Dhanasekar, Y and Anandh, K S (2025) Deciphering the role of age and gender in perceiving organizational politics in construction. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 15(2), pp. 354-370. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose: The study investigates the impact of gender and age on the perception of organizational politics among construction professionals in Tamil Nadu, India, a region with unique sociocultural characteristics, which highlights the significance of a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace. Design/methodology/approach: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 251 construction professionals. The study focused on three key aspects of organizational politics perception: general political behavior, go along to get ahead and pay and promotion policies. Data were examined using descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test and regression analysis with the help of SPSS V23. Findings: The study reveals that female professionals in the sample may be more sensitive to go along to get ahead and pay and promotion policies than their male counterparts, particularly those aged 29–38. The study also found significant gender-age interactions in organizational politics perception, with females experiencing a greater impact of age on general political behavior, go along to get ahead and pay and promotion policies. Practical implications: The findings can help managers and practitioners design better interventions and policies to mitigate the negative effects of organizational politics, improve employee satisfaction and performance and foster a more diverse and fair work culture. Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to explore the influence of gender and age on organizational politics perception in the construction sector, which is characterized by complexity and diversity. The study contributes to the literature on organizational politics and diversity in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | age; construction industry; gender; interaction effect; perceptions of organizational politics |
| Index terms: | construction sector, complexity, methodology, practitioner, questionnaire, manager, interaction, construction industry, statistics, India, regression analysis, construction professional, politics, promotion, satisfaction |
| Subjects: | Geography, research methods, behavioral psychology, practitioner, professional development, management, statistical analysis, systems engineering, political science, industry analysis, mathematical modelling, data collection methods, project delivery |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Human Resources, Research Practice, Information Management, Governance, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here