Easing the strain: The buffer role of supervisors in the perceptions of politics-strain relationship

The positive relationship between perceptions of politics and strain has received a great deal of confirmation in the literature. What has been missing from these studies is a search for variables that minimize the negative outcomes associated with this relationship. In an effort to fill this void, the present paper investigated three possible moderators of the relationship between perceptions of politics and strain: leader-member exchange, participative decision-making, and communication with supervisors. Results from a sample consisting of 1,255 respondents from two different organizations provided support for the buffering effect of supervisor variables on the perceptions of politics and strain relationship.