Ingratiation in the workplace: The role of subordinate and supervisor political skill

摘要

Ingratiation, an important aspect of social influence, refers to behaviour by an individual seeking to 'increase his or her attractiveness in the eyes of others' with the intention to deceive or influence another person's impression of that individual. The earlier researches on ingratiation on link with career outcomes are inconsistent. The present study attempts to untangle the complexities in the ingratiation processes by identifying potential moderators and mediators associated with the complicated processes. The theoretical base of the research work rests of the balance theory (Ref. 1) and extending the work of Treadway et al. (Ref. 2). While the balance theory highlights the importance of both the subordinate (actor) and supervisor (target) roles in the ingratiation process, the paper also includes to examine their respective political skill, in the relationship between the subordinate's ingratiation behavior and the supervisor's perception of the ingratiation on personal reputation, job performance and promotability, which are regarded as important indicators of career success. Based on the balance theory, a comprehensive model of the social influence process that considers the relationships of ingratiation with job performance and promotability by focusing on the moderating roles of subordinates' and supervisors' political skill and the mediating role of personal reputation is tested. The developed model is tested with a Chinese sample using a multi-wave, multi-source research design and the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.