Power & Politics in Organization

15 /11/2013

What is power?
Power is the ability to...

Get soeone to !o soething yo" want !one.

#a$e things happen in the way yo" want.

% Power is the opport"nity to b"il!& to create& to n"!ge
history in a !i''erent !irection.(
)ichar! *i+on

What is power?
Power is the ability to...

Get soeone to !o soething yo" want !one.

#a$e things happen in the way yo" want.

% Power is the opport"nity to b"il!& to create& to n"!ge
history in a !i''erent !irection.(
)ichar! *i+on

What is power?
Power is the ability to...

Get soeone to !o soething yo" want !one.

#a$e things happen in the way yo" want.

% Power is the opport"nity to b"il!& to create& to n"!ge
history in a !i''erent !irection.(
)ichar! *i+on

,pproaches to Power

-eha.io"ral
.iew

Political
.iew

)elational
approach

)a!ical str"ct"ral
.iew

1. /he -eha.io"ral 0iew
1ahl
2oc"s

1ecision3a$ing beha.io"r.

O.ert con'lict 4obser.able5.

6"b7ecti.e 4 percei.e!5 interests seen as policy

pre'erences re.eale! in political participation.

1a. Power o' lower participants
Gain in'l"ence o.er their s"periors by "sing8

9n'oration

Persons

instr"entalities

1b. Power reso"rces an! strategies
aong anagers
Position Power8
Legitimate: Power base! on the 'act that others
recognize an! accept yo"r a"thority. ,pplies only
to a range o' power.
Reward: Power to control the rewar!s others want
to recei.e.
Coercive: Power res"lting 'ro the capacity to
control p"nishent.

1b. Power reso"rces an! strategies
aong anagers
Personal Power8
Rational Persuasion: People who are e''ecti.e at
in'l"encing others thro"gh the strengh o' their
logical arg"ents.
Expert Power: People who ha.e a!.ance! or e+pert
$nowle!ge. /hose able to "se it are e+treely
power'"l.
Referent Power: Power base! on the 'act that one is
a!ire! or respecte! by others 4charisa5.

1c. :powerent
Process o' !elegating a"thority to in!i.i!"als at the lowest
le.el in an organization at which copetent !ecisions can
be a!e.

Passing power 'ro anagers to eployees.

)e;"ires anagers to share e+pert in'oration.

<=ines< o' access

Lines of supply: #anagers ha.e the capacity to bring in the

things that their own !epartents nee! to !istrib"te as rewar!s.

Lines of information: /o be e''ecti.e& anagers nee! to be < in

the $now< in both the in'oral an! the 'oral sense.

Lines of support: a anager<s 7ob paraeters nee! to allow 'or

non3 or!inary action& 'or a show o' !iscretion or e+ercise o'
7"!geent.

1!. >riti;"e

O' <gran! theories< o' power in political econoy ?

'oc"ses on o.ert action.

Power is e+ercise!
Power is like a hammer... Power is like a hammer...
hitting a nail. hitting a nail.

2./he Political .iew
-acharach & -aratz
2oc"s

9ncl"!es non3!ecision a$ing.

@ow potential iss"es are a.oi!e!.

@ow con'lict is a.oi!e!.

9nterests ani'est as grie.ances an! are anip"late!

thro"gh policy.

2a. 6trategic contingency .iew o' power

2b. /he Political organization
/hree !i''erent types o' b"rea"cratic pattern which can
e+ist in the wor$place& !epen!ing on how r"les are
establishe! in the 'irst place8

P"nishent3 centre!
one party iposes r"les against the others< wishes&
con'lict& power str"ggles.

#oc$
r"les e+ist b"t are ignore! by sta'' an! anageent

)epresentati.e pattern
r"les are at"ally agree! to an! accepte! as 'air by all

2b. /he Political organization
2o"r tren!s as in!icati.e o' a new 'or o' political
organization in the 1AA0s8

)elationships o' in'l"ence or power were shi'ting 'ro the

tra!itional hierarchies to 'l"i! str"ct"res s"ch as peer
networ$s...

, greater .ariety o' channels 'or ta$ing action an! e+erting

in'l"ence thro"gh agen!a setting.

Political s$ills associate! with networ$ing& bargaining...

were becoing as iportant 'or s"ccess as technical
e+pertise.

:+ternal relationship were becoing as iportant an! .ital

to s"ccess as internal ones 'or !e.eloping a career.

2c. >riti;"e

B"ali'ie! criti;"e o' beha.io"r a!!s 'oc"s on

inaction.

*egati.e beha.io"r an! resistance are the 'oc"s.

Power can be 'elt altho"gh not e+ercise!.

It is possible to hide the nails or the hammer...
and still ''hit'' the nail.

3. )a!ical str"ct"ral .iew
="$es
2oc"s

/he !oinant are in control o' socialization processes

an! political agen!as.

/hey control how iss"es are !e'ine! beca"se o'

coon i!eology an! belie's.

>on'lict can be latent beca"se "nconscio"s real

interests !i''er 'ro s"b7ecti.e ones3 anip"lation an!
in'l"ence "se! to control an! s"ppress interests o'
certain gro"ps.

3a. >riti;"e

O' beha.io"ral 'oc"s& insists on iportance o' social

str"ct"re an! i!eology& or power'"l i!eas.

2alse conscio"sness& anageent o' eaning&

"nobtr"si.e control.
Power is like a dark building through...
which we must move.

C. )elational approach
2o"ca"lt
2oc"s

Power is in.ol.e! in e.erything we !o always iplies

resistance.

*ot only the !oinant are power'"l& it is relational.

>on'lict is relati.e.

9ss"es are !e'ine! by !isco"rses that shape

$nowle!ge.

<1isco"rse< incl"!es locally .ariable conte+ts&

practices& instit"tions& techni;"es an! so on. *othing is
"ni.ersal.

Ca. >riti;"e

O' str"ct"re3 loo$s at how power !epen!s on

$nowle!ge& b"t also in'l"ences how $nowle!ge is
'ore!.

Power is a capillary 'orce& o.ing e.erywhere an!

not the property o' so3calle! !oinant gro"ps.
Power is everywher, moving through a crowd, like a
carnival, sometimes coordinated, like the Mexican wave
at a sport ground.

0oice an! .oicing
, conci!eration o' resistance in relation to
organizational s"ccess an! 'ail"re D

Exit 8 lea.e the organisation

Voice8 e+pression o' !issatis'action

Loyalty8 con'o"n!ing 'actor3 ten!s to !elay <e+it< an!

legitiise <.oice<.

-oth <e+it< an! <.oice< can be recuperative

mechanisms allowing organisational reco.ery

D can also wor$ together to rein'orce organisational

failure rather than reco.ery.

Global power relations

Elrich -ec$
1. transnational political arena8 stretche! between
risks an! world public sphere
2. violence8 propagate! an! e!iate! by speci'ic
ilitary inter.entions& an! the potential 'or the
establishent o' norms 'or h"an e+istence&
reg"late! thro"gh the law.
Cosmopolitan regime8 beyon! !oestic an!
'oreign politics& transnational power centres& actors
an! political 'iel!s& interaction between si!e e''ects&
national states an! societies.

,nswers

,re power an! politics generic to all organizations?

1o soe circ"stances ore than others gi.e rise to

power str"ggles an! politics in organizations?

Why is power s"ch a !i''ic"lt thing to !eal with in

organizations?

9s e.eryone able to gain or e+ercise power in

organizations?

/he :n!