power authority and politics

7/29/2019 Power Authority and Politics

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Power, Authority and Politics

What is Power?The ability to influence and control anything thatis of value to others. The potential ability to influence behavior, tochange the course of events, to overcome

resistance and get to get people to do things thatthey would not otherwise do.

What is Authority?

The character of communication in a formalorganization by virtue of which it is accepted by acontributor to or member of the organization asgoverning the action he contributes.


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Types of Power: Coercive Power

Reward Power Legitimate Power Expert Power Referent Power

The Dependency Factor:As said earlier dependency is most important for

possessing power. The level of dependency isbased on these factors:

ImportanceScarcityNon-Substitutability


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Power Vs Exchange Theory and Control The Exchange Theory views human behavior asan exchange process. Motivation is the outcome when an individualtries to bring about parity between the costs heincurs and the rewards he gets.

Power has also been studied in conjunction withcontrol. Although traditional OB theorists believed thatpower and control must be centralized.

Behavioral theorist emphasized ondecentralization. They felt that excessivecentralization of power leads to power abuse.


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Power PloysThese are techniques that a person uses to

attain and retain power. Power ploys move inthree directions:Upward Strategies: Here the person tries toimpress his superiors and move up in the

organization.Downward Strategies: Here the person triesto gain power over subordinates.

Lateral Strategies: This is to gain power overpeers. A person can gain power over hispeers by impressing them with knowledgeand personality.


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What is Politics?Those activities that are not required as

part of ones formal role in anorganization, that influence, or attempt toinfluence, the distribution of advantagesand disadvantages within the

organization.

Factors Relating to Political BehaviorIndividual Factors:

Personality traitsBackgroundExperiencesWorking environment


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Conti

Organizational Factors:Scarce resourcesAmbiguity of goalsRole ambiguity

Performance appraisals and rewardsCulture of organizationLack of mutual trustPressure to perform

Involvement of top management


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Ethics of Power and Politics

Certain guidelines that a personmust consider when determiningthe ethics of a certain decision oraction are:

1.Self interest vs. organizationalinterest

2.The rights of other parties

3.Conformity to standards of equityand justice


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What is Control?"The process of monitoring activities to

ensure that they are being accomplishedas planned, and of correcting anydeviations.

Span of ControlIt refers to the number of employees that amanager can effectively and efficientlydirect.

The span of control is important to a largedegree as it determines the number of levelsand managers an organization has andrequires.


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Wider spans of control are more efficientin terms of costs. But at some point widerspans reduce effectiveness.Narrow span of control enables closecontrol and can manage resources more

effectively.


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Centralized ControlIf the top management makes key

decisions with little or no input from lower-level personnel the organization iscentralized in it control.Decentralized Control

When more inputs come from lower-levelpersonnel for decision making process ismore decentralized in nature.

EmpowermentA principle of job design in whichemployees are delegated additionalresponsibility or authority.


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Need for ControlTo adapt to environmental changeTo minimize variability of error

Coping with environmental complexitiesMinimize costs

Characteristics of a good control systemIntegrated with planningAccurateTimelinessFlexibleReasonableEasily understandable and acceptableCost efficient

Focused


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Disadvantages of over-controllingOverlapping and duplication

Retarded creativityDiscouraged delegationObscured costsControl as an end rather than as a mean


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What is Organizational Climate?Organizational climate is a function of the

physical environment of the organization,the culture within the organization.

What is Organizational Culture?

A set of shared assumptions, beliefs andpractices about people and work that definesthe nature of the workplace and leads tocommon work habits and interactionpatterns. It includes shared attitudes andvalues also.


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What makes the organizational culture astrong one?

The degree of consistency of beliefs, values,assumptions, and practice acrossorganizational members

The pervasiveness (number) of consistentbeliefs, values, assumptions, and practices.

Therefore a strong culture was conceptualizedas a coherent set of beliefs, values,assumptions, and practices embraced by mostmembers of the organization.


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Importance of OrganizationalCulture:

Coordination and integration acrossorganizational units.Product innovation.Strategy innovation.

Process innovation and the ability tosuccessfully introduce new technologies.Effective management of dispersed work

units and increasing workforce diversity.


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ContCross-cultural management of global

enterprises and/or multi-nationalpartnerships.Construction of meta- or hybrid-cultures that merge aspects ofcultures from what were distinctorganizations prior to an acquisitionor merger

Management of workforce diversityFacilitation and support of teamwork.


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Culture today must play a key role inpromoting:

Knowledge managementCreativityParticipative managementLeadership

Emerging Cultural MandatesThe organization must be proactive, not

just reactive.The organization must influence and

manage the environment, not just adapt.The organization must be pragmatic, notidealistic.


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The organization must be future-oriented, not predominantly present/pastoriented.The organization must embrace

diversity, not just uniformity.The organization must be relationship-oriented, not just task-oriented.The organization must embrace externalconnectivity, as well as promote internalintegration.

Cont


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Strategies for effecting culturalchange include:Unfreezing the old culture and creatingmotivation to changeCapitalizing on propitious moments

problems, opportunities, changedcircumstances, and/or accumulatedexcesses or deficiencies of the pastMaking the change target concrete and

clearMaintaining some continuity with thepast


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Characteristics of Organizational

CulturesCollectiveEmotionally charged

Historically basedInherently symbolicDynamicInherently fuzzy


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What is Organizational Effectiveness?A measure of the extent to which an

organization has fulfilled the aims andobjectives - as reflected in project andprogram activity that an organization hasset for itself.

The ability of an organization to fulfill itsmission through a blend of soundmanagement, strong governance, and apersistent rededication to achieving results

in areas like: Governance, StaffDevelopment and Organizational Capacity,Operations Management and Leadership.


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The Time Dimension ofOrganizational EffectivenessInvolves:Meeting organizational objectives andprevailing societal expectations in thenear future.

Adapting to environmental demandsand developing as a learningorganization in the intermediate future.Surviving as an effective organization

into the future.


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Requirements of an effectiveorganization:A suitable span of controlA good organizational climateEffective leadership

A balance of powerA strong and positive culture.

power authority and politics

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