Can Prosocietal Employees Persuade Others to Gain Power to Do the Right Thing?

Résumé fourni par la source

There is a growing recognition of organizational politics' potential for positive impact, especially when aligned with ethical goals. Our research addresses the gap in understanding how political actions can be leveraged for societal benefits, moving beyond the scope of personal or organizational gains. We designed a laboratory task that mirrors the dynamics of organizational politics in situations where organizational actions have a detrimental societal impact. Participants were presented with a choice: either to endorse their groups' self-interested behaviors—that yield financial benefits but harm charities or to reduce these negative consequences by persuading others to grant them power for prosocietal change. We examined the strategies leaders of change used to influence others to gain power, their effectiveness, and how they relate to individual characteristics. Findings revealed that participants’ withdrawal behavior from charities was positively associated with the power motive and Machiavellianism. Votes received were unaffected by political skill, political will, or Machiavellianism but were lower for participants with higher deviations from group withdrawal averages. Argument characteristics, particularly those perceived as rational, emotional, and altruistic, positively influenced votes, while discrepancies between implied and actual benevolence in arguments (“lying”) correlated with Machiavellianism and political skill.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.