PERCEPTION OF STUDENTS REGARDING ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL IN DERA GHAZI KHAN

Abstract

Organizational politics is a prevalent phenomenon in academic institutions that significantly shapes students' experiences, motivation, and trust in university systems. The study was conducted to explore the perception of students regarding organizational politics at university level in Dera Ghazi Khan. The total population consisted of 919 postgraduate students from three universities in Dera Ghazi Khan, from which 300 students were selected through multistage random sampling. The research design was descriptive, based on a survey, and quantitative in nature. Data were collected using a self-developed, close-ended questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale comprising 50 items across six sub-dimensions. The instrument demonstrated strong reliability with a Cronbach alpha of .960. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, mean, and standard deviation, along with inferential techniques including independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. The findings indicate that students perceived a high level of organizational politics within university settings, prominently manifested through favoritism, unequal treatment, biased grading practices, preferential reward allocation, and reduced motivation among non-favored students. Favoritism, toxic attitudes, unfair practices, and politically influenced behaviors emerged as the most dominant determinants shaping students' perceptions, alongside interpersonal relationships and institutional dynamics. Regarding differences in perceptions across demographic and academic variables, the analysis revealed a largely uniform perception pattern among students, as no significant differences were observed based on gender, age, or study program. However, limited statistically significant variations were identified, particularly in faculty-wise differences in overall organizational politics and semester-wise differences in behavioral aspects, while most other dimensions remained statistically consistent across groups.