Exploring Organizational Politics among Supervisory Positions in Government and Private Institutions in the National Capital Region

Organizational politics, an inherent element in all organizations, can manifest in both constructive and detrimental ways. To further analyze how organizational politics are manifested within the Philippine context, this research explored its practices in both government and private institutions specifically within the National Capital Region (NCR). The researchers utilized a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design. The quantitative approach involved the administration of a standardized instrument to measure the perception of organizational politics among 314 supervisory positions across 5 government institutions (National Government Agencies) and 5 private institutions (Corporate Businesses) within NCR. Subsequently, interview sessions were conducted with 10 participants, each representing one of the 10 study sites, to support the findings from the quantitative data and explore the specific practices of organizational politics within these sectors. The results revealed a moderate perception of organizational politics across these institutions, indicating that while acknowledged, its presence was not perceived as significantly affecting operations. Additionally, thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that participants associated organizational politics with negative work emotions, negative work experiences, and a drive to strengthen workplace policies. Furthermore, the manifestations of organizational politics differed by sector: in government institutions, it often appeared in hiring and selection processes and power struggles among leaders; in private institutions, it was associated with unethical workplace behaviors, negative organizational dynamics (particularly animosity within family-owned businesses), and the practice of positive politics. This study concluded that both positive and negative manifestations of organizational politics are present within these institutions, which can serve as a basis for the development of intervention programs.