POWER AND POLITICS
Study questions.
What is power?
How do managers acquire the power needed for leadership?
What is empowerment, and how can managers empower others?
What are organizational politics?
Study questions.
How do organizational politics affect managers and management?
Can the firm use politics strategically?
“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely”
--- Lord Acton
POWER
A capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.
DEPENDENCY
B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B requires.
3. 18/3/2013
POWER AND POLITICS
Study questions.
What
is power?
How
do managers acquire the power
needed for leadership?
What
is empowerment, and how can
managers empower others?
What
are organizational politics?
6. 18/3/2013
A DEFINITION OF POWER
POWER
A capacity that A has to influence
the behavior of B so that B acts in
accordance with A’s wishes.
DEPENDENCY
B’s relationship to A when
A possesses something
that B requires.
A
B
7. 18/3/2013
Power is the ability to …
Get someone to do something you want
done.
Make things happen in the way you
want.
Influence is …
What you have when you exercise
power.
Expressed by others’ behavioral
response to your exercise of power.
11. 18/3/2013
BASES OF POWER
Formal Power
Is established by an individual’s position in an
organization; conveys the ability to coerce or
reward, from formal authority, or from control of
information.
Coercive Power
A power base dependent on fear.
Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on
the ability to distribute rewards
that others view as valuable
12. 18/3/2013
BASES OF POWER
Legitimate Power
The power a person receives as a result
of his or her position in the formal
hierarchy of an organization.
Information Power
Power that comes from
access to and control
over information.
13. 18/3/2013
BASES OF POWER
Expert Power
Influence based on special
skills or knowledge.
Referent Power
Influence based on possession
by an individual of desirable
resources or personal traits.
Charismatic Power
An extension of referent power stemming from an
individual’s personality and interpersonal style.
14. 18/3/2013
CONSEQUENCES OF POWER
Sources
of Power
Consequences
of Power
Expert
Power
Commitment
Referent
Power
Legitimate
Power
Compliance
Reward
Power
Coercive
Power
Resistance
15. 18/3/2013
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: UNEQUAL
POWER IN THE WORKPLACE
Harasser stereotypes the
victim as subservient and
powerless
Harasser threatens job
security or safety through
coercive or legitimate power
Hostile work environment
harassment continues when
the victim lacks power to
stop the behavior
16. 18/3/2013
OFFICE ROMANCE AND POWER
Co-workers believe that employees in
relationships abuse their power to favor
each other.
Higher risk of sexual harassment when
relationship breaks off.
19. 18/3/2013
WHAT IS EMPOWERMENT, AND HOW CAN
MANAGERS EMPOWER OTHERS?
Empowerment.
The process by which managers help others
to acquire and use the power needed to make
decisions affecting themselves and their
work.
Considers power to be something that can be
shared by everyone working in flatter and
more collegial organizations.
Provides
the foundation for self-managing
work teams and other employee involvement
20. 18/3/2013
CONTD…..
Power as an expanding pie.
With empowerment, employees must be trained
to expand their power and their new influence
potential.
Empowerment changes the dynamics between
supervisors and subordinates.
21. 18/3/2013
Ways to expand power.
Clearly define roles and responsibilities.
Provide opportunities for creative problem
solving coupled with the discretion to act.
Emphasize different ways of exercising
influence.
Provide support to individuals so they become
comfortable with developing their power.
Expand inducements for thinking and acting,
not just obeying.
22. 18/3/2013
DEPENDENCY: THE KEY TO POWER
The General Dependency Postulate
The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the
power A has over B.
Possession/control of scarce organizational
resources that others need makes a manager
powerful.
Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple
suppliers) reduces the resource holder’s power.
What Creates Dependency
Importance of the resource to the organization
Scarcity of the resource
Nonsubstitutability of the resource
23. 18/3/2013
CONTRASTING LEADERSHIP AND POWER
Leadership
Focuses
on goal
achievement.
Requires goal
compatibility with
followers.
Focuses influence
downward.
Used
as a means
for achieving
goals.
Requires follower
dependency.
Used to gain
lateral and
upward influence.
Research Focus
styles
and relationships
with followers
Power
Leadership
Research Focus
Power
tactics for
gaining
24. 18/3/2013
BRIEFING
Power is the ability to influence people and
events.
Managers need to use power effectively.
Closely related to power is politics. Politics
relates to the ways people gain and use power
in organizations.
Political activities in an organization are
inevitable and managers should manage them
carefully.
Power and politics are present in all
organizations.
26. 18/3/2013
ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
Attempts to influence others
using discretionary behaviors to
promote personal objectives
Discretionary behaviors -neither explicitly prescribed
nor prohibited
Politics may be good or bad for
the organization
29. CAUSES TO POLITICAL BEHAVIOR :
NO OPPOSITION, NO NEED FOR POLITICS
Scarcity of Resources
Organizational Change
Non-Programmed
Lust for Power
Decisions
Discretionary Authority
Ambiguous Goals
Organizational Culture
Technology and External
Psychological Factors
Environment
30. NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF POLITICS
Self Interest
Organizational Conflicts
Effect on Managers
Inequitable Distribution of Power
31. TECHNIQUES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
POLITICS
Form the Right Alliances
Expect Reciprocal
Control the Decision
Criteria
Favours
Control Information
Try to be popular
Control Communication
Build up a Preferred
Image
Control the Agenda of
Meeting
Channels
Use Outside Expert
33. MANAGING POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR
Ethical and Positive
Role Model
Open and Honest
Communication
MANAGING POLITICAL
BEHAVIOUR
Eliminate or
Reduction of
Uncertainty
Study the Political
Behaviour
34. 18/3/2013
ETHICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
Unethical
Question 1
Is the action
motivated by
self-serving
interests which
exclude the
goals of the
organization?
Yes
Ethical
Question 3
Is the political
activity fair
and equitable?
No
Yes
No
Unethical
Yes
Question 2
Does the political
action respect
individual rights?
No
Unethical
35. 18/3/2013
“You can get much farther with a kind word
and a gun than you can with a kind word
alone.”
---A. Capone
THANK YOU
For listening