Political Skill Inventory – 12-Item Sales Adaptation

What it measures

A 12-item adaptation of the Political Skill Inventory (Ferris et al., 2005) for intraorganizational sales research. Measures four facets of political skill: social astuteness (reading social dynamics and motivations), interpersonal influence (adaptive and effective communication), networking ability (building strategic alliances with influential contacts), and apparent sincerity (projecting genuine authenticity). Modelled as a second-order reflective-formative construct. Used to predict intraorganizational relational centrality, which in turn predicts objective sales performance.

Representative items

• I am particularly good at sensing the motivations and hidden agendas of others.
• I am good at building relationships with influential people at work.
• I am good at using my connections and networking to make things happen at work.
• I try to show a genuine interest in other people.

Citation

Bolander, W., Satornino, C.B., Hughes, D.E. & Ferris, G.R. (2015). Social networks within sales organizations: Their development and importance for salesperson performance. Journal of Marketing, 79(6), 1–16.