International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12
line decor
  
line decor

 Volume 7, Issue 3 (March 2020), Pages: 75-88

----------------------------------------------

 Review Paper

 Title: The buffering role of political skill on the relationship of interpersonal conflict and project performance through negative emotion as a mediator

 Author(s): Sami Salem Alzahrani *

 Affiliation(s):

 Department of Business Administration, Arab east College, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

  Full Text - PDF          XML

 * Corresponding Author. 

  Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2476-0069

 Digital Object Identifier: 

 https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2020.03.009

 Abstract:

The purpose of this research is to study the moderating role of political skills on the association of Interpersonal conflict and Project performance. This paper conducted a quantitative study to measure the moderating role of political skills. Past researches recognized that conflict is a vibrant aspect to lessen project performance through budget overrun. Negative emotions provoked by interpersonal/social conflict have a negative influence on project performance. The influence of interpersonal conflict on project performance by Lessing the dysfunctional outcome is the most emphasized part of this research. In the previous studies, the contingency approach was used to inspect the interpersonal conflict. This research was conducted in the defense industry of Saudi Arabia for the first time. Data was collected from project managers and project members. Hypotheses were tested with 280 samples and process macro was used to test the moderated mediated relation. A survey revealed that political skill does not act as a moderator. Furthermore, findings revealed that there exists a full mediation. Negative emotion mediates the relationship between negative emotion and project performance. This study would be a great step to strengthen the existing literature and will also help to increase knowledge in the prevailing literature. The research was on a small scale and data was conducted from small numbers of respondents. Moreover, research should be conducted to identify the reasons why a political skill does not exist as a moderator in the defense industry. Further, the analysis should be done to identify the other factors which make the project successful even in the presence of interpersonal conflict. When a political skill is not acting as a moderator then what are other factors that could act as a moderator to increase project performance should be catered in the future. 

 © 2020 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords: Political skill, Interpersonal skill, Negative emotions, Project performance

 Article History: Received 14 September 2019, Received in revised form 29 December 2019, Accepted 3 January 2020

 Acknowledgment:

No Acknowledgment.

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

 Citation:

 Alzahrani SS (2020). The buffering role of political skill on the relationship of interpersonal conflict and project performance through negative emotion as a mediator. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 7(3): 75-88

 Permanent Link to this page

 Figures

 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 

 Tables

 Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Table 7 Table 8 

----------------------------------------------

 References (73) 

  1. Almusdy AA (2007). Factors for selection of strategies to confront conflict. Scientific Journal of Economics and Trade, 1(1): 1-55.   [Google Scholar]
  2. Al-Sibai EZ and Alashwal AM (2014). A perspective on conflict and performance of international construction projects. Journal of Surveying, Construction and Property, 5(2): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.22452/jscp.vol5no2.3   [Google Scholar]
  3. Amason AC and Mooney AC (1999). The effects of past performance on top management team conflict in strategic decision making. International Journal of Conflict Management, 10(4): 340-359. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb022829   [Google Scholar]
  4. Barker LL, Kathy JW, Watson KW, and Kibler RJ (1987). Groups in process: An introduction to small group communication. 3rd Edition, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  5. Barki H and Hartwick J (2004). Conceptualizing the construct of interpersonal conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 15(3): 216-244. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb022913   [Google Scholar]
  6. Beheshtifar M and Zare E (2013). Interpersonal conflict: A substantial factor to organizational failure. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 3(5): 400-407. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v3-i7/6   [Google Scholar]
  7. Blickle G, Oerder K, and Summers JK (2010). The impact of political skill on career success of employees' representatives. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(3): 383-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.05.007   [Google Scholar]
  8. Bolger N, DeLongis A, Kessler RC, and Schilling EA (1989). Effects of daily stress on negative mood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(5): 808-818. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.5.808   [Google Scholar] PMid:2810026
  9. Brockman JL (2014). Interpersonal conflict in construction: Cost, cause, and consequence. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 140(2). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000805   [Google Scholar]
  10. Bruk-Lee V and Spector PE (2006). The social stressors-counterproductive work behaviors link: Are conflicts with supervisors and coworkers the same? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11(2): 145-156. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.11.2.145   [Google Scholar] PMid:16649848
  11. Bryde DJ (2003). Project management concepts, methods and application. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 23(7): 775-793. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570310481559   [Google Scholar]
  12. Callanan GA, Benzing CD, and Perri DF (2006). Choice of conflict-handling strategy: A matter of context. The Journal of Psychology, 140(3): 269-288. https://doi.org/10.3200/JRLP.140.3.269-288   [Google Scholar] PMid:16916079
  13. Cassum LA (2014). Verbal violence at workplace: A reality from Pakistani context. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 4(8): 20-25. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v4n8p20   [Google Scholar]
  14. Chen XH, Zhao K, Liu X, and Dash Wu D (2012). Improving employees' job satisfaction and innovation performance using conflict management. International Journal of Conflict Management, 23(2): 151-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/10444061211218276   [Google Scholar]
  15. Cooke-Davies T (2002). The “real” success factors on projects. International Journal of Project Management, 20(3): 185-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(01)00067-9   [Google Scholar]
  16. De Dreu CK and Weingart LR (2003). Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4): 741-749. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.4.741   [Google Scholar] PMid:12940412
  17. Ferris GR, Treadway DC, Kolodinsky RW, Hochwarter WA, Kacmar CJ, Douglas C, and Frink DD (2005). Development and validation of the political skill inventory. Journal of Management, 31(1): 126-152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206304271386   [Google Scholar]
  18. Ferris GR, Treadway DC, Perrewé PL, Brouer RL, Douglas C, and Lux S (2007). Political skill in organizations. Journal of Management, 33(3): 290-320. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307300813   [Google Scholar]
  19. Fredrickson BL (2003). Positive emotions and upward spirals in organizations. Positive Organizational Scholarship, 3: 163-175.   [Google Scholar]
  20. Ghadamsi A and Braimah N (2000). The influence of procurement methods on project performance: A conceptual framework. In: Thurairajah N (Ed.), Management of construction: Research to practice (MCRP) Conference Proceedings: 860-871. Volume 2, Birmingham City University, UK.   [Google Scholar]
  21. Gitau BW (2016). Effects of conflicts on project performance in government institutions in Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business and Change Management, 3(3): 144–153.   [Google Scholar]
  22. Guzzo RA and Shea GP (1992). Group performance and intergroup relations in organizations. In: Dunnette MD and Hough LM (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology: 269-313. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  23. Hahn SE (2000). The effects of locus of control on daily exposure, coping and reactivity to work interpersonal stressors: A diary study. Personality and Individual Differences, 29(4): 729-748. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00228-7   [Google Scholar]
  24. Hammond KR (1965). New directions in research on conflict resolution. Journal of Social Issues, 21(3): 44-66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1965.tb00505.x   [Google Scholar]
  25. Henderson JC and Lee S (1992). Managing I/S design teams: A control theories perspective. Management Science, 38(6): 757-777. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.38.6.757   [Google Scholar]
  26. Huang JC (2012). The relationship between conflict and team performance in Taiwan: The moderating effect of goal orientation. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(10): 2126-2143. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2012.664961   [Google Scholar]
  27. Jehn KA (1995). A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2): 256-282. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393638   [Google Scholar]
  28. Jiang JY, Zhang X, and Tjosvold D (2013). Emotion regulation as a boundary condition of the relationship between team conflict and performance: A multi‐level examination. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(5): 714-734. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1834   [Google Scholar]
  29. Kissi J, Dainty A, and Tuuli M (2013). Examining the role of transformational leadership of portfolio managers in project performance. International Journal of Project Management, 31(4): 485-497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.09.004   [Google Scholar]
  30. Kline DF (2004). Beyond significance testing: Reforming data analysis methods in behavioral research. American Psychological Association, Washington, USA. https://doi.org/10.1037/10693-000   [Google Scholar]
  31. Kumar R (2011). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. 3rd Edition, SAGE Publications Ltd., Thousand Oaks, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  32. Lau RS and Cobb A (2010). Understanding the connection between relationship conflict and performance: The intervening roles of trust and exchange. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31: 898-917. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.674   [Google Scholar]
  33. Lawless J and Trif A (2016). Managing interpersonal conflicts at work by line managers. The Irish Journal of Management, 35(1): 74-87. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijm-2016-0005   [Google Scholar]
  34. Le Pine J, Piccolo R, and Jackson C (2008). A meta analysis of teamwork processes: Tests of a multidimensional model and relationships with team effectiveness criteria. Journal of Personal Psychology, 61: 273-307. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.00114.x   [Google Scholar]
  35. Levine JM, Resnick LB, and Higgins ET (1993). Social foundations of cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 44(1): 585-612. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.44.020193.003101   [Google Scholar] PMid:8434897
  36. Lin WL, Tsai PH, Lin HY, and Chen HC (2014). How does emotion influence different creative performances? The mediating role of cognitive flexibility. Cognition and Emotion, 28(5): 834-844. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2013.854195   [Google Scholar] PMid:24237485
  37. Martins LL, Schilpzand MC, Kirkman BL, Ivanaj S, and Ivanaj V (2013). A contingency view of the effects of cognitive diversity on team performance: The moderating roles of team psychological safety and relationship conflict. Small Group Research, 44(2): 96-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496412466921   [Google Scholar]
  38. Mattar JW (2018). The difference in emotional intelligence in relation to levels of maltreatment of Jordanian secondary school students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 23(1): 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2017.1292926   [Google Scholar]
  39. Maylor H (2001). Beyond the Gantt chart: Project management moving on. European Management Journal, 19(1): 92-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-2373(00)00074-8   [Google Scholar]
  40. Meisler G (2014). Exploring emotional intelligence, political skill, and job satisfaction. Employee Relations, 36(3): 280-293. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2013-0021   [Google Scholar]
  41. Mintzberg H (1985). The organization as political arena. Journal of Management Studies, 22(2): 133-154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1985.tb00069.x   [Google Scholar]
  42. Mintzberg H and Mintzberg H (1983). Power in and around organizations. Volume 142, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  43. Mulki JP, Jaramillo F, Goad EA, and Pesquera MR (2015). Regulation of emotions, interpersonal conflict, and job performance for salespeople. Journal of Business Research, 68(3): 623-630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.08.009   [Google Scholar]
  44. Nasir M and Bashir A (2012). Examining workplace deviance in public sector organizations of Pakistan. International Journal of Social Economics, 39(4): 240-253. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068291211205677   [Google Scholar]
  45. Ortony A, Clore GL, and Collins A (1990). The cognitive structure of emotions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.   [Google Scholar]
  46. Parkinson B (1995). Ideas and realities of emotion. Routledge, London, UK.   [Google Scholar]
  47. Pelled HL (1996). Relational demography and perceptions of group conflict and performance: A field investigation. International Journal of Conflict Management, 7(3): 230-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb022783   [Google Scholar]
  48. Perrewé PL, Zellars KL, Rossi AM, Ferris GR, Kacmar CJ, Liu Y, and Hochwarter WA (2005). Political skill: An antidote in the role overload–strain relationship. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(3): 239-250. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.3.239   [Google Scholar] PMid:16060727
  49. Peslak AR (2005). Emotions and team projects and processes. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 11(7/8): 251-262. https://doi.org/10.1108/13527590510635143   [Google Scholar]
  50. Preacher KJ, Rucker DD, and Hayes AF (2007). Addressing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42(1): 185-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273170701341316   [Google Scholar] PMid:26821081
  51. Rahim AM (2002). Toward a theory of managing organizational conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 13(3): 206-235. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb022874   [Google Scholar]
  52. Roseman IJ, Wiest C, and Swartz TS (1994). Phenomenology, behaviors, and goals differentiate discrete emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(2): 206-221. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.2.206   [Google Scholar]
  53. Sasidhar B, Gupta JM, Alghanum S, and Al-Hamali RM (2012). Organizational conflicts in India and Saudi Arabia. In the International Conference on Innovation and Information Management (ICIIM 2012), IACSIT Press, Singapore, Singapore, 36: 319-323.   [Google Scholar]
  54. Saunders M, Lewis P, and Thornhill A (2009). Research Methods for Business Students. 5th Edition, Pearson Education Limited, London, UK.   [Google Scholar]
  55. Schulz-Hardt S, Jochims M, and Frey D (2002). Productive conflict in group decision making: Genuine and contrived dissent as strategies to counteract biased information seeking. Journal of organizational Behavior, 88(2): 563-586. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00001-8   [Google Scholar]
  56. Senaratne S and Udawatta N (2013). Managing intragroup conflicts in construction project teams: Case studies in Sri Lanka. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 9(3): 158-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/17452007.2012.738041   [Google Scholar]
  57. Seo MG, Bartunek JM, and Barrett LF (2010). The role of affective experience in work motivation: Test of a conceptual model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(7): 951-968.   [Google Scholar]
  58. Slocum JW and Hellriegel D (2009). Principles of organizational behavior. South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  59. Smith CS and Sulsky L (1995). An investigation of job-related coping strategies across multiple stressors and samples. In: Murphy LR, Hurrell JJ, Sauter SL, and Keita GP (Ed.), Job stress interventions. American Psychological Association, Washington, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  60. Sunindijo RY, Hadikusumo BH, and Ogunlana S (2007). Emotional intelligence and leadership styles in construction project management. Journal of Management in Engineering, 23(4): 166-170. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2007)23:4(166)   [Google Scholar]
  61. Tajfel H and Turner JC (1985). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In: Worchel S and Austin WG (Eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations: 7-24. 2nd Edition, Nelson-Hall, Chicago, USA.   [Google Scholar]
  62. Takim R, Akintoye A, and Kelly J (2003). Performance measurement systems in construction. In the 19th Annual ARCOM Conference, Association of Researchers in Construction Management, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, 1: 423-432.   [Google Scholar]
  63. Todorova G, Bear JB, and Weingart LR (2014). Can conflict be energizing? A study of task conflict, positive emotions, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(3): 451-467. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035134   [Google Scholar] PMid:24295533
  64. Turner JC and Haslam A (2001). Social identity, organizations and leadership. In: Turner ME (Ed.), Groups at work: Advances in theory and research: 25-65. Blackwell's Retail Company, Oxford, UK.   [Google Scholar]
  65. Van Katwyk PT, Fox S, Spector PE, and Kelloway EK (2000). Using the job-related affective well-being scale (JAWS) to investigate affective responses to work stressors. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(2): 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.2.219   [Google Scholar] PMid:10784286
  66. Walton EJ and Dawson S (2001). Managers’ perceptions of criteria of organizational effectiveness. Journal of Management Studies, 38(2): 173-200. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00233   [Google Scholar]
  67. Wells A and Matthews G (1994). Attention and emotion: A clinical perspective. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hove, UK.   [Google Scholar]
  68. Wit DFR, Greer LL, and Jehn KA (2012). The paradox of intragroup conflict: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2): 360-390. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024844   [Google Scholar] PMid:21842974
  69. Yang LR, Chen JH, and Wang XL (2015). Assessing the effect of requirement definition and management on performance outcomes: Role of interpersonal conflict, product advantage and project type. International Journal of Project Management, 33(1): 67-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2014.02.012   [Google Scholar]
  70. Yildiz DG and Bumen NT (2013). Effects of cooperative learning and conflict resolution training integrated into curriculum on academic achievement, social problem solving skill. Turkish Journal of Education, 2(4): 28-43.   [Google Scholar]
  71. Zakari NM, Al Khamis NI, and Hamadi HY (2010). Conflict and professionalism: Perceptions among nurses in Saudi Arabia. International Nursing Review, 57(3): 297-304. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2009.00764.x   [Google Scholar] PMid:20796058
  72. Zhang L (2015). The impact of interpersonal conflict on construction project performance. International Journal of Conflict Management, 26(4): 479-498. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-09-2014-0072   [Google Scholar]
  73. Zhang L and Huo X (2015). The impact of interpersonal conflict on construction project performance: A moderated mediation study from China. International Journal of Conflict Management, 26(4): 479-498. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-09-2014-0072   [Google Scholar]