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Political Skill at Work: Impact on Work Effectiveness Authors: Gerald R. Ferris, Sherry L. Davidson, and Pamela L. Perrewé Publisher: Davies-Black Publishing: Mountain View, CA, 2005 ISBN: 0891062106
Organizational scholars and practitioners have understood for decades that work organizations can legitimately be viewed as political arenas in which coalition building, conflict resolution, and interpersonal influence explain success at work. Unfortunately, little attention has been given to the skills it takes to succeed in such arenas. The book Political Skill at Work: Impact on Work Effectiveness addresses this need by introducing and defining the political skill concept, and demonstrating how it can contribute to job and career success. The authors highlight that political skill, although viewed often as negative and counter-productive in organizations, can be used constructively to facilitate both individual and organizational performance. Readers of the book learn about how to measure political skill, how to develop it, and how and why it can be a key component of effective performance on the job, leadership, and reputation building at work.
Collectively, these authors bring decades of empirical research results on political skill to bear on the development of prescriptions for practice, and they do so authoritatively as accomplished organizational scientists. This book is skillfully written and applied, an insightful blend of scholarship and practice, and demonstrates how the nature and development of political skill can lead to positive outcomes in the workplace.
Originally introduced in 1981, but never developed to its full potential, the concept of political skill has been defined, explained, and modernized by the authors, and the application, utilization, and insightful understanding of political skill is the key contribution of this book. The authors define political skill as: "the ability to understand others at work and to use that knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one's personal and organizational objectives" (p. 7). Astuteness and adaptability increasingly have been suggested as key...