Thirty years and growing : Review and identification of theory/research challenges in perceptions of organizational politics

For decades, work environments have been actively studied and acknowledged to exercise important influence on work attitudes and behavior. Perhaps one of the most frequently investigated in past years has been on political work environments, as such phenomena have materialized through the Perceptions of Organizational Politics (POPs). Initially introduced as a framework to guide future research, the POPs conceptualization and body of published work marks its 30-year anniversary, which has resulted in numerous published journal articles and book chapters, and several meta-analyses. However, to date, there remain some critically important theory and research needs in this important area of scientific inquiry, in order for future work to make innovative strides in making contributions to new knowledge. This critical analysis of the POPs research historically examines this collective body of work, major reviews and meta-analyses and their conclusions, the recent increase in POPs research and the directions taken, and the important new steps we suggest for theory development in this area.