Emirati Journal of Business, Economics, & Social Studies

Browse Journals

Articles

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): Emirati Journal of Business, Economics and Social Studies

Impact of office politics on strategy formulation, execution, and recommended governance in the Arab world

  • Ayman Mohammed Ababneh
Submitted
August 15, 2025
Published
2025-09-19

Abstract

Office politics has been a pervasive issue in the corporate sector across the globe. This issue signifies a high concern for business managers and entrepreneurs working hard to improve the work processes and team-building activities. Political individuals are identified by researchers for a vulgar display of power and control dynamics to create alliances that foster their growth in organizations. Despite being considered a harmful and controversial practice by many scholars, office politics requires more research to cover its benefits for business organizations. This study is conducted to uncover the dynamics of office politics for business organizations by looking at the case in the Arab world. This study argues that organizational politics significantly impacts strategy formulation, execution, and organizational governance in Arab countries. The critical analysis of secondary sources shows that office politics impacts the decision-making of leaders. In several industries in the Arab world, it contributes to workers’ dissatisfaction. However, the study also suggests using office politics for positive purposes to improve decisions regarding employees’ well-being and cultural improvement. Hence, managers must learn more about the negative impacts of office politics on policy and governance and improve their decision-making by using politics as a tool for growth and innovation. This study answers these critical questions related to office politics to cover the research gap and how it can destroy and improve organizations. 

References

  1. Adeyemi, J. K. (2022). Workplace conflict affects productivity and emotional stability among employees. International Journal of Management and Business Applied, 1(2), 103-109.
  2. Ahmad, A. R., & Jameel, A. S. (2021). Effect of organizational justice dimensions on performance of academic staff in developing countries. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 25(3), 259-270.
  3. Al-Ali, J. (2006, December). Emiratisation in the local labor force of the UAE: a review of the obstacles and identification of potential strategies. In Proceedings of the 20th ANZAM (Australian New Zealand Academy of Management) Conference on “Management: Pragmatism, Philosophy, Priorities” (pp. 6-9).
  4. Al-Horr, K. (2009). Political contingency and the implementation of localization policies: A case study of the oil and gas sector in Qatar (Doctoral dissertation, University of Leeds).
  5. Alkhafaji, A., & Nelson, R. A. (2013). Strategic management: formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment. Routledge.
  6. Al-Shaiba, A. S. A. (2020). Organizational Efficiency for Sustainability: The Case of Qatar (Doctoral dissertation, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar)).
  7. Alshareef, N. (2022). Evaluating the effects of formal and informal institutions on multinational enterprises working in Saudi Arabia. Global Business and Economics Review, 27(2), 167-191.
  8. Al-Swidi, A. K., Gelaidan, H. M., & Saleh, R. M. (2021). The joint impact of green human resource management, leadership, and organizational culture on employees’ green behavior and organizational environmental performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 316, 128112.
  9. Aluja, A., Garcia, L. F., Rossier, J., Ostendorf, F., Glicksohn, J., Oumar, B., ... & Hansenne, M. (2022). Dark triad traits, social position, and personality: a cross-cultural study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 53(3-4), 380-402.
  10. Assaad, R., & Krafft, C. (2023). Labor market dynamics and youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa: Evidence from Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. LABOUR, 37(4), 519-553.
  11. Atmaja, D. S., Fachrurazi, F., Abdullah, A., Fauziah, F., Zaroni, A. N., & Yusuf, M. (2022). Actualization Of Performance Management Models for The Development of Human Resources Quality, Economic Potential, And Financial Governance Policy In The Indonesian Ministry Of Education.
  12. Elbanna, S., Abdelzaher, D. M., & Ramadan, N. (2020). Management research in the Arab World: what is now and what is next?. Journal of International Management, 26(2), 100734.
  13. El-Kassar, A. N., Lythreatis, S., & Fakhoury, T. (2023). The Political Environment in the Middle East. Doing Business in the Middle East: A Research-Based Practitioners’ Guide.
  14. Fine, C., Sojo, V., & Lawford‐Smith, H. (2020). Why does workplace gender diversity matter? Justice, organizational benefits, and policy. Social Issues and Policy Review, 14(1), 36-72.
  15. Hamza, S. (2015). Migrant labor in the Arabian Gulf: a case study of Dubai, UAE. Pursuit—The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee, 6(1), 10.
  16. Hassan Alhosani, A. A. (2022). The delegation of authority and its impact on the decision-making process with the mediating role of employee performance in Dubai Police (Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia).
  17. Hochwarter, W. A., Rosen, C. C., Jordan, S. L., Ferris, G. R., Ejaz, A., & Maher, L. P. (2020). Perceptions of organizational politics research: Past, present, and future. Journal of Management, 46(6), 879-907.
  18. How to stop office politics undermining strategic decisions | News. (2022). Warwick Business School. Retrieved February 11, 2024, from https://www.wbs.ac.uk/news/how-to-stop-office-politics-undermining-strategic-decisions/
  19. Kumari, A., Kaur, T., Ranjan, P., Chopra, S., Sarkar, S., & Baitha, U. (2020). Workplace violence against doctors: characteristics, risk factors, and mitigation strategies. Journal of postgraduate medicine, 66(3), 149.
  20. McClelland, D., & Burnham, D. (2014, August). Power is the great motivator. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2003/01/power-is-the-great-motivator
  21. McClusky, J. E. (2002). Rethinking nonprofit organization governance: Implications for management and leadership. International Journal of Public Administration, 25(4), 539-559.
  22. Mohammad, T., & Darwish, T. K. (2022). Human resource management in Jordan: Challenges and future prospects. HRM in the Global South: A Critical Perspective, 155-187.
  23. Mohd. Shamsudin, F., Hamouche, S., Abdulmajid Cheikh Ali, D., Bani-Melhem, S., & Jamal Bani-Melhem, A. (2023). Why do employees withhold knowledge? The role of competitive climate, envy, and narcissism. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(7), 1925-1947.
  24. Mousa, M., Massoud, H. K., & Ayoubi, R. M. (2020). Gender, diversity management perceptions, workplace happiness, and organizational citizenship behavior. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 42(6), 1249-1269.
  25. Mujtaba, B. G., & Meyer, C. (2022). Checklist for Professional Communication: A Path to a Healthy Personality, Reflective Mindfulness, and Self-Development Management. Health Economics and Management Review, 3(3), 99-108.
  26. Mutawalli, M., Ayub, Z. A., & Faga, H. P. (2023). Revitalizing Political Parties in Indonesia: Dissecting Patronage-Clientelism Dynamics vis-à-vis Political Representation. Jurnal Mengkaji Indonesia, 2(2), 301-326.
  27. Noland, M., & Pack, H. (2011). The Arab economies in a changing world. Peterson Institute.
  28. Norouzinik, Y., Rahimnia, F., Maharati, Y., & Eslami, G. (2022). Narcissistic leadership and employees’ innovative behavior: mediating roles of job embeddedness and job engagement. Innovation, 24(3), 355-380.
  29. Rañeses, M. S., Bacason, E. S., & Martir, S. (2022). Investigating the Impact of Remote Working on Employee Productivity and Work-Life Balance: A Study on the Business Consultancy Industry in Dubai, UAE. International Journal of Business & Administrative Studies, 8(2).
  30. Sawaya, R. T., Zalzale, H., & Ghossoub, E. (2023). Epidemiology of antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and other related constructs in Arab countries: A scoping review. Forensic Science International: Mind and Law, 100126.
  31. Shaker, M. R., & Alnoori, A. A. H. (2023). Narcissistic leadership and its impact on the quality of work life. resmilitaris, 13(3), 2842-2853.
  32. The benefits of office politics. (2023). Abmagazine.accaglobal.com. https://abmagazine.accaglobal.com/global/articles/2023/jan/careers/the-benefits-of-office-politics.html
  33. THE STRATEGY EXECUTION AGENDA. (2017, November 21). DR. ARNOUD van DER MAAS. https://arnoudvandermaas.com/strategy-execution-agenda/
  34. Ulrichsen, K. (2016). The United Arab Emirates: power, politics, and policy-making. Routledge.
  35. Vaillancourt, A. M. (2021). The Organizational Politics Playbook: 50 Strategies to Navigate Power Dynamics at Work. Wheatmark, Inc.
  36. Venegas, M. (2020). Organizing in the trenches: tactics, discipline, and accountability in Texas left social movements (Doctoral dissertation).
  37. Vyas, L., & Butakhieo, N. (2021). The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong. Policy design and practice, 4(1), 59-76.
  38. Williamson, S. (2021). Elections, legitimacy, and compliance in authoritarian regimes: evidence from the Arab world. Democratization, 28(8), 1483-1504.
  39. Yousif, M. B. Z., & Loukil, T. M. (2022). Determining the Effect of Narcissistic Leadership on Employee Performance: An Applied Study in a Private College in Iraq.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Similar Articles

1-10 of 19

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 > >>