This two-study investigation framed performance as one potential form of influence that interacts with political skill to affect power assessments. It was hypothesized that favorable performance is more likely to be leveraged into higher levels of interpersonal power when individuals possess high levels of political skill but not for individuals low in political skill. Study 1 (N = 97) demonstrated that individuals with positive performance were more likely to possess higher levels of interpersonal power if they were high in political skill. Furthermore, higher levels of performance were not related to power for individuals low in political skill. Thus, these results from Study 1 established support for the hypothesis. Study 2 (N = 384), using a multisource design, constructively replicated these findings. Contributions to theory and research, strengths and limitations, directions for future research, and practical implications are discussed.
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