Trickle-down politics: exploring the social learning process of supervisor political skill and its impact on subordinate

This study investigates the trickle-down effect of political skill within organizational hierarchies, applying social learning theory to explore how supervisors' political skills influence their subordinates. We hypothesize that political skill transmission occurs as subordinates observe and emulate their supervisors’ politically skilled behaviors. This process is further moderated by the supervisors’ previous performance and reputation, which enhance the likelihood that subordinates will adopt similar political behaviors. The hypotheses were tested using a sample of 130 supervisor-subordinate dyads from various industries in Taiwan. The results of the hierarchical linear modeling confirm the significant trickle-down effect of supervisors' political skills and demonstrate the moderating influence of supervisors' performance and reputation on this transmission process. These findings contribute to the literature on political skill by integrating a social learning perspective and offer practical implications for organizations looking to cultivate political competence within their workforce. The research emphasizes the importance of supervisors' role modeling in fostering political skills, ultimately enhancing both individual and organizational outcomes.