ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS AND THE PERFORMANCE OF DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Organizational politics has remained a pervasive challenge in many corporate environments, often undermining 
employee morale and institutional efficiency, particularly in the Nigerian banking sector. This study investigated the 
effect of organizational politics on the performance of deposit money banks in Kwara State, Nigeria, with a specific 
focus on how tribalism and gender discrimination, used as proxies for organizational politics, affect organizational 
performance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and data were collected using a structured 
questionnaire administered to a purposive sample of 86 employees drawn from five selected banks within the state. 
The study employed multiple regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between the variables. Findings 
revealed that tribalism significantly and negatively affects organizational performance (R² = 0.520, F = 69.216, p < 
0.05), with both ethnic profiling and favouritism showing significant negative beta coefficients (β = -0.842, p = .000; 
β = -0.625, p = .003, respectively). Similarly, gender discrimination also significantly undermines performance (R² = 
0.621, F = 65.010, p < 0.05), with all its indicators—career development discrimination, gender pay gap, and sexual 
harassment—exerting statistically significant negative effects. The study concludes that unchecked organizational 
politics in the form of tribal and gender biases compromise efficiency, fairness, and productivity in the banking 
sector. It recommends the implementation of inclusive HR policies, gender equity initiatives, robust anti
discrimination frameworks, and continuous staff training to foster a merit-driven and equitable work environment.