A “Curates Egg” Perception of Politics: Why and When Organizational Politics Leads to Good and Bad Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to highlight the consequences of perceived organizational politics (POP). Based on attribution theory, we have highlighted its dual phenomena, resulting in career success and moral disengagement. Moreover, the study identifies the mediating role of social networks between POP and positive attributes stemming from it, that is, career success and the intervening role of social undermining between POP and moral disengagement. Data were collected from the faculty members of higher educational institutes. They were collected with a time lag, totaling 193 responses considered for analysis through SEM. Our study shows that POP results in both negative and positive outcomes because of its dual nature. Employees experience greater career success in the presence of POP through social networks. Simultaneously, we found strong support for the link between POP and moral disengagement through the mediating role of social undermining. The following are our conclusions.