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Subordinate‐Superior Upward Communication: Power, Politics, and Political Skill
Author(s) -
Kamal Kumar Kunal,
Kumar Mishra Sushanta
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.21814
Subject(s) - politics , situational ethics , perception , trait , power (physics) , affect (linguistics) , social psychology , psychology , political communication , public relations , political science , computer science , communication , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , law , programming language
A multiphase study involving 1,285 respondents was conducted to answer an important yet overlooked question: for a job requiring frequent informal communication with superiors, should an organization focus more on selecting employees with higher trait‐like willingness to communicate or on providing an environment where the flow of communication is easy and aided? We found support for the latter. Further, we observed that subordinates alter their communication behaviors based on the perception of superior's power, politics in the organization, and their own political skills. The study contributes to a better understanding of how situational variables affect subordinate‐superior upward communication. Implications of the study are also discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.