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Article Excerpt
Stress in the workplace is an important research topic for employees and employers alike. Typically, stress is viewed through the lens of the stressor-strain relationship, where stressors (i.e. the culture or co-workers) are viewed as the predictors or antecedents and strains (i.e. physical symptoms) are viewed as the outcomes (Beehr, 1995; Jex, 1998). From an individual perspective, continual exposure to stressfltl situations (stressors) can result in high levels of psychological strains including anxiety, depression, frustration, and numerous physical problems such as gastric and cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure (Ganster & Schaubroeck, 1991; Jex & Beehr, 1991; Parasuraman & Alutto, 1984). These health problems can result in frequent absences and increased health-care costs, making strains an important issue for organizations as well. In fact, some estimates indicate that individuals' job strains in the workplace cost US employers more than $200 billion annually (DeFrank & Ivancevich, 1998). Two key avenues in the area of stressor/strain research include an exploration of what triggers a stress response (i.e. stressors) and ways to cope with the resulting strains. In an effort to further contribute to these important components of research, the present study explored the viability of a variety of supervisor-related variables serving as coping mechanisms for the strain antecedent of perceptions of politics.
The definition of perceptions of organizational politics used in this paper relates to the perceived 'actions by individuals which are directed toward the goal of furthering their own self-interests without regard for the well-being of others or their organization' (Kacmar & Baron, 1999, p. 4). In essence, organizational politics blur the rules of conduct which can increase levels of strain. A variety of studies have established a positive relationship between perceptions of politics and forms of job stress (e.g. Cropanzano, Howes, Grandey, & Toth, 1997; Ferris et al., 1996; Ferris, Russ, & Fandt, 1989; Kacmar, Bozeman, Carlson, & Anthony, 1999; Vigoda, 2002). What has been missing from this line of research is an examination of potential moderators of this relationship. In particular, a relatively small number of studies have been designed to answer the question: Which, if any, variables moderate or act as antidotes to the politics-strain relationship? Thus, there is still much to be learned in this important area of research. Of the two studies that have examined moderators of the perceptions of politics-job anxiety relationship (Ferris et al., 1996; Kacmar et al., 1999), both examined understanding as a moderator, with Ferris et al. finding support for the moderating impact of understanding, whereas Kacmar et al. found no support. We believe that a possible reason for these inconsistent findings is that understanding does not capture all of the key reasons why the politics-strain relationship would differ. What we believe has been missing from these analyses are elements of the supervisor-subordinate relationship, which has been suggested to be the most important organizational relationship for employees (Manzoni & Barsoux, 2002; O'Driscoll, & Beehr, 1994). Our idea is strengthened by the findings from the two articles that have investigated supervisor or relationship variables, goal congruence (Witt, 1998), and participation in decision-making (PDM; Witt, Andrews, & Kacmar, 2000), as moderators of politics-outcome relationships, as both were significant.
In this paper, we propose that certain behaviours enacted by supervisors in political work environments can decrease the strains experienced by their subordinates. In essence, we are suggesting that these actions serve as a buffer (i.e. moderator) of the politics-job strain relationship. The three supervisor constructs that we expected to decrease subordinates' strain levels include leader-member exchange (LMX), PDM, and supervisor communication.
It is important to study these potential moderators from a stress-buffering perspective for several reasons. First, job strain is an expensive organizational healthcare issue (DeFrank & Ivancevich, 1998) and the more we can learn about ways to control it, the better. Second, the moderators we have selected to study--supervisor relationship variables--are directly controllable by organizational members, making our results applicable to organizations. Further, virtually every member of the organization is involved in a supervisor-subordinate relationship, making it relevant to all members of the organization. Finally, our study advances the politics literature by examining a well-established relationship from a novel perspective by incorporating supervisor variables as moderators of the politics-job strain relationship.
Perceptions of politics as a source of stress
As mentioned previously, we view politics as individual actions undertaken to better the position of the actor (Kacmar & Baron, 1999). Although these actions clearly align with the actor's goals, they may or may not align with the organization's goals. Thus, it is possible for individual political activities to harm the organization and others in it (Ferris et al., 1989). For this reason, politics has often been viewed in a pejorative manner.
Interest in the field of organizational politics dates back to the early 1980s, when Gandz and Murray (1980) asked respondents to explain how they get their way. In other words, they were studying how people influence others, a key component in organizational politics. This seminal work led to a flurry of studies (see Ferris, Adams, Kolodinsky, Hochwarter, & Ammeter, 2003 for a recent review) that explored antecedents (e.g. self-esteem, self-monitoring), moderators (e.g. understanding and control), and consequences (e.g. turnover, job satisfaction) of organizational politics. Further, although the vast majority of the work in organizational politics has been based in North America, a few researchers have begun to explore this construct outside North America (e.g. Drory, 1993; Drory & Romm, 1988, 1990; Vigoda, 2000, 2002), thus helping to demonstrate its generalizability.
Organizational politics have long been thought to function as a work-related stressor (Ferris et al., 1989; Jex & Beehr, 1991; Vigoda, 2002). Ferris et al. (1996) explained the relationship between political behaviour as a stressor that leads to job strain in several ways. First, those facing political or stressful situations can view them as opportunities or threats. That is, individuals can gain or lose, depending on how they react to the situation (Gilmore, Ferris, Dulebohn, & Harrell-Cook, 1996). Those who are able to react constructively should win more or lose, less (i.e. have lower levels of job strain) than those who fail to react or react in a destructive manner. Second, exactly how people decide to react to a political or stressful situation is rooted in their perceptions of the situation, since both political and stressful situations are perceptual in nature (Lewin, 1936). Thus, a situation that one person views as a serious threat may be viewed as a minor annoyance, resulting in completely different responses and outcomes (i.e. levels of job strain), by another. Finally, political and stressful situations share the characteristic of uncertainty and ambiguity (Ferris et al., 1996; Vigoda, 2002). Individuals working in a political environment should have high levels of job strain because they are unable to predict how others will act or to forecast what the most appropriate action to take would be.
Thus, in order to reduce perceptions of politics that may result in feelings of strain, organizations must find ways to decrease the number of perceived threats, the seriousness of perceived threats, uncertainty, and ambiguity in the workplace (e.g. Ferris et al., 2003; Valle & Perrewe, 2000). Research has found that supportive relationships at work can serve this purpose (House, 1981). One key workplace relationship that should fill this role is the one between the subordinate and his/her immediate supervisor. Specifically, the supervisor can serve as a buffer such that the negative impact of politics on job strain is reduced when subordinates enjoy a supportive relationship with their supervisor (Ganster, Fusilier, & Mayes, 1986).
In essence, the buffer hypothesis positions various kinds of support as a moderator between stressors (i.e. perceptions of politics) and work outcomes...
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