What are power and influence?
What are the key sources of power and
influence?
What is empowerment?
What is organizational politics?
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 12-2
Power The ability to get someone to do something
you want done.
The ability to make things happen in the way
you want.
Influence Expressed by others’ behavioral response to
the exercise of power.
Interdependence Employee’s are closely connected with the
individuals in their workgroup, those in other
departments they work with, and their
supervisors.
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Legitimacy – an understood and unwritten
set of social mores and conventions that
serve to maintain societal order.
Obedience – tendency for individuals to
comply and be obedient—to switch off
their emotions and merely do exactly
what they are told to do.
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Acceptance of authority (‘consent of the
governed’) is the concept that subordinates
will accept or follow a managerial directive
only if the subordinate :
Understands the directive.
Is mentally and physically capable of carrying
out the directive.
Believes the directive is consistent with
organization’s purpose and personal interests.
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Zone of indifference
Range of requests to which a person is
willing to respond without subjecting the
directives to critical evaluation or judgment.
Psychological contract – unwritten set of
expectations about a person’s exchange of
inducements and contributions with an
organization.
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Two primary sources of power:
Position
Derives from a person’s position in the
organization.
Personal
Resides in the individual.
Independent of that individual’s position.
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TYPES OF POSITION POWER
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Legitimate power
The extent to which a manager can use
subordinates’ internalized values or beliefs
that the “boss” has a “right of command”
to control their behavior.
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Reward power
The extent to which a manager can use
extrinsic and intrinsic rewards to control
other people.
Coercive power
The extent to which a manager can deny
desired rewards and administer
punishments to control other people.
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Process power
The control that a manager
has over methods of
production and analysis.
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Information power
The access to and/or control of
information.
Representative power
The formal right conferred to an individual
by the firm to speak for a potentially
important group.
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Expert
Rational Persuasi
on
Coalition
Ability to control another’s behavior through the possession of knowledge, experience or judgment.
Ability to control another’s behavior because of accepted desirability of an offered goal and a way of achieving it.
Ability to control another’s behavior because the person wants to identify with the power source.
Ability to control another’s behavior indirectly because of a reciprocal obligation to you or the larger group.
Referent
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Building influence
Power-oriented behavior is action directed
primarily at developing relationships in
which other people are willing to defer to
one’s wishes.
Downward, upward, lateral.
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Build Position Power› Demonstrate to
others that work unit is relevant to organizational goals (centrality).
› Demonstrate to others the ability to respond to urgent organizational need (criticality).
Managers make part of their job responsibilities unique.
Managers may expand their network of communication contacts and also increase task relevance.
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Build expertise
through advanced training and education.
Participate in professional associations, and early stages of projects.
Enhance likeability
by creating personal appeal in relationships with others.
Includes pleasant personality traits, agreeable behavior patterns, and attractive appearance.
Enhance political savvy by learning ways to negotiate, persuade.
Understand goals and means that most are willing to accept.
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Which personal power would you likely
use to request a promotion?
a. Coalition
b. Rational persuasion
c. Expertise
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Ways that managers increase the
visibility of their job performance in
organizations
Expand contacts with senior people.
Make oral presentations of written work.
Participate in problem-solving task forces.
Send out notices of accomplishment.
Seek additional opportunities to increase
personal name recognition.12-20Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Controlling decision premises
Defining a problem in terms of your own
expertise in solving it.
Stating goals and needs clearly and
bargaining effectively.
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Strengthening influence techniques through:
Reason - use facts and data to support a logical
argument.
Friendliness - use flattery, goodwill and favorable
impressions.
Coalition – use relationships, with others, for support.
Bargaining – use exchange of benefits as a basis for
negotiation.
Assertiveness – use direct and forceful approach.
Higher authority – gain higher level support for
requests.
Sanctions – organizational rewards/punishments.12-22Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Empowerment
The process by which managers help others
to acquire and use the power needed to
make decisions affecting themselves and
their work.
One view considers power to be something
that can be shared by everyone working in
flatter and more collegial structures.
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Changing position power Moving power down the hierarchy alters the
existing pattern of position power.
Changing this pattern raises the following
important questions:
Can “empowered” individuals give rewards and
sanctions based on task accomplishment?
Has their new right to act been legitimized with
formal authority?
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Power as an expanding pie
The key is to change from a view stressing
power over others to one emphasizing the
use of power to get things done.
Requires leader support, training,
coaching, individual supervision and clear,
re-stated definitions of roles and
responsibilities.
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Two traditions of organizational politics:
Machiavellian – focuses on self interest and the
use of nonsanctioned means philosophy.
Art of creative compromise among
competing interests - view that states the firm
is more than just an instrument for
accomplishing a task or a mere collection of
individuals with a common goal.
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Effects of organizational politics
Enhances the achievement of organizational goals
and survival.
Can serve a number of important work functions.
Provides a mechanism for circumventing
inadequacies and getting the job done.
Helps identify problems and move ambitious,
problem-solving managers.
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The Politics of Self Protection
Avoidance – employee must risk being
wrong or where actions may yield a sanction.
Working to the rules
Playing dumb
Depersonalization
Stalling
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Redirecting accountability and
responsibility
Passing the buck
Rewriting history
Redirecting (scapegoating, blaming the
problem on someone or some group that has
difficulty defending itself, and blaming
problem on uncontrollable events,)
Escalating commitment12-30Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Defending turf is a common political
dynamic when:
Managers seek to improve their power
attempt by expanding the jobs their groups
perform.
Competing interests exist among various
departments and groups.
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Agency theory
Suggests that public corporations can
function effectively even though their
managers are self-interested and do not
automatically bear the full consequences
of their managerial actions.
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Key arguments of agency theory
All of society’s interests are served by
protecting stockholder interests.
Stockholders have a clear interest in
greater returns.
Managers are self-interested and must be
controlled.
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Types of controls instituted for agents
Pay plan incentives that align the interests
of management and stockholders.
The establishment of a strong, independent
board of directors.
Stakeholders with a large stake in the firm
take an active role one the board. 12-34Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Resource dependencies
The firm’s need for resources that are controlled by
others.
The dependencies increase as:
Needed resources become more scarce.
Outsiders have more control over needed resources.
There are fewer substitutes for a particular type of
resource controlled by a limited number of outsiders.
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Organizational governance
The pattern of authority, influence, and
acceptable managerial behavior
established at the top of the organization.
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