Power and Politics

Power and politics have been described as

the last dirty words
• You may have heard that “power
corrupts, absolute power corrupts
absolutely”.
• Any medicine can kill if taken in
the wrong amount but we don’t
abandon it.
• Power is not always bad
• It’s a reality of organizational life
• You need to know how it’s
acquired and exercised
The Meaning of Power
Power refers to a capacity
that A has to influence the
behavior of B so B acts in
accordance with A ’s
wishes.
The potential to influence others
 People have power they don’t
use and may not know they
possess On November 27, 2007, Fortune
On November 27, 2007, Fortune
named
namedSteve
 Power requires one person’s SteveJobs
Jobsthethemost
most
powerful
powerfulperson
perception of dependence on personininbusiness.
business.
another person
 Dependency: The Key To Power
The General Dependency Postulate
The greater Bs dependency on A, the
greater the power A has over B
Dependence, then, is inversely proportional
to the alternative sources of supply
Dependency
•Dependence depends on the alternatives B perceives and the
importance B places on the alternatives A controls
• Dependency increases when the resource you control is
important (Marketing Vs engineering), scarce (SS and DD),
and nonsubstitutable (highly published faculty)
 Bases of Power: Barack
Obama
Legitimate Elected
Elected 44thUS
44 th
USPresident
President
Reward Cabinet
Power Cabinetposition
positionappointments
appointments
Coercive Military
Power MilitaryCommander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
Informatio Briefed
n Power Briefedon
onnational
nationalsecurity
security
issues
issues
Expert Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_barack_obama
This file is licensed under Creative Commons

Power
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1. 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 of negative results from
failing to comply
A has coercive power over B, if A can dismiss, demote B
or assigns a job that B finds unpleasant,…

Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on the ability to
distribute rewards that others view as valuable
Legitimate Power
The power a person receives as a
result of his or her position in the
formal hierarchy of an
organization
 Stems from an individual’s unique
characteristics but not from
positions
Expert Power
Influence based on special skills
or knowledge

Referent Power
Based on identification with a person
who has desirable resources or
personal traits - charisma
Specifically, evidence indicate that:
• Personal sources are most effective (satisfaction, performance
and commitment)
• Formal sources (coercive) negatively related to satisfaction and
commitment
• Reward and legitimate power are unrelated to the outcomes
 OB Toolbox: Self-Assessment – Do You Have the
Characteristics of a Powerful Influencer?
People who are considered to be skilled influencers share the following attributes:
How often do you engage in them? 0 = never 1= sometimes 2 = always
_____ present information that can be checked for accuracy
_____ provide a consistent message that does not change from
situation to situation
_____ display authority and enthusiasm (often described as
charisma)
_____ offer something in return for compliance
_____ act likable
_____ show empathy through listening
_____ show you are aware of circumstances, others, and yourself
_____ plan ahead
If you scored 0-6: You do not engage in much effective influencing behavior
If you scored 7-12: You engage in some influencing behavior
If you scored 13-16:You have a great deal of influence potential
 Discussion
What does the phrase “Power corrupts and absolute
power corrupts absolutely” refer to? What experiences
have you had that confirm or refute this assumption.
What lessons can be learned from the past studies of
conformity to help avoid abuses of power in the future?
Give an example of someone who you are dependent
upon. Think about how scarcity, importance, and
substitutability affect this dependency.
Power and Perceived Justice
• Power,trust and justice perception
 High power fairly exercised can generate trust
and enhances justice perceptions
 high power exercised unfairly generates
mistrust and increases perception of injustice
 Thus, it appears that people think powerful
leaders should have the discretion to shape
organizational policies and change unfair rules,
and if they fail to do so, they will be seen
especially negatively.
Using power Ethically
Is Political Action ethical? We need to ask the
three series of questions as criteria for ethical
use of power:
1.Does the behavior produce a good outcome
for people both inside and outside the
organization? Utilitarian outcome
2.Does the behavior respects the rights of all
parties? Individual rights
3.Does the behavior treat all parties equally
and fairly? Distributive justice
Meaning of Politics
Political behavior – activities that are not
required as part of one’s formal role in the
organization, but that influence the distribution
of advantages and disadvantages within the
organization.
Outside of one’s specified job requirements.
Encompasses efforts to influence decision making
goals, criteria, or processes.
Includes such behaviors as withholding key
information from decision makers, whistle blowing,
spreading rumors, and leaking confidential
information.
13-16
Causes and Consequences of Political Behavior

13-17
Causes and Consequences of Political Behavior

13-18
Influence
InfluenceTactics
Tactics
•• Rational Which tactic do you think is the most
Rationalpersuasion
persuasion effective?
•• Inspirational
Inspirationalappeals
appeals • Rational permutation, inspirational
•• Consultation appeal, and consultation but pressure
Consultation • Depends on direction, skill, power,
•• Ingratiation
Ingratiation perception, organization culture and
•• Personal country specific culture )
Personalappeals
appeals
•• Exchange
Exchange
•• Coalitions
Coalitions
•• Pressure
Pressure
•• Legitimacy
Legitimacy
 Rational persuasion.
persuasion Trying to convince someone with
reason, logic, or facts.

 Inspirational appeals. Trying to build enthusiasm by

appealing to others’ emotions, ideals, or values.

 Consultation. Getting others to participate in planning,

making decisions, and changes.

 Ingratiation.
Ingratiation Getting someone in a good mood prior to
making a request; being friendly, helpful, and using praise
or flattery.
 Personal appeals.
appeals Referring to friendship and loyalty when
making a request.

 Exchange. Making express or implied promises and trading

favors.

 Coalition tactics.
tactics Getting others to support your effort to
persuade someone.

 Pressure.
Pressure Demanding compliance or using intimidation or
threats.

 Legitimating tactics. Basing a request on one’s authority or

right, organizational rules or polices, or express or implied

Deception Lying
Organizational
politics

Intimidation
Deception

Trick another party into picking wrong

decision alternative

Personal goals more important than

organizational goals

Manager does not want change and

asks for an endless series of studies
Lying
Intentional misstatement of the truth

Trying to mislead other party

Distorts information in favor of the liar

Can have long-term negative effects if

discovered

“There will be no layoffs.”

Intimidation
Direct or indirect pressures on a person by
someone with power over the person

Restrict communication of person with others

Isolate from others

Includes sexual harassment of anyone

Imply withholding a promotion unless . . .

 Discussion
Do you think politics are a positive or negative
thing for organizations? Why?
Describe an example of a negative outcome due to
politics.
Describe an example of a positive outcome due to
politics.
Can you think of additional individual or
organizational antecedents of political behavior?
What political behaviors have you observed within
school groups or your workplace? Were they
successful? Why or why not?