Political Skill and Its Relevance to Nursing: An Integrative Review

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative analysis of literature for the concept of political skill and relevance to nursing. BACKGROUND: Political skill has been extensively studied in organizational psychology for several decades but limited in the nursing literature. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were literature reviews, primary qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies written in English between 2000 and 2014, with 147 articles being identified. RESULTS: Of 147 articles, 38 met criteria by defining political skill as the ability to effectively understand others at work and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance personal and/or organizational goals. CONCLUSIONS: Political skill influences leadership and an individual’s ability to navigate organizational politics, performance evaluation, interpersonal skills, networking ability, stress level, and social capital in the work environment.

[1]  A. Butler,et al.  The future of nursing. Leading change, advancing health. , 2011, Colorado nurse.

[2]  I. Chow,et al.  The role of supervisor political skill in mentoring: Dual motivational perspectives , 2014 .

[3]  G. R. Ferris,et al.  Leader political support: Reconsidering leader political behavior ☆ , 2013 .

[4]  G. R. Ferris,et al.  Further specification of the leader political skill–leadership effectiveness relationships: Transformational and transactional leader behavior as mediators , 2013 .

[5]  Kristen K. Shanine,et al.  Psychological entitlement and abusive supervision: political skill as a self-regulatory mechanism. , 2013, Health care management review.

[6]  Darren C. Treadway,et al.  Leader Political Skill, Relationship Quality, and Leadership Effectiveness , 2013 .

[7]  Darren C. Treadway,et al.  Politics in Organizations: History, Construct Specification, and Research Directions , 2012 .

[8]  Dwight D. Frink,et al.  The prediction of task and contextual performance by political skill: A meta-analysis and moderator test☆ , 2011 .

[9]  Kenneth J. Harris,et al.  The moderating effects of political skill on the perceived politics–outcome relationships , 2011 .

[10]  G. R. Ferris,et al.  Role of political skill in job performance prediction beyond general mental ability and personality in cross‐sectional and predictive studies. , 2011 .

[11]  Dennis Duchon,et al.  A qualitative study of high‐reputation plant managers: Political skill and successful outcomes , 2009 .

[12]  Kenneth J. Harris,et al.  Got political skill? The impact of justice on the importance of political skill for job performance. , 2009, The Journal of applied psychology.

[13]  Anthony R. Wheeler,et al.  Career Success Implications of Political Skill , 2009, The Journal of social psychology.

[14]  Darren C. Treadway,et al.  The moderating effect of political skill on the demographic dissimilarity — Leader–member exchange quality relationship , 2009 .

[15]  J. Leavitt.  Leaders in health policy: a critical role for nursing. , 2009, Nursing outlook.

[16]  C. Huston.  Preparing nurse leaders for 2020. , 2008, Journal of nursing management.

[17]  G. R. Ferris,et al.  Political skill construct and criterion‐related validation: a two‐study investigation , 2008 .

[18]  Gerald R. Ferris,et al.  The performance evaluation context: Social, emotional, cognitive, political, and relationship components , 2008 .

[19]  Gerald R. Ferris,et al.  Personality, political skill, and job performance , 2008 .

[20]  Darren C. Treadway,et al.  Political skill and influence effectiveness: Testing portions of an expanded Ferris and Judge (1991) model , 2007 .

[21]  S. Pruett-Jones.  WE KNOW IT WHEN WE SEE IT , 2007 .

[22]  Darren C. Treadway,et al.  Political Skill in Organizations , 2007 .

[23]  Jennifer L. Kisamore,et al.  Role conflict and burnout: The direct and moderating effects of political skill and perceived organizational support on burnout dimensions. , 2007 .

[24]  Anthony R. Wheeler,et al.  Attenuating the effects of social stress: the impact of political skill. , 2007, Journal of occupational health psychology.

[25]  G. R. Ferris,et al.  Leader reputation: The role of mentoring, political skill, contextual learning, and adaptation , 2007 .

[26]  H. Laperrière.  Evaluating in political turmoil: nursing challenges in prevention programs. , 2007, Nursing inquiry.

[27]  Beverley French,et al.  Contextual factors influencing research use in nursing. , 2005, Worldviews on evidence-based nursing.

[28]  R. Whittemore,et al.  Analysis of integration in nursing science and practice. , 2005, Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

[29]  Charles J. Kacmar,et al.  Political will, political skill, and political behavior , 2005 .

[30]  Charles J. Kacmar,et al.  Development and Validation of the Political Skill Inventory , 2005 .

[31]  Anthony P. Ammeter,et al.  An examination of leader political skill and its effect on ratings of leader effectiveness , 2004 .

[32]  Darren C. Treadway,et al.  Leader political skill and employee reactions , 2004 .

[33]  L. Christman.  Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing Theory and Application , 2004 .

[34]  Anthony P. Ammeter,et al.  Leader Political Skill and Team Performance , 2004 .

[35]  Barbara W Wright,et al.  Trust and Power in Adults: An Investigation Using Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings , 2004, Nursing science quarterly.

[36]  Kelly L. Zellars,et al.  NEUTRALIZING JOB STRESSORS: POLITICAL SKILL AS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE DYSFUNCTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF ROLE CONFLICT , 2004 .

[37]  Anthony P. Ammeter,et al.  Toward a political theory of leadership , 2002 .

[38]  P. Perrewé,et al.  Do Politics Perceptions Relate to Political Behaviors? Tests of an Implicit Assumption and Expanded Model , 2000 .

[39]  James H. Dulebohn,et al.  Political behaviors as moderators of the perceptions of organizational politics—work outcomes relationships , 1999 .

[40]  Dwight D. Frink,et al.  Perceptions of Organizational Politics: Prediction, Stress-Related Implications, and Outcomes , 1996 .

[41]  Gerald R. Ferris,et al.  Perceptions of Organizational Politics , 1992 .

[42]  Susan M. Reverby,et al.  Ordered to Care: The Dilemma of American Nursing, 1850-1945. , 1988 .

[43]  Henry Mintzberg,et al.  THE ORGANIZATION AS POLITICAL ARENA , 1985 .

[44]  Henry Mintzberg,et al.  Power in and Around Organizations , 1983 .

[45]  Marissa L. Shuffler,et al.  Political skill as an indicator of promotability among multiple rater sources , 2012 .

[46]  Kenneth J. Harris,et al.  The impact of political skill on impression management effectiveness. , 2007, The Journal of applied psychology.

[47]  Jennifer A Moss,et al.  Testing the Relationship between Interpersonal Political Skills, Altruism, Leadership Success and Effectiveness: A Multilevel Model , 2006 .

[48]  K. Davis.  Policy and Politics in Nursing and Health Care , 2002 .

[49]  H. Cooper.  Synthesizing Research: A Guide for Literature Reviews , 1998 .