Leadership and Power in Organizations

Chapter 13

•Are Leaders Born or Made?

•Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower?

Definition of Leadership

• How would you define leadership?

– a person in charge or the boss of other people

• No one definition has been universally accepted

• The main idea that runs through different definitions…

• Leadership: influencing the following in other people– Attitudes– Beliefs– Behaviors– Feelings

French and Raven’s 5 Bases of Power

• What is power?– The extent to which one person can

influence another to do something

1. Expert

2. Referent

3. Legitimate

4. Reward

5. Coercive

1. Expert Power

• Supervisor’s special knowledge and expertise

– So subordinates believe is more vital in this power rather than the expertise itself

– Some people are better than others at appearing to be experts

• Certain titles can enhance the perceived expert power (ex. doctor, Ph.D., Nobel Prize winner, etc.)

2. Referent Power

• The extent to which the subordinate likes and identifies with the supervisor

– This power can be developed through personal relationships

– Also by raising the status of the supervisor

• CEO celebrities: Michael Eisner of Disney Corporation and Ted Turner of Tuner Broadcasting

3. Legitimate Power

• Job Title

– Legitimate right or authority to be in charge

– If the subordinate refuses to recognize the authority of that title, then the power does not exist

4. Reward Power

• Rewards

– Bonuses

– Desirable job assignments

– Promotions

– Raises

5. Coercive Power

• Punishments

– Disciplinary actions

– Fines

– Firing

– Salary reduction

Yukl’s 3 Sources of Political Power

• How does one achieve and maintain power?– Controlling Decisions

• Being in the most powerful committee

• Taking on the right tasks

– Coalition Formation• Supporting each other’s positions

– Co-optation • Diffuse another faction’s opposition by allowing its

members to participate in the decision

Abuse of Power

• Negative side to power!

– Power used to mistreat subordinates

• Why?– Only way to get people to perform well– Enjoy wielding power over others

Examples: ethnic, racial, and sexual harassment

6 Leadership Theories

• Trait Approach: personal characteristics of a leader

• Behavior Approach: which leader behaviors are effective

• Leader-member exchange (LMX) and Transformation Approaches: relationship between subordinates and supervisors

• Contingency and Path-goal Approach: good leadership is a function of the interplay of the person, the person’s behavior, and the situation

Theory: Question

• Trait Approach:

– “Who will make a good leader?”

• Behavior Approach:

– “What do good leaders do?”

• Leader-member exchange and transformational:

– “How does the interaction between subordinate and supervisor affect the subordinate’s behavior?”

• Contingency and Path-Goal Approach:

– “Under a given condition, who will be a good leader and what behavior is likely to be effective?”

Vroom-Yetton Model

• Five approaches

1. Supervisor makes the decision

2. Supervisor gets info from subordinates and makes the decision

3. Supervisor discusses the problem with some subordinate and makes the decision

4. Supervisor discusses problem with all

5. Supervisor presents the problem and lets the subordinates decide

LeadershipWomen vs. Men

•Reality: Women are still underrepresented at the higher levels of organizations

•2-4% in executive jobs (1990)

•But not in all organizations…ex. Powell and Butterfield (1994)

•Women were more likely to be promoted in civil service

Glass Ceiling Phenomenon

• This ceiling symbolizes the women’s difficulty in getting beyond the lower levels of management

• Why? The general perceived characteristics of a woman for that type of a job have not been fully realized yet!

Leadership: Gender Difference

• Men more autocratic

• Women more democratic (Eagly and Johnson, 1990)

• No further statement can be made from these studies…

Future Issues and Challenges

• Increasing diversity in the workplace

• Need divergent and flexible methods for supervisors so to cope with a more varied group of subordinates

– Different cultures and backgrounds

QUESTIONS

*Watch Band of Brothers in order to get a good idea about Leadership and Power