive style, can improve work outcomes for employees in workplaces where POPs exist. Future studies should use longitudinal data to study how changes in POPs over time affect individuals’ reported levels of transcendence. Practical implications Although it is impossible to eliminate politics in organizations, antidotes like transcendence can improve individuals’ responses to POPs. Originality/value This study is one of the first to utilize an individual-level cognitive style to examine possible options for attenuating the effects of POPs on individuals’ work outcomes

The storm outside and in : How economic recession enables organizational politics

[Extract] Unfortunately, beyond their macro-economic impacts, recessions also create dysfunction at work. Specifically, economically challenged environments are prone to generate organizational politics in ways that negatively impact employee attitudes and behavior. Economic downturns, for example, inculcate insecurity, which tends to decrease employee engagement and increase employee stress. To help cope with these changes, employees often seek control over their work environments by engaging in organizational politics. Furthermore, the impact of economic downturns provokes organizations to reconfigure their operations to maintain competitiveness. In this paper, we discuss how politics emerge from recessionary environments and subsequently impact work. (See Fig. 1). After highlighting these effects, we discuss managerial implications of this process, along with potential remedies that can shape organizational responses to this dysfunction

The Impact of Recruiter Political Skill and Organization Reputation on Applicant Attraction

Researchers have identified various recruiter and organization characteristics that individually impact recruitment effectiveness. The present study examined applicants’ attraction to organizations based on political skill of the recruiter and the reputation of the organization. Results from a 2 x 2 experimental (N = 576) study hypothesized, and found support for, the interaction between recruiter political skill and organization reputation, demonstrating that applicants’ attraction to organizations increases as organization reputation increases for recruiters high in political skill, but not for recruiters low in political skill. Contributions of these results to theory and research, strengths and limitations, directions for future research, and practical implications are discussed