INVESTIGATION INTO ORGANIZATION POLITICS AND EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE JOB DISSATISFACTION IN CAMEROON

This study investigated organizational politics and effect on employee job dissatisfaction in Cameroon. The specific objectives were to analyze the prevalence of organizational politics within private sector companies in Cameroon, find out the causes of organizational politics within private sector companies in Cameroon, examine how organizational politics affects employee job dissatisfaction in private firms in Cameroon, and explore strategies for which private firms can adopt to reduce the adverse effects of organizational politics and enhance overall employee satisfaction. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and collected data from 500 employees from three selected private firms in Cameroon: ABC Manufacturing Ltd., Global Tech Solutions, and Prime Logistics Services. The analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, with a cutoff mean of 2.50 used for interpretation. While the hypothesis was tested using Chi-square statistical tool SPSS v23. The findings revealed that organizational politics is primarily caused by favoritism in promotions (mean = 4.25), lack of transparent communication (mean = 4.18), personal interests overriding company goals (mean = 4.12), inconsistent performance evaluations (mean = 4.08), office cliques (mean = 4.22), and power struggles among management (mean = 4.10). The effects of organizational politics were significant, leading to reduced job satisfaction (mean = 4.28), demotivation due to biased decisions (mean = 4.30), loss of trust in management (mean = 4.15), hindered career progression (mean = 4.22), reduced productivity (mean = 4.20), and increased job stress (mean = 4.25). Based on the findings the study recommended strategies such as establishing clear and transparent policies, promoting open communication, conducting regular performance reviews, offering conflict resolution training, encouraging teamwork, and implementing a fair reward system. The study concludes that addressing organizational politics requires a proactive approach involving policy reforms, management training, and a supportive organizational culture to enhance employee satisfaction and productivity in Cameroon’s private sector.