Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst.

Professor
 Themes

Power and political behavior are natural processes in

any group or organization.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 A Definition of Power

Power
A capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B
so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.

Dependency
B’s relationship to A when A possesses something
that B requires.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Contrasting Leadership and Power
 Leadership  Power
– Focuses on goal – Used as a means for
achievement. achieving goals.
– Requires goal – Requires follower
compatibility with dependency.
followers. – Used to gain lateral
– Focuses influence and upward
downward. influence.
 Research Focus  Research Focus
– Leadership styles – Power tactics for
and relationships gaining compliance
with followers

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Bases of Power: Formal Power
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.

Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on the ability to
distribute rewards that others view as valuable.
Is the opposite of Coercive power.
Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor
 Bases of Power: Formal Power (cont’d)

Legitimate Power
The power a person receives as a result of his or her
position in the formal hierarchy of an organization.

Information Power
Power that comes from access to and control over
information.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Bases of Power: Personal Power
Expert Power
Influence based on special skills or knowledge.

Referent Power
Influence based on possession by an individual of
desirable resources or personal traits.

Charismatic Power
An extension of referent power stemming from an
individual’s personality and interpersonal style.
- Good communicator and has an attractive personality that naturally works to convince the audience about his opinions and ideas.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Charismatic Leader

Good communicator and has an attractive

personality that naturally works to convince the
audience about his opinions and ideas.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Dependency: The Key To Power

 The General Dependency Postulate

– The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the
power A has over B.
– Possession/control of scarce organizational resources
that others need makes a manager powerful.
– Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple suppliers)
reduces the resource holder’s power.
 What Creates Dependency
– Importance of the resource to the organization
– Scarcity of the resource
– Nonsubstitutability of the resource

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Power Tactics

Power Tactics
Ways in which individuals translate power bases into
specific actions.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Influence Tactics
Legitimacy: Relying on your authority position or saying
a request accords with organizational policies or rules.
Rational persuasion: Presenting logical arguments and
factual evidence to demonstrate a request is reasonable.
Inspirational appeals: Developing emotional
commitment by appealing to a target’s values, needs,
hopes, and aspirations.
Consultation: Increasing the target’s support by
involving him or her in deciding how you will accomplish
your plan.
Exchange: Rewarding the target with benefits or favors
in exchange for following a request – Give and Take.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Personal appeals: Asking for compliance based on
friendship or loyalty.

Ingratiation: Using flattery, praise, or friendly behavior

prior to making a request.

Pressure: Using warnings, repeated demands, and

threats.

Coalitions: Enlisting the aid or support of others to

persuade the target to agree.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Preferred Power Tactics by Influence Direction

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Power in Groups: Coalitions

Coalitions
• Seek to maximize their
Clusters of individuals size to attain influence.
who temporarily come • Seek a broad and diverse
together to achieve a constituency for support
specific purpose. of their objectives.
• Occur more frequently in
organizations with high
task and resource
interdependencies.
• Occur more frequently if
tasks are standardized
and routine.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Unequal Power in the Workplace: Sexual
Harassment
Sexual harassment is defined as any unwanted activity
of a sexual nature that affects an individual’s employment
and creates a hostile work environment.
Disagreement continues about what specifically
constitutes sexual harassment.

Includes but not limited to: unwanted physical touching,

recurring requests for dates when it is made clear the
person isn’t interested, and coercive threats that a person
will lose his or her job for refusing a sexual proposition.
Unwanted looks or comments, off-color jokes, sexual
artifacts posted in the workplace, etc.
Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor
 Sexual Harassment Differ by Country

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Politics: Power in Action
Political Behavior
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
or disadvantages within the organization.

Legitimate Political Behavior

Normal everyday politics.

Illegitimate Political Behavior

Extreme political behavior that violates the implied
rules of the game.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Political Behavior

Includes varied political behaviors such as withholding

key information from decision makers, joining a coalition,
whistleblowing, spreading rumors, leaking confidential
information to the media, exchanging favors with others
in the organization for mutual benefit, and lobbying on
behalf of or against a particular individual or decision
alternative.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Factors Contributing to Political Behavior

Not all groups or organizations are equally political. In

some organizations, for instance, politicking is overt and
rampant/wide spread, while in others politics plays a
small role in influencing outcomes.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Factors …

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Employees Response to Organizational Politics

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Impression Management (IM)

Is the process by which individuals attempt to control

the impression others form of them.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Impression Management (IM) Techniques
Conformity
Agreeing with someone else’s opinion to gain his or her approval is
a form of ingratiation.

Favors
Doing something nice for someone to gain that person’s approval
is a form of ingratiation.
Excuses
Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at
minimizing the apparent severity of the predicament is a
defensive IM technique.
Apologies
Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and
simultaneously seeking to get a pardon for the action

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor

 Impression …

Self-Promotion
Highlighting one’s best qualities, downplaying one’s deficits, and
calling attention.
Enhancement
Claiming that something you did is more valuable than most other
members of the organizations would think.

Flattery
Complimenting others about their virtues in an effort to make
oneself appear perceptive and likeable.

Exemplification
Doing more than you need to in an effort to show how dedicated
and hard working you are.

Updated by Tiruneh Legesse, Asst. Professor