The Presentation of a Model for the Identification of Public Sector Managers’ Political Behaviors

The concept of organizational politics and the political behaviors of individuals have grabbed the attention of researchers for long, but due to various reasons, we have observed a special attention to the individuals’ political behaviors in organizations in recent years. Aside from the factors effective on the political perception and behavior, the managers’ mental model has a substantial role in the formation of their political behavior style in organizations. The ultimate goal of this study was the identification and provision of the mental model related to the political behavior model of managers using Q-methodology. The discourse atmosphere was formed based on the library research and semi-structured interviews with interviewees who had been chosen through snowball sampling method. Using Delphi method, 50 Q-statements were collected. Then, based on non-random purposive sampling, the Q-cards were distributed among the intended statistical population, who undertook Q-statement sorting in Q-categories through forced distribution method. After interpreting the Q-factors and statements, the model of the managers’ political behavior style was provided with two dimensions, namely belief in the political behavior and reaction to political behavior. Based on this model, five types of political behavior style of mangers were identified and interpreted.