Political skill: An antidote for workplace stressors

Why do so many executives thrive in stressful situations while others break down? Why are some so adept at coping with the complex and dynamic ambigui ty, accountabilities. politics, and interpersonal dimensions of executives' jobs? Executives face numerous work stressors and job demands that can lea d to stress. We suggest that succeeding in and managing stressful organizat ional environments is at least partially due to the exceptionally good poli tical skills possessed by many executives. political skill is an interperso nal style that manifests itself in social astuteness and the ability to eng age in behaviors that give impetus to feelings of confidence, trust, and si ncerity. Executives high in political skill are better able to cope with th e chronic workplace stressors they encounter, Specifically political skill represents a type of interpersonal control that allows people to differenti ally interpret workplace stressors in less aversive ways, and thus cope mor e effectively, which reduces strain. We believe political skill can be shap ed, and thus represents a productive new area for management development pr ograms.