Internal politics in academia: Theoretical and empirical analysis of its relationship with social capital and job performance

This study has a twofold goal. First, we examined perceptions of organizational politics as viewed by the academic staff in a public university. Second, we tested the potential mediating effect of perceptions of politics on the relationship between social capital and work outcomes. We surveyed 142 junior and senior faculty members of a large public Israeli university and tested several competing models. Major results, based on Structural Equations Model (SEM) analysis, indicate that the mediating model has several advantages over the direct effect model. In addition, a revised, mixed model provided additional advantages. The models are compared and discussed. Finally, implications of the findings and recommendations for future studies on internal politics and social capital in academia and beyond are suggested. INTRODUTION Nearly four decades of extensive research in the field of organizational politics have created an impressive stock of knowledge* Eran Vigoda-Gadot, Ph.D., is a Professor of Public Administration & Management and Head of the School of Political Sciences at the University of Haifa, Israel. His teaching and research interests are in public management, organizational politics, citizenship behavior, and public sectors reforms and performance