The mediating role of job satisfaction on political skills and career success: The Turkey-Azerbaijan case

Magsud Mirzayev; Ozge Mehtap

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025163

Keywords:

organizational behavior

workplace dynamics

organizational psychology

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether political skill affects career success and whether job satisfaction has a mediating role in this effect. Within the scope of the research, 411 surveys were applied to white-collar employees working in the service sector in Turkey and Azerbaijan via the convenience sampling method. The collected data were subjected to analysis via statistical techniques, including t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression analysis, and correlation analysis. These analyses were conducted via the SPSS 22 software package. According to the findings derived from this study, the levels of political skills and job satisfaction among employees had a noteworthy and affirmative effect on their career success. Furthermore, it was determined that job satisfaction acted as a partial mediator between political acumen and career attainment. This discovery emphasizes that job satisfaction serves as a partial mediator in the association between political skill and career advancement.
References
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23. Polat, E., & Ödemiş, M. (2023). The effect of political skills and leader-member exchange on career success: A research on hotel businesses. Global Science Institute Journals Series A: Advancements in Tourism, Recreation, and Sports Sciences, 6(1), 88-105. https://doi.org/10.53353/atrss.1175041
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26. Tutar, H., & Sarkhanov, T. (2020). Strategy of disorganization of labor and human resource management policies. In Economic and Social Development. In Proceedings of the 55th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social (p. 465) Baku, Azerbaijan https://www.esd-conference.com/upload/book_of_proceedings/Book_of_Proceedings_esdBaku2020_Vol3_Online.pdf. Accessed on June 1, 2024.
27. Tutar, H., Tuzcuoğlu, F., & Sarkhanov, T. (2021). The Mediating Role of Organizational Cynicism in the Relationship between Workplace Incivility and Organizational Silence. Technology, Education, Management, Informatics journal, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM102-11
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29. Yeşilkaya, M. (2005). Employee motivation and its transformation in the process of the information society (Master's thesis). Kafkas University , Turkey.
30. Yıldız, H., & Okan, T. (2019). Power and politics in organizations (2nd ed.). Beta Publishing.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Mirzayev, M., & Mehtap, O. (2024). The mediating role of job satisfaction on political skills and career success: The Turkey-Azerbaijan case. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(6), 2025163. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025163

[1] Açar, O., Uçan, F., & Avcı, S. B. (2019). The role of proactive personality in the effect of political skill on work satisfaction. In Proceedings of the Hoca Ahmet Yesevi 2nd International Scientific Research Congress (p.674). Erzurum, Turkey.

[2] Alnıaçık, E., & Mehtap, Ö. (2015). The impact of subjective fit on the work outcomes: Supplementary or complementary fit? Kocaeli University. Journal of Social Sciences, 29, 165-186.

[3] Bolat, T., & Katı, Y. (2016). The relationship between political skill and career success: The mediating effect of leader-member exchange. Eurasian Academy of Sciences Journal, 1(1), 351-364. https://doi.org/10.17740/eas.soc.2016.MSEMP-29

[4] Budak, G., & Gürbüz, S. (2017). Subjective career success: A scale adaptation study. Journal of Work and Human, 4(2), 87-99. https://doi.org/10.18394/iid.280529

[5] Çalışır, A. N. (2020). The effect of political skill on the job satisfaction of secondary education institutions employees: Ankara-Altındağ sample (Master's thesis). Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Turkey.

[6] Çetin, C., Elmalı, E., & Arslan, M. (2017). Human resources management (5th ed.). Beta Publishing.

[7] Dirik, D. (2018). Are politically skilled employees happier? A research study from a gender perspective. Gümüşhane University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 9(24), 25-43. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/gumus/issue/40078/412203. Accessed on July 30, 2024.

[8] Dix, J. E., & Savickas, M. L. (1995). Establishing a career: Developmental tasks and coping responses. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 47(1), 93-107. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1995.1031

[9] Ferris, G. R., Perrewe, P. L., Anthony, W. P., & Gilmore, D. C. (2000). Political skill at work. Organizational Dynamics, 28(4), 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206304271386

[10] Ferris, G. R., Treadway, D. C., Kolodinsky, R. W., Hochwarter, W. A., Kacmar, C. J., Douglas, C., & Frink, D. D. (2005). Development and validation of the political skill inventory. Journal of Management, 31(1), 126-152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206304271386

[11] Gündüz Çekmecelioğlu, H., Of, M., & Mirzayev, M. (2020). Comparison of academic and administrative staff job satisfaction results. Journal of Social and Humanities Sciences Research, 7(61), 3097-3108. https://doi.org/10.26450/jshsr.2078

[12] Jabid, A. W., Buamonabot, I., Fahri, J., & Arilaha, M. A. (2021). Organizational politics and job satisfaction: Mediation and moderation of political skills. Binus Business Review, 12(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.21512/bbr.v12i1.6226

[13] Kreuter, M. W., & Lezin, N. (2002). Social capital theory. In R. J. Crosby & S. B. E. Hawkins (Eds.), Emerging theories in health promotion practice and research: Strategies for improving public health (pp. 228-248). John Wiley & Sons.

[14] Mehtap, Ö. (2011). The effect of political behaviors on the organizational citizenship behavior (Doctoral thesis). Istanbul University, Turkey.

[15] Mehtap, Ö. (2014). Understanding the effects of political influence behaviors on informal performances. Quality and Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 48(5), 2671-2685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-013-9916-3

[16] Mehtap, Ö. (2023). An overview of organizational politics and political behaviors. In M. Seyhan (Ed.), Research on management, organization, and strategy (pp. 105-135). Özgür Publishing.

[17] Mehtap, Ö., & Duyar, V. D. (2023). Exploring the influence of emotional intelligence on person-organization fit: The mediating role of political skill. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 13(6), 119-128. https://doi.org/10.30845/ijhss.v13n6p12

[18] Mehtap, Ö., Duyar, V. D., & Halis, M. (2024). The impact of social intelligence on engagement and person-organization fit: A mediation analysis through political skill. Review of Business Management, 26(01), e20230058. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v26i01.4252

[19] Mirzayev, M. (2024). The mediating role of job satisfaction in the effect of political skill on career success (Doctoral dissertation). Kocaeli University, Turkey.

[20] Mirzayev, M., & Mehtap, Ö. (2024). The effect of political skills on career success: A research on white-collar employees. turan-sam International Scientific Refereed Journal, 14, 370-377. https://doi.org/10.15189/1308-8041

[21] Mirzeyev, M. (2019). The effect of employment hope and career optimism on individual career planning: A research on foreign national and Turkish students (Master's thesis). University Ondokuz Mayıs, Turkey.

[22] Munyon, T. P., Summers, J. K., Thompson, K. M., & Ferris, G. R. (2015). Political skill and work outcomes: A theoretical extension, meta-analytic investigation, and agenda for the future. Personnel Psychology, 68(1), 143-184. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12066

[23] Polat, E., & Ödemiş, M. (2023). The effect of political skills and leader-member exchange on career success: A research on hotel businesses. Global Science Institute Journals Series A: Advancements in Tourism, Recreation, and Sports Sciences, 6(1), 88-105. https://doi.org/10.53353/atrss.1175041

[24] Saruhan, Ş. S., & Özdemirci, A. (2005). Science, philosophy, and methodology: The problem of method in research (with SPSS applications). Alkım Publishing.

[25] Tutar, H., & Sarkhanov, T. (2020). Change from personnel management to human resource management: Is an epistemological necessity or rhetorical change? In Economic and Social Development (pp 306 – 313). Book of Proceedings.

[26] Tutar, H., & Sarkhanov, T. (2020). Strategy of disorganization of labor and human resource management policies. In Economic and Social Development. In Proceedings of the 55th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social (p. 465) Baku, Azerbaijan https://www.esd-conference.com/upload/book_of_proceedings/Book_of_Proceedings_esdBaku2020_Vol3_Online.pdf. Accessed on June 1, 2024.

[27] Tutar, H., Tuzcuoğlu, F., & Sarkhanov, T. (2021). The Mediating Role of Organizational Cynicism in the Relationship between Workplace Incivility and Organizational Silence. Technology, Education, Management, Informatics journal, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM102-11

[28] Usman, M., Fan, L., & Anwar-Ul-Haq, M. (2016). Political skill and career success: A review and directions for future research. Journal on Innovation and Sustainability, 7(1), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.24212/2179-3565.2016v7i1p39-46

[29] Yeşilkaya, M. (2005). Employee motivation and its transformation in the process of the information society (Master's thesis). Kafkas University , Turkey.

[30] Yıldız, H., & Okan, T. (2019). Power and politics in organizations (2nd ed.). Beta Publishing.

Abstract

References

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