AbstractStudies on organisational politics have identified a number of
antecedents of perception...

1. Organisational politics: the role of justice, trust and job
ambiguity.
Abstract
Studies on organisational politics have identified a number of
antecedents of perception of organisational politics. One variable that
has generated some interest as an antecdent of perception of
organisational politics is justice. However, there have been limited
studies of this relationship. This paper posits that the lack of justice
can create a perception of organisational politics. It is argued that
the lack of justice undermines trust and subsequently leads to political
behaviour. This study examines how justice is related to other
antecedents of perception of organisational politics and how this
relationship affects intention to quit. Using data from a firm in a
turnaround process, this study found evidence to support the hypotheses
proposed.
**********
The workplace is a social market place where individuals engage in
transactions to obtain favourable returns (Aryee, Chen and Budhwar,
2004). It is not merely a rational model of economic activities but is
also a place where political activity and conflict takes place (Horton,
2003). The constraints of bounded rationality and imperfect information
limits the ability of organisations to develop a complete set of rules
and procedures to guide and govern employee actions and behaviour. Thus,

2. individuals often find themselves having to rely on informal and
unsanctioned means in making decisions. This opens the opportunity for
individuals to engage in political behaviour.
One element that contributes towards political activity in
organisations is uncertainty. Zanzi and O'Neill (2001) argue that
uncertainty leads to considerable ambiguity in organisations. As a
result, formal rules and procedure are no longer adequate to guide and
manage work behaviour. Compounding this situation is the fact that
organisations operate under conditions of resource constraints.
Individuals sometimes find themselves having to rely on informal and
unsanctioned means to advance their goals. This reliance on informal sites to search at and
unsanctioned behaviour constitutes political behaviour. As such, Peled
(2000) argues that because of this modern managers also need to develop
political skills.
Defining Organisational Politics
Zanzi and O'Neill's (2001 ) review of the literature
shows that definitions of organisational politics fall into two broad
categories. The first sees organisational politics as negative and
involves self-serving and unsanctioned behaviour. Such behaviours are
said to be divisive, illegitimate, and dysfunctional and can produce
conflict (Gilmore et al, 1996). The second view sees politics in a more
neutral light and accepts that it can sometimes be functional (Kumar and
Ghadially, 1989). Pfeffer ( 1981) for instance, defines politics as a
social function that can contribute to the basic functioning of

3. organisations. Both definitions agree, however, that organisational
politics involves unsanctioned and informal forms of behaviours.
Even though theoretical definitions accept that politics can be
positive, research evidence shows that individuals generally view
politics as negative (Aryee, Chen and Budhwar, 2004). A person who is
told that he or she is a very political person is more likely to be
offended by such a description (Vigoda, 2000). The literature on
organisational politics posits it as something that is perceived and may
not necessarily be the objective reality. It is shaped by the
individual's experience, attribution and judgement (Ferris and
Kacmar, 1992; Aryee, Chen and Budhwar, 2004; Poon, 2003; Vigoda, 2000).
Antecedents of Organisational Politics
There has been increased interest in the relationship between
justice and perception of organisational politics (POP). Organisational
justice relates to the fair and ethical treatment of individuals in
organisations (Tatum et al, 2003). Vigoda (2000) argues that that the
lack of minimal justice is a cause of higher perception of POP.
Morrison and Robinson (1997) point out that justice affects
employees' perception of violation. They explain that an
employee's assessment of violation is affected by his or her
perception of how fairly he or she was treated. Brockner (2002) explains
that people expects fairness because it affects their self-esteem, sense

4. of identity and social]psychological needs. Perceptions of greater
fairness lead people to be more trusting. The literature on
organisational justice basically defines justice as consisting of three
components that is distributive justice, procedural justice, and
interactional justice.
Distributive justice is related to the fairness in the distribution
of organisational outcomes (Schminke, Ambrose, and Noel, 1997). This can
involve the fair distribution of reward as well as resources. Procedural
justice refers to the individual's perception about the fairness of
formal procedures governing decisions (Masterson et al, 2000). It
involves the fair, ethical and consistent use of procedures. Moorman and
Niehoff (1998) argue that perceived procedural justice also affects
employee perception of the extent the organisation values them.
Interactional justice refers to a person's evaluation of the
truthfulness, impartiality and respect an authority has shown to him or
her (Aquino et al, 1997). It relates to the interpersonal treatment one
gets from a superior. Procedural and interactional justice is related
since individuals experience both through the conduct of their superior
as the agent of the organisation. An individual who had experienced
injustice is more likely to develop negative views of the organisation
and his or her superior. This can in turn, shape their perception of
organisational politics.
A number of studies on POP have addressed the role of
organisational justice. Aryee, Chen and Budhwar (2004) examined the

5. relationship between a number of variables on procedural justice and POR They found a negative
correlation between POP and procedural justice.
They also found that the variables that had positive relationships with
procedural justice had negative relationships with POR However, they did
not specifically study the effect of justice on POR Deconick and
Stilwell (2004) conducted a study on the relationship between
distributive and procedural justice and a number of variables that other
studies had found to be antecedents of POR However, they did not
specifically examine the relationship between justice and POR
This study will examine how justice relates to POR Specifically, it
will propose how organisational justice is related to other antecedents
that shape POR It posits that the experience of unfair treatment or
injustice leads to POR Andrews, Witt and Kacmar (2003) argue that
inappropriate distribution of organisational outcomes leads to jealously
and resentment. It creates a perception of unfair treatment and use of
unsanctioned behaviours in a manner that is detrimental to others. This
experience is likely to erode trust in the organisation. The same
applies in the application of fair procedure. When there is a perception
that the procedures have been used unfairly or rewards and resource have
been distributed is an inequitable manner it creates a perception of
injustice and will also erode trust in the organisation. Likewise, the
interpersonal treatment one receives also affects trust. Even when rules
and procedures had been applied fairly, a negative interpersonal
treatment can alter the perception of justice (Saunders and Thornhill,
2003).

6. Poon's (2003) study found evidence to show that trust climate
is one of the antecedents of organisational politics. Trust is said to
affect attitude towards others and subsequently affects the
interpretation of their behaviour. In a low trust climate, members are
more likely to be suspicious of the motives and intention of others. In
such a situation, informal and non-sanctioned behaviours are more likely
to be perceived negatively and to be political.
Another variable that has been found to be an antecedent of POP is
job ambiguity (Poon, 2003). Job ambiguity is the degree of equivocality in a job environment. High
job ambiguity exists when there is a lack of
clarity about work objectives, roles and what needs to be done to be
rewarded (June, 2003; Koustelios, Theodrakis and Goulinaris, 2004).
Siegall (2000) and Hsieh and Hsieh (2003) point out that such ambiguity
can lead to conflicting demands in the work place. This ambiguity
becomes particularly problematic when the individual is tom between the
different expectations held by those in a higher position. This conflict
will lead to a feeling of injustice if the different expectations lead
to unfair performance appraisal and determination of reward.
Job ambiguity also creates a condition where inconsistent treatment
of employees may http://www.ohio.com/sports arise. Aryee, Chen, and Budhwar, (2004) argue that
when
the job situation is more formalised it reduces ambiguity and foster
consistent treatment and eliminates uncertainty. They also found
evidence that formalisation has a positive relationship with
organisational justice.

7. This paper proposes that job ambiguity leads to a perception of
organisational injustice. The uncertainties created and the conflicting
demands arising from job ambiguity can also erode the trust level of the
individual. This feeling of injustice then leads to an erosion of trust.
Poon's (2003) study found that high job ambiguity and low trust
climate are antecedents of POE This paper argues that all three
variables contribute towards creating POP.
Research Problem
As mentioned earlier, research on organisational politics had
always treated politics as a perceptual construct (Ferris et al, 1996).
Perception of organisational politics is the product of subjective
evaluation. This evaluation is the product of personal experience. One
aspect of work experience that is found to shape perception and
behaviour is justice.
We argue that individuals experiencing job ambiguity are more
likely to experience organisational injustice. And those have personally
experienced injustice are more likely to reduce their level of trust in
the organisation. As a consequence, they are more likely to see informal
and unsanctioned actions as political. These three variables, job
ambiguity, injustice and low trust shape POP. The aim of this study is
to empirically examine the hypothesised relationship that posits job
ambiguity, organisational justice and trust as antecedents of POP.

8. A number of variables have been found to be related to POE One of
the outcomes that has been found to be caused by POP is intention to
quit (Hochwater et al, 1999; Vigoda, 2000; June, 2003;). This study
places intention to quit as an outcome of POP.
It is therefore proposed that:
Hypothesis 1: Job ambiguity has a negative relationship with
organisational justice and trust.
Hypothesis 2: Organisational justice has a positive relationship
with trust.
Hypothesis 3: Organisational justice and trust have a negative
relationship with POP
Hypothesis 4: Job ambiguity has positive relationship with POP.
Hypothesis 5: POP is positively related to intention to quit.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
The relationship described in the above hypotheses is modelled in
Figure 1. This model adds to our understanding of POP in a number of
ways. First, it offers a multivariate model of the relationship between
POP and a number of antecedents. This includes justice as a variable

9. besides trust and job ambiguity. Second, it seeks to empirically examine
the role of justice in creating POE Past studies had not specifically
examined this relationship empirically. Third, it expands on the present
understanding of antecedents of POP by showing how they affect POE
Specifically, it shows that job ambiguity creates POP because of the
sense of injustice that people experience when subjected to conflicting
and inconsistent demands under conditions of ambiguity. It also shows
that these conditions also undermine trust. All these create the
perception of politics in the organisation and leads to turnover
intention.
Methodology
Instrument
This study used mailed survey. A questionnaire to measure all the
variables of interest was developed. POP was measured using Ferris and
Kacmar's (1992) 15 items. Job ambiguity and trust climate was
measured using Poon's (2003) instrument. Justice was measured using
24 items. These items were adapted from Moorman's (1991) work.
Respondents were asked to indicate the extent they agree with the items
using a five-point Likert scale with 1 indicating "strongly
disagree" and 5 indicating "strongly agree". Intention to
quit was measured using one item asking respondents to rate their
agreement with the statement that they will leave their current employer
if there is a comparable alternative.

10. Sample
The sample consists of employees from a Malaysian finance company
that was undergoing turnaround after experiencing substantial loss. The
choice of this organisation was made because it had all the conditions
that can create a high level of organisational politics. The loss it had
experienced has led to major resource constraints. At the time this
study was conducted, it was undergoing turnaround under a new CEO. This
had created a condition of uncertainty. An atmosphere of conflict also
pervaded the organisation during the leadership of the previous CEO.
About 100 employees, many of them in management positions, resigned in
2002 alone.
Questionnaires were sent to all 457 employees. A total of 190
useable responses were received. This is a response rate of 41.57 per
cent. The mean years of service of the respondents is 11.9 years.
Non-managerial employees make up 59.4 per cent. Employees at the branch
level constitute 51.1 per cent and those from the head office makes up
the rest.
Data Analysis
The reliability of the variables used is as shown in Table 1. All
of the variables had an acceptable Cronbach Alpha. Correlation between
variables is shown in Table 2. Structured equation modelling using EQS 5.1 was used to test the
relationship between trust climate, job

11. ambiguity, justice, POP and intention to quit as depicted in the model
shown earlier. The analysis yielded a significant model with a
Non-normed fit index (NNFI) of 0.956 and a comparative fit index (CFI)
of 0.966 (see Figure 2). For a model to be considered as having a
goodness of fit, it must have a CFI and NNFI of more than 0.90 which is
fulfilled by this model (Bentler and Bonnet, 1980; Bentler, 1989).
Discussion
The outcome of the data analysis support the model hypothesised in
this study. It confirms the contention that job ambiguity leads to a
sense of organisational injustice and low trust. It also shows that
organisational injustice also erodes trust. All these affect POP, with
trust and organisational justice having a negative relationship with POP
and job ambiguity having a positive relationship with POE The finding
also supports the hypothesis that POP is positively related to intention
to quit.
[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]
At the practical level, the finding of this study shows that
organisations need to recognise the role of justice in creating POE For
some organisations, the uncertainties in the environment may limit their
ability to reduce job ambiguity. However, if elements of ambiguity that
can create a sense of injustice can be managed, it can reduce the
perception of politics. This can include minimising conditions where

12. supervisors and managers make conflicting demands on employees, appraise and reward individuals
unfairly because of differences in perceptions
and expectations of the job, or resorting to harsh and abusive treatment
of individuals when differences about the job arise. Developing
processes and human resource management practice that can address these
issues will be important.
Hochwarter et al (1999) argue that the negative consequences of
politics can be reduced by increasing organisational commitment. They
argue that the job tension resulting from a political situation would be
less when employees are committed and involved in their job. The
involvement would enable them to understand the problems faced by the
organisation and the political behaviour that emerged. In other words,
it reduces the ambiguity that can create POP.
However, the findings of two studies they conducted were
inconsistent. In one study they found that POP was positively related to
turnover intention. They also found that increases in commitment tended
to diminish the relationship between POP and turnover intention.
Conclusion
By incorporating the issue of justice as an antecedent of POE this
study hopes to make a small contribution to the understanding of how to
manage organisational politics. Among other things, the finding shows
that the experience of unjust treatment can undermine trust climate.

13. While past studies had shown that trust climate affects POP, these
studies did not examine the antecedents of trust. This study shows that
justice is an important element in developing trust.
Justice, especially procedural justice and interactional justice,
is something that is directly shaped by a manager's behaviour.
Ensuring justice can help foster trust and reduce POE On the other hand,
injustice and the subsequent lack of trust is more likely to erode
cohesiveness. This in turn will more likely lead to political behaviour
and adverse consequences such as a high quit rate among employees.
The author would like to thank Associate Professor Dr June Poon
from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for her assistance in the
statistical analysis.
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Rozhan Othman
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Universiti Putra Malaysia
Table 1: Reliablility Measures of Variables Used
Variables Total items Cronbach Alpha
Perception of Politics 15 0.848
Job Ambiguity 6 0.748
Trust Climate 4 0.705
Justice 24 0.944
Table 2: Person Correlation between Variables
Trust Job
Variables POP Climate Ambiguity Justice
Trust Climate -0.474
(p = 0.000)
JobAmbiguity 0.462 -0.547

19. (p = 0.000) (p = 000)
Justice -0.523 0.641 -0.487
(p = 000) (p = 0.000) (p = 0.000)
Intention to 0.271 -0.224 0.239 -0.325
Quit (p=0.000) (p=0.002) (p=0.001) (p = 0.000)
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