|
|
|
| The Structure Dimension and Scale Development of Entrepreneurs′ Political Skills in the Chinese Cultural Context |
| Zhang Xueyan1,Zhou Xiaohu2,Liu Jingjing2 |
| (1.School of Engineering Management and Real Estate, Henan University of Economics and Law, Zhengzhou 450046, China;2.School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China) |
|
|
|
|
Abstract Entrepreneurs play an irreplaceable role in the entrepreneurial process. Owing to their certain characteristics, entrepreneurs are more likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities than those who lack these characteristics. In the process of starting a business, entrepreneurs need to interact with stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, governments, financial institutions and employees, and influence stakeholders to act according to their own goals with their behavior and strategies, so as to achieve their own entrepreneurial goals. The ability of entrepreneurs to interact with stakeholders and influence their behaviors is called political skills. They are the most important personal characteristics that entrepreneurs show in the process of starting a business.#br# Political skill is a concept proposed in a western context. In the existing research, the measurement scales of political skills are based on individuals in the workplace, measuring employees′ interpersonal communication and influencing their ability in the workplace. As for the research on entrepreneurs′ political skills, most scholars focus on revising and improving the scale of employees′ political skills developed by Ferris et al. (2005). However, the measurement scale of employees′ political skills in the workplace cannot be completely replicated and applied to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs need to have such general political skills as individuals, but from an entrepreneurial role, these generic skills are not enough.#br# In the Chinese cultural context, through the in-depth interviews with 16 entrepreneurs and two field surveys, this paper discusses the conceptual connotation and structural dimensions of entrepreneurs′ political skills and develops a tool for measuring entrepreneurs′ political skills with good reliability and validity. From the perspective of the entrepreneurs′ characteristics, the concept of entrepreneurs′ political skills is proposed. Entrepreneurs′ political skills refer to the ability of entrepreneurs to interact with various stakeholders through keen political insight into a specific cultural situation, build an entrepreneurial relationship network, and influence and control the behavior of stakeholders by using their interpersonal influence and political trickery to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. Entrepreneurs′ political skills include four components: social-environmental astuteness, entrepreneurial network ability, interpersonal influence and political trickery ability.#br# This study expands the research of political skills in the field of entrepreneurship and has certain theoretical contributions and practical implications. The research fills the gap in the research on the localization of entrepreneurial political skills and provides a good measurement tool for future empirical research on entrepreneurs′ political skills. It not only reveals the differences between China and the West, but also expands the research of political skills in the field of entrepreneurship. The measurement scale of entrepreneurs′ political skills developed in this study covers the contents of domestic and foreign employees′ political skills scale, and it further finds the uniqueness of the measurement scale of entrepreneurs′ political skills in China. It also illustrates the necessity of studying entrepreneurs′ political skills in the context of Chinese culture.#br# This research has certain practical implications. Given the importance of political skills in the interactive game between entrepreneurs and stakeholders, entrepreneurs can show their political skills through social-environmental astuteness, entrepreneurial network ability, interpersonal influence and political trickery ability to influence and control stakeholders′ behavior with appropriate strategies and ways. Entrepreneurs should focus on improving their entrepreneurial ability and their political skills,and they can improve their political skills through practice.#br# This study also has some limitations. In this study, multiple samples and methods are used to test the reliability and validity of the measurement scale. Although the empirical sample size of this study also meets the standards of quantitative research, it is still relatively small, and the number and characteristics of samples may affect the research results of this paper. In the future, more samples or different types of samples can be selected to further test the reliability and validity of the newly developed scale to enhance the popularization of the research conclusions. Future research can explore the relationship between entrepreneurs′ political skills and other variables in Chinese cultural background, and explore the influencing factors and results of entrepreneurs′ political skills. Meanwhile the negative effects of entrepreneurs′ political skills and the double-edged sword effect of entrepreneurs' political skills in their entrepreneurial activities are also worthy of analysis.#br#
|
|
Received: 11 April 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
[1] FANG R, CHI L, CHEN M, et al. Bringing political skill into social networks: findings from a field study of entrepreneurs[J]. Journal of Management Studies, 2015, 52(2): 175-212.
[2] ZHANG X, ZHOU X, WANG Q, et al. Networks open the door to the success of technological entrepreneurship: a perspective on political skills[J]. Kybernetes, 2021,ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2021-0050.
[3] CHEN G, HUANG S, MEYER‐DOYLE P, et al. Generalist versus specialist CEOs and acquisitions: two-sided matching and the impact of CEO characteristics on firm outcomes[J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2021, 42(6): 1184-1214.
[4] TOCHER N, OSWALD S L, SHOOK C L, et al. Entrepreneur political skill and new venture performance: extending the social competence perspective[J]. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 2012, 24(5-6): 283-305.
[5] FERRIS G R, TREADWAY D C, KOLODINSKY R W, et al. Development and validation of the political skill inventory[J]. Journal of Management, 2005, 31(1): 126-152.
[6] 林忠,孙灵希.企业员工政治技能的本土维度确认与测量[J].财经问题研究,2012,34(11):116-123.
[7] 程聪,张颖,陈盈,等.创业者政治技能促进创业绩效提升了吗——创业导向与组织公正的中介调节效应[J]. 科学学研究，2014,32(8): 1198-1206.
[8] 肖宇佳,潘安成.“以理”还是“入情”?创业者政治技能与资源获取[J].管理科学学报, 2018, 21(2): 48-67.
[9] 孟军本.企业技术能力对产品创新的影响研究——基于创业者政治技能和创业经验的调节效应[J].贵州财经大学学报,2020, 38(1): 59-67.
[10] 张学艳,周小虎,包佳妮.动态能力视角下的科技型创业者政治技能与创业绩效[J].管理学报,2020a,17(8): 1179-1187.
[11] 张玉利,曲阳,云乐鑫.基于中国情境的管理学研究与创业研究主题总结[J].外国经济与管理, 2014,36(1): 65-72,81.
[12] BURT R S, OPPER S. Political connection and disconnection: still a success factor for Chinese entrepreneurs[J]. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2020, 44(6): 1199-1228.
[13] SUDDABY R, CORAIOLA D, HARVEY C, et al. History and the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities[J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2020, 41(3): 530-556.
[14] 唐乐,杨付,杨伟国.员工政治技能对晋升机会的影响机制研究[J].经济管理, 2019, 41(10):73-89.
[15] HALLEN B L, DAVIS J P, MURRAY A. Entrepreneurial network evolution: explicating the structural localism and agentic network change distinction[J]. Academy of Management Annals, 2020, 14(2): 1067-1102.
[16] 周键,王庆金,周雪. 科技创业者双重卷入会提升创业成长水平吗[J]. 科学学与科学技术管理, 2019, 40(4): 109-120.
[17] FERRIS G R, BERKSON H M, KAPLAN D M, et al. Development and initial validation of the political skill inventory[C].Academy of Management, 59th Annual National Meeting, Chicago，1999.
[18] DOUGLAS C, AMMETER A P. An examination of leader political skill and its effect on ratings of leader effectiveness[J]. The Leadership Quarterly, 2004,15(4): 537-550.
[19] 柳恒超,金盛华,赵开强.中国文化下组织政治技能的结构及问卷的编制[J].应用心理学,2008,14(3): 220-225,243.
[20] 蒋斌. 企业员工组织政治技巧结构及相关研究[D].广州:暨南大学,2009.
[21] 路燕利. 企业员工的政治技能及其相关研究[D].开封:河南大学,2009.
[22] OPPER S,NEE V,HOLM H J.Risk aversion and guanxi activities: a behavioral analysis of CEOs in China[J]. Academy of Management Journal, 2017, 60(4): 1504-1530.
[23] 吴论文,杨付.政治技能的实施效果及其理论解释[J].心理科学进展,2019,27(12):2109-2121.
[24] MCALLISTER C P, ELLEN III B P, FERRIS G R. Social influence opportunity recognition, evaluation, and capitalization: increased theoretical specification through political skill′ s dimensional dynamics[J]. Journal of Management, 2018, 44(5): 1926-1952.
[25] WILLIAMS, WALLACE, ALEXANDER, et al. Servant leadership and followership creativity: the influence of workplace spirituality and political skill[J]. Leadership & Organization Development Journal,2017,38(2):178-193.
[26] WANG T,ZHANG T,SHOU Z.The double-edged sword effect of political ties on performance in emerging markets: the mediation of innovation capability and legitimacy[J]. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 2021,38(3):1003-1030.
|
|
|
|
