The Dark Side of Organizational Politics: How Job Burnout Drives Counterproductive Work Behavior in Thai Police Forces

This study investigates the influence of perceived organizational politics (POP) on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) among police officers in Thailand, with job burnout (JB) serving as a mediating factor. The research sample consists of 572 police officers undergoing training at the Police College, including those enrolled in Superintendent, Inspector, and Administrative Officer courses. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS, the findings reveal that POP has a significant direct impact on both JB and CWB, indicating that officers who perceive higher levels of organizational politics are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and engage in deviant workplace behaviors. Moreover, JB significantly mediates the relationship between POP and CWB, confirming partial mediation. This suggests that organizational politics contributes to counterproductive behavior both directly and indirectly through increased burnout. These findings highlight the importance of reducing organizational politics and implementing burnout prevention strategies to mitigate unethical behavior and enhance the well-being and performance of police personnel.