Perceived organizational politics and undesirable work attitudes: do hostility and emotional intelligence matter?

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions. Does hostility shape the undesirable attitudinal consequences of perceived organizational politics (POP)? If so, does emotional intelligence play a role in this context? To answer these questions, the author relies on the affective events theory to present and empirically investigate a moderated mediation model in which: hostility mediates the relationships between POP and both job tension and turnover intentions; and emotional intelligence moderates these relationships. Design/methodology/approach - The moderated mediation model was tested among a sample of 408 employees. The data was collected in three waves. Findings - The results revealed that hostility mediated the relationships between POP and the two undesirable attitudes explored. In addition, one of the emotional abilities included in emotional intelligence, namely, self-emotion appraisal, moderated these relationships. Practical implications - Interventions designed to increase the emotional intelligence level of employees might reduce the hostility they experience in response to POP, and consequently, its harmful implications. Originality/value - Among the four emotional abilities included in emotional intelligence, only self-emotional appraisal moderates the relationship between POP and hostility. Such findings imply that in some cases, a thorough understanding about one’s emotions is more effective in regulating the hostility experienced in response to organizational politics than other emotional abilities that seem more relevant in this context.