How work context and age shape political skill

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to predict increases in political skill, and more specifically networking ability, based on hierarchical position, time involvement, and the moderating effects of job incumbents’ age. Design/methodology/approach – These hypotheses were tested in a panel design with hierarchical regression analyses over two years with 150 works councillors from Germany. Self-reported political skill, time involvement, and position were measured at time 1, and political skill was measured again two years later. Findings – Works council members increase their political skill when they hold a higher position and have more time involvement. Further, councillors’ age was found to moderate these relationships. That is, older councillors develop political skill (specifically networking ability) at a higher rate than middle aged employees. Research limitations/implications – Future research should test the hypotheses in different populations and also include other ratings of political skill. Practical implications – It might not always be necessary to have available relevant social skills for a new job already, as these skills can develop over time. Social implications – Political skill is a resource at the workplace with the potential to promote fairness, health, and well-being. Originality/value – The present findings add a new perspective to interpersonal skill development: certain job demands moderated by age can change a job incumbent's social skills, particularly networking ability, over time and make her or him more capable of doing well. Thus, it is not always necessary to have available relevant social skills for a new job, as these relevant skills can developed within the context of the new job.