Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-wjfd9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-29T03:52:58.171Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship between networking behavior and promotability: The moderating effect of political skill

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2017

Yin-Mei Huang
Yin-Mei Huang*
Affiliation:
Department of Business Administration, Tunghai University College of Management, Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan
*
Corresponding author: ymhuang@thu.edu.tw
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Networking behaviors toward career and community domains assist individuals in doing their jobs better and advancing their careers. However, few studies investigate and identify how these different types of networking behaviors lead to supervisory promotability evaluations. The current study argues that career- and community-based networking behaviors interact with political skill on promotability. This study surveyed and collected data from 160 financial employees and 103 supervisors working at branches of a large bank in Taiwan. Career-based networking behaviors, particularly maintaining contacts and engaging in professional activities, were found to be positively related to promotability, and political skill strengthened the relationship between community-based networking behaviors and promotability. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of networking behaviors, political skill, and promotability.

Keywords

career-based networking behaviorcommunity-based networking behaviorpromotabilitypolitical skill

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , March 2020 , pp. 185 - 200
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2017

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Becker, T. E. (2005). Potential problems in the statistical control of variables in organizational research: A qualitative analysis with recommendations. Organizational Research Methods, 8, 274–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beehr, T. A., Taber, T. D., & Walsh, J. T. (1980). Perceived mobility channels: Criteria for intraorganizational job mobility. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 26, 250–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bozionelos, N. (2008). Intra-organizational network resources: How they relate to career success and organizational commitment. Personnel Review, 37, 249–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Breland, J. W., Seitz, S. R., Treadway, D. C., Lovelace, K. J., & Gazdag, B. A. (2017). The effect of applicant political skill on the race dissimilarity-recruiter recommendations relationship. Human Resource Management Journal, 27, 350–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brislin, R. (1980). Translation and content analysis of oral and written materials. In Triandis, H. C., & Berry, J. W. (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology: Methodology (pp. 389–444). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Carroll, G. R., & Teo, A. C. (1996). On the social networks of managers. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 421–440.Google Scholar
Chua, R. Y. J., Morris, M. W., & Ingram, P. (2009). Gunxi vs networking: Distinctive configurations of affect- and cognition-based trust in the networks of Chinese vs American managers. Journal of International Business Studies, 40, 490–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claes, R., & Ruiz-Quintanilla, S. A. (1998). Influences of early career experiences, occupational group and national culture on proactive career behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 52, 357–378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dansereau, F., Alutto, J. A., & Yammarino, F. J. (1984). Theory testing in organizational behavior: The variant approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
de Janasz, S. C., Sullivan, S. E., & Whiting, V. (2003). Mentor networks and career success: Lessons for turbulent times. Academy of Management Executive, 17, 78–91.Google Scholar
De Pater, I. E., Van Vianen, A. E. M., Bechtoldt, M. N., & Klehe, U.-C. (2009). Employees’ challenging job experiences and supervisors’ evaluations of promotability. Personnel Psychology, 62, 297–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Vos, A., Clippeleer, I. D., & Dewilde, T. (2009). Proactive career behaviours and career success during the early career. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82, 761–777.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dissanayake, D. M. S. B., Niroshane, W. W. A. E., Nisansala, M. H., Rangani, M. L. D., Samarathunga, S. E. I., Wickramaarachchi, D. N., Nirasha, K., Wickramasinghe, D. N., & Wickramasinghe, W. W. M. E. G. P. M. B. (2015). Cultural comparison in Asian countries: An application of Greet Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. In Proceedings of the 2nd Undergraduate Symposium on Contemporary Management and Theory. Department of Commerce and Financial Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Kelaniya, pp. 211–224.Google Scholar
Ferris, G. R., Hochwarter, W. A., Douglas, C., Blass, F. R., Kolodinsky, R. W., & Treadway, D. C. (2002). Social influence processes in organizations and human resources systems. In Ferris, G. R., & Martocchio, J. J. (Eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (Vol. 21, pp. 65–127). Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferris, G. R., Treadway, D. C., Kolodinsky, R. W., Hochwarter, W. A., Kacmar, C. J., Douglas, C., & Frink, D. D. (2005). Development and validation of the political skill inventory. Journal of Management, 31, 124–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Floyd, T. M. (2014). How they think you got there matters: Attributions about networking behavior and performance, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forret, M. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (2001). Correlates of networking behavior for managerial and professional employees. Group and Organization Management, 26, 283–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forret, M. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (2004). Networking behaviors and career outcomes: Differences for men and women? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 419–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedman, R. A., & Krackhardt, D. (1997). Social capital and career mobility: A structural theory of lower returns on education for Asian employees. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 33, 316–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., & Wormley, W. M. (1990). Effects of race on organizational experience, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 33, 64–86.Google Scholar
Gremmen, I., Akkerman, A., & Benschop, Y. (2013). Does where you stand depend on how you behave? Networking behavior as an alternative explanation for gender differences in network structure. Journal of Management and Organization, 19, 297–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartman, S. J., Griffeth, R. W., Crino, M. D., & Harris, O. J. (1991). Gender-based influences: The promotion recommendation. Sex Roles, 25, 285–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higgins, M. C., & Kram, K. E. (2001). Reconceptualizing mentoring at work: A developmental network perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26, 264–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hitt, M. A., Bierman, L., Shimizu, K., & Kochhar, R. (2001). Direct and moderating effects of human capital on strategy and performance in professional service firms: A resource-based perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 13–28.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (n.d.). The Hofsted Centre. Retrieved from Itim International. http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html.Google Scholar
Huang, Y. M. (2016). Networking behavior: From goal orientation to promotability. Personnel Review, 45, 907–927.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judge, T. A., & Bretz, R. D. Jr. (1994). Political influence behavior and career success. Journal of Management, 20, 43–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kram, K. E. (1988). Mentoring at work: Development relationships in organizational life. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Kram, K. E., & Isabella, L. A. (1985). Mentoring alternatives: The role of peer relationships in career development. Academy of Management Journal, 28, 110–132.Google Scholar
Langford, P. H. (2000). Importance of relationship management for the career success of Australian managers. Australian Journal of Psychology, 52, 163–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lassiter, G. D., Geers, A. L., Munhall, P. J., Ploutz-Snyder, R. J., & Breitenbecher, D. L. (2002). Illusory causation: Why it occurs. Psychological Science, 299–305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levy, D. A., Collins, B. E., & Nail, P. R. (1998). A new model of interpersonal influence characteristics. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 13, 715–733.Google Scholar
Lin, S. C., & Huang, Y. M. (2005). The role of social capital in the relationship between human capital and career mobility: Moderator or mediator? Journal of Intellectual Capital, 6, 191–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, Y., Liu, J., & Wu, L. (2010). Are you willing and able? Roles of motivation, power, and politics in career growth. Journal of Management, 36, 1423–1460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organization. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 24–59.Google Scholar
Macintosh, G., & Krush, M. (2017). Networking behavior and sales performance: Examining potential gender differences. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 25, 160–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCauley, C. D., Ruderman, M. N., Ohlott, P. J., & Morrow, J. E. (1994). Assessing the developmental components of managerial jobs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 544–560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mehra, A., Kilduff, M., & Brass, D. J. (2001). The social networks of high and low self-monitors: Implications for workplace performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46, 121–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michael, J., & Yukl, G. (1993). Managerial level and subunit function as determinants of networking behavior in organizations. Group and Organization Management, 18, 328–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohd Radsi, R., Garavan, T. N., & Ismail, M. (2013). Networking behaviours and managers’ career success in the Malaysian public service: The moderating effect of gender. Personnel Review, 42, 684–703.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ng, T. W., Eby, L. T., Sorensen, K. L., & Feldman, D. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58, 367–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nisbett, R. E., & Ross, L. (1980). Human inference: Strategies and shortcomings of social judgment. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Noe, R. A. (1996). Is career management related to employee development and performance? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17, 119–133.3.0.CO;2-O>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orpen, C. (1996). Dependency as a moderator of the effect of networking behavior on managerial career success. Journal of Psychology, 130, 245–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perrewe, P. L., Zellars, K. L., Ferris, F. R., Rossi, A. M., Kacmar, C. J., & Ralston, D. A. (2004). Neutralizing job stressors: Political skill as an antidote to the dysfunctional consequences of role conflict stressors. Academy of Management Journal, 47, 141–152.Google Scholar
Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and persuasion: Central and peripheral routes to attitude change. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 10, pp. 173–220). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Schmidt, F. L., Hunter, J. E., & Urry, V. W. (1976). Statistical power in criterion-related validation studies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 61, 473–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87, 355–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sturges, J., Conway, N., Guest, D., & Liefooghe, A. (2005). Managing the career deal: The psychological contract as a framework for understanding career management, organizational commitment and work behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 821–838.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taber, B. J., & Blankemeyer, M. (2015). Future work self and career adaptability in the prediction of proactive career behaviors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 20–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, J. A. (2005). Proactive personality and job performance: A social capital perspective. Journal of Applies psychology, 90, 1011–1017.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Treadway, D. C., Hochwarter, W. A., Kacmar, C. J., & Ferris, G. R. (2005). Political will, political skill and political behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 229–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Treadway, D. C., Breland, J. W., Adams, G. L., Duke, A. B., & Williams, L. A. (2010). The interactive effects of political skill and future time perspective on career and community networking behavior. Social Network, 32, 138–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Scotter, J. R., Motowidlo, S. J., & Cross, T. C. (2000). Effects of task performance and contextual performance on systematic rewards. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 526–535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wayne, S. J., & Liden, R. C. (1995). Effects of impression management on performance ratings: A longitudinal study. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 232–260.Google Scholar
Wayne, S. J., Liden, R. C., Kraimer, M. L., & Graf, I. K. (1999). The role of human capital, motivation and supervisor sponsorship in predicting career success. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20, 577–595.3.0.CO;2-0>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weer, C. H., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2017). Managers’ assessments of employees’ organizational career growth opportunities: The role of extra-role performance, work engagement, and perceived organizational commitment. Journal of Career Development. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845317714892.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, R. S., & Walker, J. (1985). Sex differences in performance ratings: A research note. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 58, 331–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolff, H.-G., & Moser, K. (2009). Effects of networking on career success: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 196–206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolff, H.-G., & Moser, K. (2010). Do specific types of networking predict specific mobility outcomes? A two-year prospective study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77, 238–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolff, H.-G., Moser, K., & Grau, A. (2008). Networking: Theoretical foundations and construct validity. In J. Deller (Ed.), Readings in applied organizational behavior from Luneburg symposium (pp. 101–118). Mehring, Germany: Rainer Hapmm.Google Scholar