Dark, smoke-filled room: Politics in organizations, revisiting the past and envisioning the future
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17575/psicologia.v34i1.1478Keywords:
Politics, political behavior, political influence, organizational behaviorAbstract
Politics is, admittedly, a relevant component of the organizational life and dynamics that, acting in a more open or concealed manner, can have a profound, constructive or harmful impact on organizational behavior. Tracing a path that encompasses the last four decades of theoretical and empirical developments of politics in organizations, this literature review intends to draw a complete and comprehensive overview of this area. To that end, besides discussing the (in)definitions of the various concepts, theoretical perspectives and streams of research, a set of questions and proposals is raised, to provide grounds for reflecting and that, attending to the present gaps of knowledge, set new agendas for future research. We hope, with this article, to reenergize an area that has registered little interest in Portugal, as well as stimulate new theoretical and empirical developments regarding politics in organizations.
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