Does political skills affect career success?: An evidence-based literature review

Abstract

A systematic literature review of previous studies has shown an increasing focus on the influence of political skills in enhancing career success in recent years, which is expected to continue. This paper aims to provide in-depth insight and analyze the influence of political skills in enhancing career success, identify what research topics have been addressed, and identify opportunities for other topics that can be carried out in future research. This paper applies a systematic literature review methodology design. Presenting a structured overview obtained from 12 leading international journal articles indexed in the Scopus database. Political skills play a crucial role in career success, influencing both objective and subjective outcomes. The effectiveness of these skills can be moderated by organizational support, cultural context, and the presence of mentoring relationships. Understanding and developing political skills can provide a significant advantage in career advancement. This literature study contributes to analyzing the influence of political skills in enhancing career success by presenting an applicable theoretical framework, identifying the methodological framework that has been used, and identifying additional research topics and opportunities to link other variables in future research.