Importance of women's political skill in male-dominated organizations

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate whether or not political skill helps women working in a male-dominated environment to obtain positions with authority. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were emailed to female lawyers working full-time in a variety of law firms across the USA. Participants were 140 lawyers with an average of ten years of practicing law. Findings – In support of their hypotheses, the authors found that when working in male-dominated organizations, women with high levels of political skill fared better than women with low levels of political skill in terms of obtaining positions with authority. Research limitations/implications – Because the research design was cross-sectional, direction of causality cannot be established. Second, common method bias may have affected the observed relationships. Practical implications – Given that women with political skill may be able to recognize and break down the barriers that are especially present in male-dominated organizations, women and managers alike should consider training to help women understand and enhance their political skill. Social implications – This research highlights the particular challenge of workplace politics for women and presents political skill as a potential solution. Originality/value – This research is the first to demonstrate the benefit of having political skill for women working in male-dominated organizations.

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