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Deciphering the role of age and gender in perceiving organizational politics in construction

Yuvaraj Dhanasekar, K.S. Anandh

Built Environment Project and Asset Management

ISSN: 2044-124X

Article publication date: 14 January 2025

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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.

Keywords

Citation

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, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-01-2024-0011

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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