The purpose of this study to ascertain if there is any variation in political skill dimensions ((a) social astuteness, (b) interpersonal influence, (c) networking ability and (d) apparent sincerity) exhibited by employees in India’s seven industry sectors. In this study, the Political Skill Inventory (PSI) is used to examine such variations. Five hundred fifty survey respondents are employed in seven sectors viz. automobile, education, finance, fast moving consumer goods, health, information technology and telecom. The results exemplify that statistically significant differences are exhibited in these political skill dimensions by the employees in different industry sectors chosen for this research. Since these differences are reflected on four dimensions of the political skill, this study makes a unique contribution by developing an understanding of individual dimensions of political skill, thus, enabling greater insight into skill enhancement at various levels. Further, this study contributes by furnishing insights on skills useful for practitioners to understand dominance and lack of industry-specific skills within PSI inventory. The implications of this study could be in the areas such as personnel selection, framing skill development tools and programmes, enhancing job performance, achieving organizational goals and improvising organizational culture.

1. Vision
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Variation of Political Skill Dimensions
Across Different Industries
Shivani Tiwari1,2 , Vikas Jain2 and Shafiullah Anis2
Abstract
The purpose of this study to ascertain if there is any variation in political skill dimensions ((a) social astuteness, (b) interpersonal influence,
(c) networking ability and (d) apparent sincerity) exhibited by employees in India’s seven industry sectors. In this study, the Political
Skill Inventory (PSI) is used to examine such variations. Five hundred fifty survey respondents are employed in seven sectors viz.
automobile, education, finance, fast moving consumer goods, health, information technology and telecom. The results exemplify that
statistically significant differences are exhibited in these political skill dimensions by the employees in different industry sectors chosen
for this research. Since these differences are reflected on four dimensions of the political skill, this study makes a unique contribution
by developing an understanding of individual dimensions of political skill, thus, enabling greater insight into skill enhancement at various
levels. Further, this study contributes by furnishing insights on skills useful for practitioners to understand dominance and lack of
industry-specific skills within PSI inventory. The implications of this study could be in the areas such as personnel selection, framing skill
development tools and programmes, enhancing job performance, achieving organizational goals and improvising organizational culture.
Key Words
Political Skill, Organizational Environment, Industry Sector, Political Skill Dimensions, Social Astuteness, Interpersonal Influence,
Networking Ability, Apparent Sincerity
Research Article
1 Jindal Global Business School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India
2 School of Business and Commerce, Glocal University, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Corresponding author:
Shivani Tiwari, School of Business and Commerce, Glocal University, Delhi Yamunotri Marg, State Highway 57, Mirzapur Pole, Saharanpur, Uttar
Pradesh 247121, India.
E-mail: humanresources.st7@gmail.com
Introduction
Various scholars have mapped political skill as a social
competency, which allows the user to gain knowledge of
others at the workplace and use that knowledge situation-
ally to influence others to achieve personal or organiza-
tional goals (Ferris et al., 2005, 2007). An employee with
enhanced political skill performs in a manner that boosts
trust without exposing the ulterior motives (Bai et al.,
2017; Buch et al., 2016; Ferris et al., 2002; Lu & Guy,
2016). Political skill is a social competency that helps the
user negotiate situationally with the environment in achiev-
ing specific goals, building trust within that environment.
It is not surprising that scholars have asserted that political
skill is shaped by the environment (Blickle et al., 2012).
However, the environment within which an organization
pursues its goals also varies across industry sectors
(Martinsons & Martinsons, 1994). Organizations and their
employees work under specific frameworks, regulations,
culture and industry demands. Therefore, they are shaped
by environmental needs such as government regulations,
competition, norms of social interaction within the indus-
try and various job contexts present within the sector (Bing
et al., 2011). In the extant literature, an individual’s compe-
tencies become enhanced in a suitable environment (Tett &
Burnett, 2003). Thus, the literature suggests that different
industry sectors differ in terms of their environment, but
their environment also influences their employees.
Extending this line of argument, we argue that specific
industry environments will be more suitable for a politi-
cally skilled individual. In other words, a particular indus-
try sector requires an employee to display a higher level of
political skill to outshine at work than the other industries
(Blickle et al., 2012). For example, the job of a salesperson
of an automobile showroom begins when a possible cus-
tomer, who already has a desire to buy a vehicle, arrives at
the showroom; on the other hand, a salesperson of a finan-
cial institution has to meet a prospective customer and

2. 2 Vision
convince him/her to invest money in a financial product he/
she is selling. Searching a new prospect is far more chal-
lenging, thus requires more political skill than attending to
a customer who already has a desire to buy the product and
has arrived at the point of sales. Thus, for a similar job in
sales, the requirement of political skill should differ as per
the demands of the industry-type (Bing et al., 2011). In this
study, we wish to test empirically whether there is any sig-
nificant difference in political skill displayed by employees
of different industry sector. Further, we analyse and under-
score dimensions of political skill that are pertinent and
exhibited significantly across the sectors.
This study contributes to the literature as well as prac-
tice in four significant ways. First, there is a dearth of
research on political skill capturing its display across
various industry sectors. Though scholars have looked at
the political skill from multiple viewpoints such as gender
(Shaughnessy et al., 2011), job performance (García-Chas
et al., 2019; Kapoutsis et al., 2011), personal reputation
(Laird et al., 2013), leadership (Ahearn et al., 2004;
Douglas Ammeter, 2004; Shaughnessy et al., 2017),
deception (Clements et al., 2016), job negotiation (Solga
et al., 2015), there remains a paucity in literature for cross-
industry comparison and variation of political skill.
Second, the extant literature has majorly analysed political
skill in its unified form. That is, individual dimensions
of Political Skill Inventory (PSI) ((a) social astuteness,
(b) interpersonal influence, (c) networking ability and
(d) apparent sincerity) are not measured across various
contexts except for a few recent studies (Brouer et al.,
2016; Kaplan, 2008; Liu et al., 2010; McAllister et al.,
2016; Wihler et al., 2014). Since PSI dimensions are useful
skills, a more nuanced understanding will add significantly
to the body of knowledge. Thirdly, this study has its focus
on different industries in India. India has its unique socio-
cultural, regulatory and political dynamics influencing
organizations and employees. Since most of the studies on
political skill are conducted in the Western context (Ferris
et al., 2005, 2007; Kolodinsky et al., 2004; Lvina et al.,
2016; Shaughnessy et al., 2017; Treadway et al., 2004),
this study becomes significant by attending to the call
given by several scholars to expand on the work culture
of Indian industries, which are often found to be socio-
culturally different from their Western counterparts
(Dhawan et al., 1995; Hofstede, 1980; Kwantes, 2009).
Fourth, this study will help practitioners understand the
importance of industry-specific political skill dimensions
to advance job performance, achieve organizational goals
and improvise the organization environment. Since politi-
cal skill can be learned and developed (Ferris et al., 2007),
there is a scope to develop specific tools and processes in
developing political skill in a targeted manner.
This study measures variation of four political skill
dimensions ((a) social astuteness, (b) interpersonal influ-
ence, (c) networking ability and (d) apparent sincerity)
among seven types of industries in India with the help of
the pre-validated 18 items PSI questionnaire, developed
and validated by Ferris et al. (2005). The industries selected
for this research are health, banking and finance, educa-
tion, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), telecom,
information technology (IT) and the automobile industry.
The study is organized as follows. First, a brief yet sub-
stantive literature review starts from the next section, where
we are identifying gaps in the literature and highlight the
significance of the contribution. The literature review con-
cludes with the development of a hypothesis leading to the
methodology section of the research. Results and their
interpretations are shared after the methodology section,
followed by discussion and contribution. In the end, limita-
tions and future research direction are suggested.
Literature Review and Hypothesis
Development
The early use of political skill in the scholarly literature is
found in the works of Pfeffer, who argued for a political
perspective in an organization (Pfeffer, 1981). He advo-
cated the need for the political skill to be one critical skill
in an employee’s success and appealed for developing a
moreinformedunderstandingoftheconstruct.Furthermore,
Mintzberg (1983, 1985) is also credited with identifying
the central role of politics in organizations. He conceptual-
ized that organizations are ‘political arenas’ where one
must be skilful (politically skilled) to win and achieve per-
sonal/organizational goals. With the growing need and
importance of social skills (Douglas Ammeter, 2004) in
a modern organization, it has become more critical for
employees to be politically skilled to fit in the organization
and achieve the desired goals.
Political skill is defined as ‘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 organizational objectives’ (Ahearn et al., 2004,
p. 311). ‘As such, politically skilled individuals combine
social astuteness with the capacity to adjust their behaviour
to different and changing situational demands in a manner
that appears to be sincere, inspires support and trust, and
effectively influences and controls the responses of others’
(Ferris et al., 2005, p. 127). As per the definition, political
skill consists of four specific and significant dimensions:
social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking
ability and apparent sincerity. We briefly define these
dimensions in the next section as understood by scholars.
Social Astuteness
Socially astute or socially intelligent individuals are very
well equipped with the skill of observing and understanding
other people’s behaviour. As per Ferris et al. (2005, p. 129),
‘they are keenly attuned to diverse social situations and
have high self-awareness. Socially astute individuals often
are seen as ingenious, even clever, in dealing with others’.

3. Tiwari et al. 3
Interpersonal Influence
Individuals with interpersonal influence have a modest and
substantial personality and use it to influence others
powerfully. This skill makes them capable of adjusting and
fine-tuning their behaviour according to situations (Ferris
et al., 2005, 2007).
Networking Ability
Individuals with strong networking ability are exceptional
in forming relations with others. They are proficient in
building a vast network of people and use their connections
with the network to obtain desired results (Ferris et al.,
2005).
Apparent Sincerity
Such individuals appear to be honest, genuine and sincere
in whatever they do or say. Their appearance cast a strong
positive impact on others around them (Ferris et al., 2005).
Thus, political skill is a sum of four aforementioned
socially valuable skills.
Individuals who are highly politically skilled are profi-
cient in gaining social awareness of the workplace. They
can read the environment and situation for exactly fine-
tune their behaviour pursuant to the circumstances and
requirements to inspire or influence their acquaintances
around them and to achieve personal or organizational
objectives in such ways that portray them as sincere and
trustworthy (Blickle et al., 2010; Ferris et al., 2007; Kaplan,
2008; Kolodinsky et al., 2007). Since a politically skilled
individual can read and understand others at work, they use
the understanding developed to influence those individuals
who are important in the organization. They use their net-
working ability (a specific dimension of political skill) to
raise interpersonal relationship with them to obtain access
to the essential information (Bing et al., 2011; Blickle
et al., 2009; Brouer et al., 2016; Gentry et al., 2013; Liu
et al., 2007; McAllister et al., 2016) as well as gain favour.
The exhibition of an individual’s political skill is
affected by different job contexts (Blickle et al., 2009) and
is shaped by the environment (Blickle et al., 2012). Thus, it
can be argued that the required skillset (political skill
dimensions) needs to be parallel to the context in which the
organization and the individual works. As suggested by
Kaplan (2008), political skill can be a strong measure of an
individual’s fit within the organizational environment.
Extant literature also indicates a considerable degree of
difference in the environment in which an industry sector
operates in India (Singh, 2009). Such differences across
industry sectors are present due to various reasons. For
instance, one industry’s environment can be different due
to external competition, cultural values, organization goals
within the sector, technology, organizational system and
processes and procedures (Brutus et al., 1998; Singh,
2009). Since the sectors differ significantly, the skills
required to be effective within these sectors may also be
assumed to be different, especially the social skills pos-
sessed or learned by the employees. In light of this argu-
ment, it is reasonable to expect that in various sectors, a
difference can be found in the degree of the exhibition of
political skill and its dimensions by an individual to be a
better fit within that sector.
Another way to look at this argument is from the per-
spective of job performance. An individual’s competencies
must correspond to the job requirement (Blickle et al.,
2009). For a sound understanding of a job, an individual
needs a favourable set of personal characteristics (for
instance, political skill dimensions) and competencies
(Blickle et al., 2011, 2012) complementing the specific
industry norms and standards (Chatman, 1989). This is
because a favourable environment favours a particular job
setting, making a skilled individual more suitable than
others (Blickle et al., 2012). For example, Bing et al. (2011)
observed that political skill significantly varies among dif-
ferent occupations nearly to the extent that an occupation
necessitates the individual to demonstrate the political
skill. Since competencies, personal characteristics and
industry norms and standards influence job performance,
we argue for observation of different levels of political
skill exhibitions for various industry sectors.
From both perspectives, the environmental influence
and the requirements for job performance, as discussed in
the earlier two sections, we conclude that there are strong
reasons to assume that political skill dimensions should
vary across industry sectors. Accordingly, we intend to test
these assumptions on the variations in the practice of polit-
ical skill dimensions across different industry sectors. We
empirically test if there is any difference in the exhibition
of the dimensions of political skill and to what degree these
dimensions vary among various industries’ employees.
We, therefore, develop the following hypothesis:
H0:
The exhibition of political skill dimensions by
employees is the same across the chosen industry
sector.
H1:
The exhibition of political skill dimensions by
employees varies across the chosen industry sector.
This study contributes to the literature and fills the gap in
the following manner. Though the research on political
skill is present on various viewpoints such as gender
(Shaughnessy et al., 2011), job performance (García-Chas
et al., 2019; Kapoutsis et al., 2011), personal reputation
(Laird et al., 2013), leadership (Ahearn et al., 2004;
Douglas Ammeter, 2004; Shaughnessy et al., 2017),
deception (Clements et al., 2016), job negotiation (Solga
et al., 2015), this study is first of its kind where a cross-
industry comparison and variation of political skill is made.
Secondly, this focusses on individual dimensions
of PSI ((a) social astuteness, (b) interpersonal influence,
(c) networking ability and (d) apparent sincerity), thus

4. 4 Vision
enabling a better understanding of individual skills as well
a complex whole. Thirdly, most of the studies on political
skill are conducted in the Western context (Ferris et al.,
2005, 2007; Kolodinsky et al., 2004; Lvina et al., 2016;
Shaughnessy et al., 2017; Treadway et al., 2004), this study
fills the gaps of unique context that India socio-cultural
environment influence (Dhawan et al., 1995; Hofstede,
1980; Kwantes, 2009). Fourth, this study will help aca-
demics and practitioners advance job performance, achieve
organizational goals and improvise the organizational
environment.
Method
Considering India’s core industry sectors’ significance, we
chose automobiles, education, finance, FMCG, health, IT
and telecommunication industries for this study (Singh,
2009). We collected the data from the organizations of the
chosen sectors. Using our networks and contacts within
these organizations’HR personnel, we approached employ-
ees at various levels in the organization (higher, middle and
lower management) to ensure broader representation of
employees. The survey questionnaire was shared with 550
employees selected randomly from the above organization,
both in physical and soft copies. Soft copies were shared
through email. We also informed the respondents briefly
about the research’s general objective and assured them
about the confidentiality and anonymity of the responses
shared. To increase the response rate (RR), we sent a
reminder to those who have not completed the survey.
Finally, we obtained a total number of 471 responses. Eight
responses were unusable and were removed from the data
due to incorrect inputs by the respondents, and thus we had
463 usable responses available for the analysis. According
to Mellahi and Harris (2016, p. 1), ‘Response rate (RR) is
an important dimension in the assessment of the soundness
of a study using a survey method’. A RR of 50% should be
considered ‘good RR’ for General Management and
Human Resource Management (HRM) researches (Mellahi
Harris, 2016). Since our RR was significantly high at
84.2%, we proceeded with analysing the data.
The respondents were 81 females and 382 males. The
mean age was 32.67 years and the standard deviation was
8.21 years. The employees’ education level and position in
the organization are reported for all 463 respondents
(see Table 1).
Measures
Political skill dimensions (social astuteness, interpersonal
influence, networking ability and apparent sincerity) of the
respondents were measured utilizing the 18 items PSI
developed and validated by Ferris et al. (2005) (see
Appendix 1 and Figure 1). We used the 18 items PSI
because the stability of the scale among diverse cultural
groups in non-American cultures is empirically already
validated (Lvina et al., 2012). The questionnaire (PSI) uses
a seven-point Likert-type scale ranging between 1 =
strongly disagree and 7 = strongly agree. Some of the
sample items of the PSI are: ‘I spend a lot of time and effort
at work networking with others’, ‘I am able to make most
people feel comfortable and at ease around me’, ‘I am par-
ticularly good at sensing the motivations and hidden
agendas of others’ and ‘When communicating with others,
I try to be genuine in what I say and do’ and so on.
Table 1. Demographic Details of the Respondents
Automobiles Education Finance FMCG Health IT Telecom Grand Total
Gender Female 9 17 15 4 14 16 6 81
Male 97 43 60 78 37 31 36 382
Age band
(years)
18–25 25 5 12 4 20 13 6 85
26–33 51 26 40 30 17 23 21 208
34–41 17 22 19 24 9 8 12 111
Above 41 13 7 4 24 5 3 3 59
Age Mean age 31.75 34.22 31.07 37.34 31.12 29.51 32.00 32.67
Standard
deviation
7.51 8.26 6.09 9.12 10.89 5.56 6.06 8.21
Education Doctoral 1 17 1 1 4 24
Post graduate 44 29 52 35 15 24 22 221
Graduate 43 10 17 31 19 23 19 162
Diploma 18 4 5 15 13 1 56
Position Top management 6 4 5 4 4 1 24
Middle
management
64 42 53 51 25 25 28 288
Lower
management
36 14 17 27 22 22 13 151
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.
Note: FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods; IT: Information technology.

5. Tiwari et al. 5
Data Analysis
To analyse the difference in various political skill dimen-
sions across industry sectors, we used the analysis of vari-
ance (ANOVA) test and performed post-hoc analysis.
Before conducting these tests, we examined the normality
of the data by calculating skewness and kurtosis. The
normal distribution of data is a basic assumption for this
analysis (Hair et al., 2009). According to Tabachnick and
Fidell (2013), if the sample size is more than 200, noncon-
formity of normality of skewness and kurtosis often do not
cause a considerable deviation. Additionally, Kline (2011)
argued that skewness and kurtosis’s absolute value less than
3 and 10, respectively, is acceptable for the ANOVA test.
We found that skewness and kurtosis values in this study
are within the acceptable range of 3 and 10 (see Table 2).
Further, we checked the z-scores of all the responses,
and there were no potential outliers found in the dataset. We
conducted Levene’s test to examine the homogeneity of
variance among groups. The results indicated that vari-
ances were equal for networking ability (p = .217) and
apparent sincerity (p = .061), but not for social astuteness p
= .002) and interpersonal influence (p = .022). We con-
ducted Welch ANOVA to examine the differences among
the four distinct political skill dimensions (social astute-
ness, interpersonal influence, networking ability and appar-
ent sincerity).WelchANOVAis recommended in conditions
when the assumption of equal variances is not met (Delacre
et al., 2019). For those dimensions, where equality of vari-
ances was not met (i.e., social astuteness and interpersonal
influence), Games–Howell multiple comparison post hoc
tests were conducted (Powers Lopez, 1986). For those
dimensions where equality of variances was met (social
astuteness and interpersonal influence), we ran the Tukey
HSD post hoc test. In this manner, we found the means
which have a statistically significant difference for each
distinct dimension of political skill across the chosen indus-
try sectors. Lastly, we conducted the Eta-Squared test to
determine the magnitude of effect on specific political skill
dimensions across industry sectors.
Results
The results indicated statistically significant differences
between groups, as determined by Welch ANOVA test
((social astuteness, F(6,174.96) = 5.175, p = .000), (inter-
personal influence, F(6,179.29) = 6.063, p = .000), (net-
working ability, F(6,174.83) = 3.442, p = .003), (apparent
sincerity, F(6,179.05) = 5.28, p = .000)) (see Table 3). These
results suggest that exhibition of political skill by the
incumbents varies among different industry sectors (H1).
The results of Games–Howell test (p .05) indicated
significant differences between some groups for social
astuteness: automobiles and education (MD = 0.43,
p = .046), automobile and finance (MD = 0.48, p = .016),
automobile and IT (MD = 0.65, p = .003), finance and
telecom (MD = −0.56, p = .028) and IT and telecom (MD =
−0.72, p = .005) (see Table 4a). These results suggest that
incumbents working in the automobile sector exhibit social
astuteness more than the education, finance and IT sectors.
Table 2. Skewness and Kurtosis Statistics for Normality of Data
Items
Minimum Maximum Mean
Standard
Deviation Skewness Kurtosis
Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Std Error Statistic
Standard
Error
Q1 1 7 4.91 1.573 −0.567 0.113 –0.244 0.226
Q2 1 7 5.7 1.242 −1.271 0.113 1.927 0.226
Q3 1 7 5.78 1.196 −1.207 0.113 1.731 0.226
Q4 1 7 5.67 1.16 −1.112 0.113 1.537 0.226
Q5 1 7 5.52 1.195 −0.903 0.113 1.047 0.226
Q6 1 7 5.48 1.265 −0.756 0.113 0.291 0.226
Q7 1 7 5.4 1.227 −0.808 0.113 0.59 0.226
Q8 1 7 5.86 1.113 −1.45 0.113 3.037 0.226
Q9 1 7 5.52 1.225 −0.982 0.113 1.134 0.226
Q10 1 7 5.65 1.173 −1.015 0.113 1.229 0.226
Q11 1 7 5.19 1.449 −0.78 0.113 0.274 0.226
Q12 1 7 5.44 1.25 −0.775 0.113 0.545 0.226
Q13 1 7 5.81 1.174 −1.275 0.113 1.909 0.226
Q14 1 7 5.5 1.257 −1.22 0.113 1.827 0.226
Q15 1 7 5.5 1.337 −1.069 0.113 1.122 0.226
Q16 1 7 5.54 1.165 −1.029 0.113 1.388 0.226
Q17 1 7 5.42 1.224 −1.026 0.113 1.353 0.226
Q18 1 7 5.59 1.297 −1.184 0.113 1.392 0.226
Valid N (listwise) = 463
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.

6. 6 Vision
Table 3. Results of the Welch ANOVA Test for Political Skill Dimensions Among Different Industries
Welch Test of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Social astuteness 5.175 6 174.96 0.000
Interpersonal influence 6.063 6 179.29 0.000
Networking ability 3.442 6 174.83 0.003
Apparent sincerity 5.28 6 179.05 0.000
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.
Note: aAsymptotically F distributed.
Table 4a. Games–Howell Multiple Comparisons Test for the Social Astuteness Dimension of the Political Skill Among Industry
Sectors
Automobiles Education Finance FMCG Health IT Telecom
Automobiles 0.046** 0.016** 0.665 0.960 0.003* 0.998
Education 1.000 0.775 0.698 0.913 0.063
Finance .572 0.513 0.975 .028**
FMCG 1.000 0.164 0.592
Health 0.155 0.885
IT 0.005*
Telecom
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.
Notes: FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods; IT: Information technology.
*Significant at p .01.
**Significant at p .05.
Table 4b. Games–Howell Multiple Comparisons Test for the Interpersonal Influence Dimension of the Political Skill Among Indus-
try Sectors
Automobiles Education Finance FMCG Health IT Telecom
Automobiles 0.142 0.437 0.278 0.850 0.071 0.233
Education 0.999 0.999 0.971 0.982 0.001*
Finance 1.000 0.999 0.886 0.005*
FMCG 0.998 0.895 0.001*
Health 0.722 0.057
IT 0.001*
Telecom
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.
Notes: FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods; IT: Information technology.
*Significant at p .01.
Similarly, telecom sector’s employees exhibit social astute-
ness more than employees of the finance and IT sector.
The results of Games–Howell test (p .05) indicated
significant differences between some groups for interper-
sonal influence: education and telecom (MD = −0.67,
p = .001), finance and telecom (MD = −0.58, p =.005),
FMCG and telecom (MD = −0.60, p =.001) and IT and
telecom (MD = −0.84, p = .001) (see Table 4b). These
results suggest that demonstration of interpersonal influ-
ence in telecom sector is higher than in education, finance,
FMCG and IT sectors.
The results of Tukey HSD multiple comparison test
(p .05) indicated significant differences between some
groups for networking ability: automobiles and education
(MD = 0.55, p = .01), automobiles and IT (MD = 0.51, p =
.048), education and telecom (MD = −0.66, p = .016) and IT
and telecom (MD = −0.62, p = .049) (see Table 5a) which
suggest that networking ability is more required in automo-
biles and telecom sectors than in education and IT sectors.
The results of Tukey HSD multiple comparison test
(p .05) indicated significant differences between some
groups for apparent sincerity: automobiles and finance
(MD = 0.48, p = .015), automobiles and IT (MD = 0.64,
p = .003), finance and telecom (MD = −0.69, p =.003) and
IT and telecom (MD = −0.85, p = .001) (see Table 5b).
These results imply that automobiles and telecom sectors’

7. Tiwari et al. 7
Table 5a. Tukey HSD Multiple Comparisons Test for the Networking Ability Dimension of the Political Skill Among Industry Sectors
Automobiles Education Finance FMCG Health IT Telecom
Automobiles 0.010* 0.930 0.996 0.998 0.048** 0.997
Education 0.251 0.083 0.178 1.000 0.016**
Finance 0.999 1.000 0.471 0.789
FMCG 1.000 0.220 0.942
Health 0.346 0.959
IT 0.049**
Telecom
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.
Notes: FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods; IT: Information technology.
*Significant at p .01.
**Significant at p .05.
Table 5b. Tukey HSD Multiple Comparisons Test for the Apparent Sincerity Dimension of the Political Skill Among Industry Sectors
Automobiles Education Finance FMCG Health IT Telecom
Automobiles 0.863 0.015** 0.891 0.893 0.003* 0.874
Education 0.589 1.000 1.000 0.198 0.321
Finance 0.376 0.721 0.972 0.003*
FMCG 1.000 0.096 0.333
Health 0.292 0.303
IT 0.001*
Telecom
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.
Notes: FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods; IT: Information technology.
*Significant at p .01.
**Significant at p .05.
employees demonstrate apparent sincerity higher than
finance and IT sectors. The post hoc comparison test
results, in particular, suggest that political skill and its dis-
tinct dimensions are high in the automobiles and telecom
sector than in any other sector.
Finally, we measured the Eta squared values for each
distinct dimension of political skill (social astuteness (η2 =
0.063), interpersonal influence (η2 = 0.053), networking
ability (η2 = 0.046) and apparent sincerity (η2 = 0.061)).
These results suggest that the industry sectors have the
most effect on the social astuteness dimension, followed by
the apparent sincerity, interpersonal influence and at last,
networking ability (see Table 6).
Overall, this study results imply that the demonstration
of political skill dimensions is industry-wise different,
and industry sectors differently affect political skill
dimensions. These differences in the exhibition of political
skill dimensions among industry sectors are possibly due
to other business environments, organizational systems,
processes and procedures, cultural values, competitiveness
and regulations.
Discussion, Contributions and
Practical Implications
This study attempts to respond to the appeal made by
Blickle et al. (2012) for investigating specific dimensions
of political skill. The existing literature supports the influ-
ence of the environment on political skill (Blickle et al.,
2012), and industry sectors could moderate the exhibition
of political skill (Bing et al., 2011). This study suggests
that industry sectors support the heterogeneity in the
Table 6. Eta Squared to Measure Magnitude of Effect of Industry Sectors on Distinct Dimensions of Political Skill
Political Skill Dimensions R R2 h h2
Social astuteness −0.036 0.001 0.251 0.063
Interpersonal influence −0.008 0.000 0.231 0.053
Networking ability −0.001 0.000 0.215 0.046
Apparent sincerity −0.038 0.001 0.247 0.061
Source: Authors' calculation and analysis.

8. 8 Vision
Figure 1. Political Skill Inventory and Its Distinct Dimensions with Items
Source: Ferris et al. (2005).
incumbent’s display of political skill. In this context, it has
been noted that prior studies examined political skill from
various perspectives (e.g., job performance, job context,
team efficacy, different occupations). The theoretical and
empirical understanding of its demonstration in distinct
environments of different industry sectors were over-
looked. Also, albeit political skill consists of its four par-
ticular dimensions, which are valuable and individual skills
in themselves, the existing literature has majorly analysed
political skill in its combined form except for few studies
(Brouer et al., 2016; Kaplan, 2008; Liu et al., 2010;
McAllister et al., 2016; Wihler et al., 2014). These gaps
have been particularly noticed in this study. In this study,
we studied whether industry sectors’ environment influ-
ences the demonstration of an incumbent’s political skill
dimensions. We found that there is variation in the demon-
stration of political skill dimensions under different envi-
ronments of different industry sectors. In other words, it
can be argued that the demonstration of individuals’ politi-
cal skill dimensions is aligned with the industry where they
work, and the results of this study confirm this argument.
However, in some industry sectors, similarities were also
found in the exhibition of distinct dimensions of political
skill (e.g., there is no statistically significant difference in
the presentation of social astuteness dimension between
automobile and telecom sectors).
Building on the previous studies on political skill and its
distinct dimensions, this study contributes to existing lit-
erature and practice. Previous research on political skill
almost entirely studied the composite construct, overlook-
ing its individual dimensions’ possible distinct operation,
albeit different political skill dimensions represent related
but autonomous perceptions (McAllister et al., 2016).
Moreover, while previous research focused on understand-
ing political skill outcomes on individuals and organiza-
tions, its cross-industry comparison and variation were still
lacking. This study, therefore, by addressing these gaps,
adds a more nuanced understanding significantly to the
body of existing knowledge. Besides, previous studies are
mostly conducted in the Western work culture (Ferris et al.,
2005, 2007; Kolodinsky et al., 2004; Lvina et al., 2016;
Shaughnessy et al., 2017; Treadway et al., 2004), whereas
this study focuses on different industry sectors in India.
India has its unique socio-cultural environment (Kumra
et al., 2016). Regulatory and political dynamics influenc-
ing organizations and employees and Indian industry
sectors are often socio-culturally different from their
Western counterparts (Dhawan et al., 1995; Hofstede,
1980; Kwantes, 2009).
This study also supports the theory of trait activation,
which suggests that situational cues (e.g., organizational
culture, environment, policies) moderate the expression of
one’s competencies (Tett Burnett, 2003; Tett
Guterman, 2000). Different industry sectors contain differ-
ent environments for the demonstration of political skill.
Understanding the difference in political skill dimensions
among various industry sectors can help advance job per-
formance, achieve organizational goals and improvise the

9. Tiwari et al. 9
organizational environment. Developing need-based train-
ing programmes for employees may enhance employees’
political skill since political skill can be learned and devel-
oped (Ferris et al., 2007). Evaluations of political skill
dimensions may also be implemented in deciding person-
nel selection in line with the industry requirements by
matching the personal characteristics (political skill dimen-
sions) of the individual with the industry sector.
Limitations, Strengths and
Direction for Future Research
This study conducted survey research, and most of the
responses were collected from the Northern part of India.
Due to the cultural diversity of India, investigations from
other parts of the country may be crucial. While the previ-
ous research primarily focused on political skill at an
aggregate level, this study concentrated on distinct politi-
cal skill dimensions. By this means, this study is a substan-
tial value addition to the extant knowledge on the political
skill’s specific dimension.
Blickle et al. (2009) has suggested that the particular job
context might affect political skill. Further, Bing et al.
(2011) argued that the relationship between political skill
and task performance significantly varies among different
occupations. The future research direction could be
researching political skill dimensions for different func-
tions (HR, finance, marketing, RD, etc.) in an industry
sector. For instance, how the individuals exert their politi-
cally skilled responses to advance job performance.
Conclusion
As appealed by Blickle et al. (2012) that future researches
should investigate the specific dimensions of political skill.
This study aimed to identify and evaluate differences in
demonstrating distinct political skill dimensions by the
employees in the seven different industry sectors in India.
Based on the quantitative analysis of the demonstration of
specific political skill dimensions among different industry
sectors in India, this study concluded that political skill
dimensions vary among various industry sectors. Since
political skill and its four dimensions are mostly researched
in the Western context, this study on political skill in the
Indian context contributes to the existing literature. The
future study may address the impact of different functions
(e.g., HR, marketing, finance, RD, etc.) on the exhibition
of political skill and its distinct dimensions. Hopefully, this
investigation will help scholars develop an interest in
further research on political skill and its dimensions in the
Indian context.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, author-
ship and/or publication of this article.
ORCID iD
Shivani Tiwari https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0498-3406
Appendix 1
Political Skill Inventory (PSI)
Questionnaire Developed by
Gerald R. Ferris
NA = Networking Ability; II = Interpersonal Influence; SA
= Social Astuteness; AS = Apparent Sincerity.
Instructions: Using the following 7-point scale, please
place the number on the blank before each item that best
describes how much you agree with each statement about
yourself.
1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree
3 = slightly disagree 4 = neutral
5 = slightly agree 6 = agree
7 = strongly agree
1. I spend a lot of time and effort at work networking
with others. (NA)
2. I am able to make most people feel comfortable and
at ease around me. (II)
3. I am able to communicate easily and effectively
with others. (II)
4. It is easy for me to develop good rapport with most
people. (II)
5. I understand people very well. (SA)
6. I am good at building relationships with influential
people at work. (NA)
7. I am particularly good at sensing the motivations
and hidden agendas of others. (SA)
8. When communicating with others, I try to be genu-
ine in what I say and do. (AS)
9. I have developed a large network of colleagues and
associates at work whom I can call on for support
when I really need to get things done. (NA)
10. At work, I know a lot of important people and am
well connected. (NA)
11. I spend a lot of time at work developing connections
with others. (NA)
12. I am good at getting people to like me. (II)
13. It is important that people believe I am sincere in
what I say and do. (AS)
14. I try to show a genuine interest in other people. (AS)
15. I am good at using my connections and network to
make things happen at work. (NA)

10. 10 Vision
16. I have good intuition or savvy about how to present
myself to others. (SA)
17. I always seem to instinctively know the right things
to say or do to influence others. (SA)
18. I pay close attention to people’s facial expressions.
(SA)
Source: Ferris et al. (2005).
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About the Authors
Shivani Tiwari (humanresources.st7@gmail.com) is
a research scholar at Jindal Global Business School, O.P.
Jindal Global University and is also associated with the
School of Business and Commerce, Glocal University,
India as an Assistant Professor of human resources man-
agement. She holds her master’s degree in HRM. She has a
diverse work experience as well in some prestigious organ-
izations in the finance and manufacturing sectors at differ-
ent levels. Her areas of specialization and research interests
are organizational behaviour, theories and practices of
HRM, industrial relations and Labour Laws.
Vikas Jain (vikas270880@gmail.com) is a postgraduate in
HRM and presently associated as a Deputy Registrar with
Glocal University, Uttar Pradesh, India. Besides his experi-
ence in the education sector, he also has considerable expe-
rience in working with some renowned corporates in India

12. 12 Vision
at the middle management level. His research interests are
theories and applied approaches to organizational behav-
iour, HRM theories, social science theories and organiza-
tional development.
Shafiullah Anis (shafiullahanis@gmail.com) is an assis-
tant professor of marketing at Glocal University in India.
Prior to joining academics, he has worked with top
international brands at the middle management level in
India and Africa, after pursuing an MBA from IIM
Lucknow. His research interests include theoretical and
methodological issues in critical transformative consumer
research and consumer culture theory. His publications
have appeared in the Journal of India Business Research.
He is also a research pathway scholar at Monash University
Malaysia.