Post on 28-Dec-2015
“The probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance.” Weber, 1947, p. 152
Sources of authority—legitimate power
Groups influence who has authority & who follows the authority
Authority relations in schools have 3 primary characteristics:
• Willingness of staff to comply• A suspension of the staffs’ criteria for making a
decision prior to a directive• A power relationship legitimized by the norms
of a group
Types of Authority– Traditional authority: belief in the sanctity of
the status of those exercising authority in the past
– Legal authority: based on enacted laws that can be changed by formally correct procedures
– Formal authority: vested in the organization and is legally established in positions, rules, and regulations.
– Functional authority: variety of sources, including authority of competence and authority of person.
– Informal authority: stems from personal behavior and attributes of individuals.
Authority and Administrative Behavior in Schools• Chester Barnard (1938) “zone of
indifference”• Formal authority promotes limited
compliance, but doesn’t require employees to exert responsibility or initiative
• This poses a challenge for school leaders
• Control through domination?– Leads to resentment – Lack of loyalty– Blau refers to this
as the “dilemma of bureaurocrat authority”
Therefore, successful principals do the opposite:
• They furnish services & assistance to faculty • Results: enhanced development of loyalty and
an increase in the principal’s informal authority
• Supervisors should focus on helping, not directing
• Research supports these assertions• “Close authoritarian control of teachers does
not generate informal authority; supportive and helpful supervision does.” p. 223
Emotional detachment & hierarchical independenceImportant characteristics of principal-teacher
relationships.Emotional detachment: the ability to remain
cool/collected in challenging situationsHierarchical independence: extent to which
administrators demonstrate their autonomy from superiors (District level admin) as they interact w/ teachers
An Administrator’s To Do List:– Be considerate and supportive of their
teachers: help teachers be successful– Be authentic: be straight, share in the blame,
and avoid manipulating others– Be unfettered by bureaucracy: substitute good
judgment for rigid rules– Demonstrate autonomy: be your own person– Demonstrate influence: go to bat for your
teachers with superiors– Stay calm and cool, especially in difficult
situations: don’t “blow up”– Avoid the use of authoritarian behavior: it is
doomed to failure(p. 244)
Sources of Power• Reward Power: Influence staff by rewarding a
desired behavior• Coercive Power: Influence the staff by
punishing them for undesirable behavior.• Legitimate power: Influence behavior of staff
because of his/her formal position (principal). • Referent Power: Influence behavior based on
the staff’s liking and identification with the administrator
• Expert power: Influence subordinate’s behavior based on specialized knowledge or skill
Don’t abuse your power, just be nice…Be polite and clear.Explain reasons when requesting something from your staff.
Respond to concerns of staffers
Use legitimate authority.
Make sure you’ve got the right wine for that cheese…it could get ugly if you don’t!• Your effectiveness as an administrator is
determined by pairing the right type of power with the right situation.
• There are five types of power (you’ve got the list in your packet) and Yukl has identified three reactions that they may elicit from your staff:– Commitment– Simple compliance– Resistance
How’s about a little informal assessment…Get your “Types of Power” cheat sheet.Obtain a student responder.Wait for me to tell you when to power up
your responder.Log in with your three letter code located on
the sheet at your table (press slowly).When answering, press only once.
So, what do we get out of this?Two of the five types of power will maximize commitment from the school community.
At the very least, the type of power you choose should avoid resistance and alienation.
Issues with each type of power.Referent power most effective, but also most
difficult to achieve because it requires longevity.
Expert power requires the constant demonstration of knowledge and skill (you may also have to relinquish some control )
Reward power may guarantee simple compliance, but we want to avoid bringing Ivan to the party.
Legitimate power is a possibility but limited in its scope (i.e. grades).
Coercive power just gets ugly. You didn’t do what I want so I’m going to do this to you…
There is also the possibility of sharing power.Sharing EMPOWERS staff. Components of
sharing power include:Shared decision makingDelegation of authorityPromotion of teamwork/collaboration
Minimizes the need to yield less productive types of power and may have positive outcomes on student achievement.
Mintzberg’s Perspective on PowerPower is controlled by the individuals in a
school that control a resource, a technical skill, or a body of knowledge. Do you have power if most people have a skill that you have?
Case study – me.Power can also come from a legal perogative.Some people can wield power because they
have special access to those in the power structure.
Four Sets of Internal Power SystemsThe System of Authority
Personal control (Administrative directives)
Bureaucratic control (contractual obligations, etc.)
The System of IdeologyThe System of ExpertiseThe System of Politics
What to do?Combining systems of authority and ideology
with a pinch of expertise will allow you to maximize the effectiveness of your power on campus.
The overarching message…SHARE POWER WHILE LIMITING
POLITICAL GAMES.
Rationality vs. RationalizationRationality is the application of evidence
and reason to make decisionsRationalization is an attempt to make a
decision seem rational after it has already been made.
The influence of Power on ReasonPossession of power spoils the free use of
reason (Kant, 1974).People in Power spin the truth to suit their
own purposes. (Sweetland and Hoy, 2000b).Power defines reality!People in power reinterpret evidence.
The influence of Power on ReasonNietzsche 1968
Interpretation is itself a means of becoming master of something and subduing and becoming masters involves a fresh interpretation.
Self delusion may be part of the will to power.Machiavlli (1984)
Two types of power use People who can force the issue People who must use persuasion.
Rationalization and Power Administrators often believe their own
rationalizations.An administrator unwilling to present a
rational argument is using the power to act.Administrators are more likely to listen to
reason when power is Stable.“Knowledge is power” Bacon (1597) but also
“power is knowledge”
ORGANIZATIONAL POWER AND POLITICS pg. 236 – 238Organizational Politics is informal and
illegitimate.Coalitions are groups of individuals who
bargain for power.Individuals have parochial needs and attempt
to satisfy those needs by forming groups.Groups may be professional, departmental,
gender, ethnic, internal or external.
CoalitionsExternal InternalAchieve goals
outside of official decision making process.
Three typesDominatedDividedPassive
affected by external coalitions
Five typesPersonalizedBureaucraticIdeologicalProfessionalPoliticized
THE POWER GAME pg. 238 – 240Power Matters!
Your options are…LeaveStay and play for powerStay and contribute as expected
Politics can be good!Politics creates conflict and can bring
attention to an issue.Politics ensures and promotes:
Strongest members become leadersAll sides of issue are debatedChange Action on decisions.
Now let the GAMES BEGIN!!!!
When a group of students begin to protest an event, then students and teachers take sides. The type of internal coalition formed isA.) personalized
B.) ideological
C.) bureaucratic
D.) professional
E.) politicized
Political Tactics• Ingratiating: a tactic used to gain the
goodwill of another group doing favors.• Networking: The process of forming
relationships with influential people• Information Management: A tactic used to
control others or build status• Impression management: Create a favorable
image…tout your accomplishments.• Coalition building: the process of individuals
banning together to achieve a to; oppose or support a proposed policy or change.
• Scapegoating: is blaming and attacking others when things go wrong or not working
• Increasing indispensability: individuals make themselves necessary to the organization.
Political Games: • Rules establish opportunities or pathways by which
people gain access to positions, power and materials.• Insurgency games: used to resist formal authority • Power building games: Games that are used by
participants to build a power base.• Alliance-building game: individuals develop a concern
and seek supporters or a group of individuals concerned about an issue seek out an informal leader to effectively present their position
• Empire building game: the attempt of an individual to enhance his or her power base by collecting subordinates and groups. Individuals are typically fighting over territory. This type of game typically takes place during budgeting; Secure resources, satisfy your constituents; retain power.
• Expertise game: Secure power through the development of specialized skills necessary to the success of the organization
Lording: Those with legitimate power “lord over” subordinates; often seen in the classroom.
Rival Games: • Line and staff game: Conflict between middle
managers with formal authority and staff advisors with specialized expertise (District level coordinator -vs -principal)
• Rival-camps game: Two well defined groups square off.
Change Games: Designed to alter the organization or
its practices.• Strategic-candidates game: Use the legitimate
system of authority to promote a proposal or project.• Whistle blowing game: The use of inside information
on a particular behavior that violates an important norm or perhaps the law. The informant typically circumvents the legitimate channel of control and is subject to reprisal, the contact is typically kept secret.
• Young Turks-game: an attempt to affect a change so fundamental that is throws the legitimate power into question.
Conflict Management
Competing Collaborating
Avoiding Accommodating
Your needs -vs.- needs of others
Uncooperative Cooperative
Assertive
Unassertive
• Conflict-management styles: Two basic dimensions of behavior that can produce conflict: attempting to satisfy one’s concerns and attempting to satisfy others’ concerns.• Avoiding style: Unassertive and uncooperative. Ignore
conflicts• Compromising style: Balancing the needs between the
organization and individuals. Negotiate; focus on middle ground.
• Competitive style: creates win lose situations-assertive and uncooperative style which produces rivalry and creates a situation in which the winner achieves his/ her goals at the expense of others.
• Accommodating style: Unassertive and cooperative; submissive and compliant.
• Collaborating style: Assertive and cooperative. Problems and conflicts are seen as challenges. Differences are confronted and ideas and information are shared. Attempting to s satisfy organizational demands can be viewed along an assertive-unassertive continuum: attempting to satisfy individual needs can be conceptualized from uncooperative to cooperative.