Power, Authority and Politics

Definition

• Power is defined as the ability to influence and control

anything that is of value to others
• It is the ability of one organizational member to get another
organizational member to do what the latter would otherwise
not have done.
Distinctions between Power(P), Authority(A) and Influence(I)
• P: Power may or may not be legitimate
A: Authority is legitimate and a source of power
I: Influence may not be legitimate

• P: Power is generally unidirectional. It may or may not be liked by receiver

A: Authority, generally, has the willing acceptance of the person over
whom it is exercised
I: Influence may be both ways

• P: Power is associated with group compliance

A: Authority is associated with group consensus
I: Influence is associated with function of leading the power

• P: Power has the ability to alter reality

A: Authority may or may not alter reality
I: Influence can alter a person’s perception about reality
 Bases of Power
• Coercive Power: A person who has the power to harm another person
physically or psychologically by threatening his/her job security or
punishing him/her in some means is said to have Coercive Power

• Reward Power: Reward Power has its source in a person’s ability to

control resources used to reward others

• Legitimate Power: It refers to the power a person receives because of his or

her position in the formal organizational hierarchy derived from cultural
values, social structure and a person’s designation as a representative of a
group

• Expert Power: It refers to the influence a person wields as a result of some

special skill or knowledge that he/she possesses

• Referent Power: The base for referent power is identification with an

individual who has desirable resources or personal traits
 Power Tactics
Power tactics are the ways in which individuals translate
power bases into specific actions. The types are:
• Legitimacy: Relying on authority position
• Rational Persuasion: Presenting logical arguments
• Inspirational appeals: Developing emotional commitment
• Consultation: Involving the target in decision-making
• Exchange: Rewarding the target with benefits or favors
• Personal appeals: Asking for compliance based on loyalty
• Ingratiation: Using flattery for request
• Pressure: Using warnings, demands and threats
• Coalitions: Enlisting support of others to persuade the target to
agree
 Power Structure
• The power relationships may be direct or indirect but power is
equal

• Direct relationship consists of a supervisor supervises more than

one employee or subordinate individually

• Indirect relationship consist of a supervisor supervises in an

indirect manner i.e Supervisor A on Subordinate B, Subordinate B
on Subordinate C and Subordinate C on Subordinate D. Supervisor
A is indirectly having power over subordinates C and D

• The indirect power relationship arising due to mutual sharing of

power is called as power elite
 Power Blocs
• Power blocs are large groups of people who possess limited
individual power

• People come together to form power blocs to increase their

collective power and reduce or balance the power of those on
whom they depend ( Ex- Trade Unions)

• Power Blocs lead to instability in social interactions and

development of friction leading to social unrest and people
trying to balance the power by taking other actions

• Collective Bargaining and negotiations can balance the power

and satisfy the concerned parties
 Process of Power (Elements)
• Power Balance: When the degree of dependency of the target
is equal to the degree of power exercised by the agent, then the
power is said to be balanced

• Maintaining Imbalance: It can be done by creating a

psychological distance between people so that the tendency to
undermine authority is reduced to an extent

• Reacting to Power: The reactions to power are conditioned by

a person’s background and experiences and determine
achievement of balance in the relationship
 Process of Power (Elements)- Balancing Imbalance
• The party can withdraw from the relationship

• The party can form an alternative relationship with another

party of equal or greater power

• The party can form a coalition with another weak party to gain
group power

• Status valuation

• The party can equalize power through regular and continuous

interaction
 Process of Power (Elements)- Using Power
Ploys
Power ploys are techniques that a person uses to attain and
retain power. The types are:
• Upward strategies: These are used by a person to impress
his/her supervisors and move up in the organization

• Downward strategies: These are used to gain power over

subordinates

• Lateral strategies: These are used to gain power over

peers(relationship of obligation)
 Organizational Politics
• Organizational Politics comprises of those activities that are
not required as part of one’s formal role in the organization,
but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of
advantages and disadvantages within the organization

• Political behavior is outside the practitioner’s sphere of work

and it involves some effort on the part of the practitioner to
use the power at his disposal to influence decision making

• Politicking is defined as the acquisition and use of power

within the organization to serve one’s own ends
 Political Behavior
• Legitimate political behavior is that which forms a part of the day-to-
day work in an organization. The examples are:
 Organizational Coalitions
 Networking
 Developing contacts within and outside organization
 Complaining to the supervisors on routine matters
 Ignoring redundant rules and procedures
 Adhering to rules strictly
• Illegitimate political behavior is extreme in nature and does not keep to
the accepted level of politicking. The examples are:
 Protesting violently against rules
 Deliberately breaking rules
 Not conforming to the accepted procedures
 Absconding from work
 Sabotaging organizational activities
 Whistle blowing
 Individual Factors relating to Political
behavior
Individual politicking is a function of a person’s personality
traits, his/her background and experiences and the
environment in which he/she operates. The aspects are:

• Self monitoring- social conformity, skilled at politicking and

sensitive to social cues

• Individual’s locus of control- Controlling people and

environment by people with high internal locus of control.

• Strength of the individual’s power motive- Acquisition and

usage of power for own benefit (Machiavellian)
 Organizational Factors relating to Political
behavior
Political behavior thrives when organizations exhibit certain
characteristics like:
• Scarce resources
• Ambiguity of goals
• Role ambiguity
• Performance appraisals and rewards
• Culture of the organization
• Lack of mutual trust
• Pressure to perform
• Involvement of top management
 Ethics of Power and politics

• Self interest Vs organizational interest

• The rights of other parties

• Conformity to the standards of equity and justice