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Perceived Organizational Politics Scale
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About Perceived Organizational Politics Scale
Scale Name
Perceived Organizational Politics Scale
Author Details
K. Michele Kacmar and Gerald R. Ferris
Translation Availability
Not Sure

Background/Description
Organizational politics is a complex and often misunderstood phenomenon. It is defined as the use of influence tactics to achieve one’s own goals or the goals of one’s group, often at the expense of others. Organizational politics can be manifested in a variety of ways, such as backstabbing, gossip, favoritism, and sabotage.
Perceived organizational politics (POP) refers to an individual’s subjective assessment of the degree to which their work setting is believed to be self-serving of some individuals and groups, to the detriment of others (Ferris, Harrell-Cook, & Dulebohn, 2000). POP is important because it can have a significant impact on employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and stress.
The Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) was developed by Kacmar and Ferris (1991) to measure POP. The scale is a 15-item questionnaire that assesses employees’ perceptions of the extent to which their workplace is political.
To complete the POPS, employees are asked to rate their agreement with each item on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The total score for the scale is calculated by summing the scores for all 15 items.
A high POPS score indicates that the employee perceives their workplace to be highly political. A low POPS score indicates that the employee perceives their workplace to be relatively non-political.
The POPS is a reliable and valid measure of POP. It has been shown to correlate with other measures of organizational politics, as well as with employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and stress.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Prepare the materials. You will need a copy of the POPS questionnaire for each participant. You can download the questionnaire from the internet or purchase it from a publisher.
- Explain the purpose of the questionnaire to the participants. Let them know that the questionnaire is being used to assess their perceptions of the extent to which their workplace is political.
- Instruct the participants to complete the questionnaire. Tell them to read each item carefully and rate their agreement with the item on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
- Collect the completed questionnaires. Once the participants have finished completing the questionnaire, collect them from them.
- Score the questionnaires. To score the POPS, simply sum the scores for all 15 items. A higher score indicates a higher perception of organizational politics.
Reliability and Validity
The Perceived Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) is a well-established and widely used measure of perceived organizational politics. It has been shown to be reliable and valid in a variety of samples and settings.
Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure. A reliable measure will produce similar results when administered to the same people on different occasions. The POPS has been shown to have high internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients typically exceeding 0.80. This indicates that the items on the POPS are highly correlated with each other and are measuring the same underlying construct.
Validity refers to the extent to which a measure measures what it is intended to measure. The POPS has been shown to have good construct validity. This means that it is correlated with other measures of organizational politics, as well as with employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and stress.
For example, a study by Kacmar and Ferris (1991) found that the POPS was correlated with other measures of organizational politics, such as the Organizational Politics Questionnaire and the Political Skills Inventory. The study also found that the POPS was negatively correlated with job satisfaction and positively correlated with turnover intentions.
Available Versions
15-Items
Reference
Ferris, G. R., & Kacmar, K. M. (1992). Perceptions of organizational politics. Journal of management, 18(1), 93-116.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Perceived Organizational Politics Scale?
The POPS is a 15-item questionnaire that measures employees’ perceptions of the extent to which their workplace is political.
What are the subscales of the Perceived Organizational Politics Scale?
The POPS has three subscales: general political behavior, political behavior to get ahead, and ambiguity in pay and promotion policies and rules.
How is the POPS scored?
The POPS is scored by summing the scores for all 15 items. A higher score indicates a higher perception of organizational politics.
What is the reliability and validity of the POPS?
The POPS is a reliable and valid measure of perceived organizational politics. It has been shown to correlate with other measures of organizational politics, as well as with employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and stress.
How can the POPS be used?
The POPS can be used by researchers and practitioners to assess the level of perceived organizational politics in an organization and to identify the impact of organizational politics on employee outcomes.
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