Personality and Political Skill

Abstract: Political skill refers to the ability to understand and influence others to achieve personal or organizational goals and is widely regarded as a core component of effective leadership. This study examined the personality underpinnings of political skill and developed a proxy measure using subscales from the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI; Hogan & Hogan, 2007). Political skill was operationalized using the Political Skill Inventory (PSI; Ferris et al, 2005 ), and data from three independent samples were analyzed. A genetic algorithm was used to identify the optimal combination of HPI subscales that best predicted PSI scores. Political skill was most strongly associated with facets of Interpersonal Sensitivity, Ambition, and Adjustment. Scores on the proxy measure correlated meaningfully with job satisfaction, organizational citizenship, and low burnout, and predicted observer-rated competencies related to relationship management and strategic leadership. While personality is not the sole basis of political skill, it represents a major dispositional foundation. This study illustrates the foundation and offers a personality-based proxy that broadens assessment options for both research and practice.