The Interaction between Personal Values and Perception of Organizational Politics in Predicting Stress Levels of Staff Members in Academic Institutions

Abstract

Educational systems throughout the world have been impacted by neoliberal ideology and practices transforming higher-education institutions. As a result, changes relating to the academic environment have become more complex. The well-being of academic staff is deteriorating as a result of overwhelming busy work or continual redirection culminating in high levels of stress in academic settings. Given that the perceptions of organizational politics have been shown a significant relevance to employees’ attitudes in public and private sectors, the study aims to examine whether perceptions of organizational politics predict stress levels among faculty members in an academic environment. Moreover, the study examines the importance of personal values underlying the inclination toward stress in academic staff members. The study focuses on the extent to which personal values (self-enhancement and openness to change) moderate the relationships between the perception of organizational politics and stress level. The sample includes 376 academic staff from higher-education institutions. The study highlights the importance of personal values by showing that the extent of politics’ negative consequences on stress levels depends on the employee’s personal values. Findings suggested that a staff member’s values seem to be significant in modifying the way in which he/she experiences the academic environment.