Power And Politics

In an Organisation

-Bhavin Raval CIMSR MMS- 2012-14

CASE STUDY In 1980’s there were many polytechnics in the UK, one of them was

Fairisle Polytechnic. It was a Government institution and hence, was famous for its Non-

Advance Further Education (NAFE). And had divorce and alimony………..

One of the latest site occupied by Fairisle was at Fawley Ridge which was a place in demand by the then businessmen for its price appreciation.

The new director Paul Kost had his contacts in the Government and was a brilliant public speaker, charming host and stubborn once the decision was made, for him his position was very precious and so was his seat.

As Kost found the organization structure inappropriate he decided to have a structural change by grouping depts., assigning new set of tasks to higher authorities, quality checks etc.

Derek who was then appointed as then H.O.D. Of continental mgmt. was young and deserving and very hard working .

Derek was forced to do things by Kost which were inappropriate just to keep things going as per him and so as he should not leave his position.

Derek did things which were opposing his principles so as to be in the Org. and Kost kept on using him for his task, as the 1 who was answerable was not him.

INTRODUCTIONPower is indisputable part of everyday life and a

very controversial aspects of organizations.Examples :1. Redundancy payments2. Problems enforcing equal opportunity policy3. Disputes over noisy or dirty surroundings4. Fights over titles given to positions5. Conflicts over patronage, nepotism, Red-Tapism

etc

Hence, power is an extremely complex and important phenomenon for managers to understand.

APPROACHES TO POWERDescription

Focus Critique Theorists Image

1 Dimensional model

Behavioral view

Decision making behavior. Overt conflict.Subjective interest.

Grand theories of power in political economy

Dahl Hammer- Nail

2 Dimensional model

Political view

Includes non-decision making.Avoidance.

Ads focus on inaction.

Bacharach and Baratz

Hide the nail or hammer and still HIT.

3 Dimensional model

Radical Structural view

The dominants are in control of socializing and political agendas

Of behavioral focus insist on importance of social structure and ideology

Lukes Power is like dark building through which we should move.

4 Dimensional model

Relational view

Power is involved in everything we do- always implies resistance. Not only the dominating are powerful its relational

Of structure- looks at how power depends upon knowledge, but also influences how knowledge is formed.

Foucault Power is everywhere moving through a crowd.

The Behavioral view of Power & Authority

This concept was mainly given by Robert Dahl (1957) but is related on concepts given by Lukes, Forster and Browne, Velasquez, etc.

It also states the different styles of leadership used by leaders (e.g. autocratic, democratic or participative)

It also states that how power influences the behavior or how the behavior influences the exercised power.

It says that how the influence of power should be managed up, down and across the hierarchy :

1. Power of lower participants2. Power resources and strategies among managers3. Empowerment

1. Power of lower participantsThis theory is given by mechanic (1962)He argued that access to resources was not solely

dependent on a persons position in the hierarchy and that lower participants could through such things as effort, interest and even attractiveness, increase their access to these resources, thereby making others dependent on them. These others can and did include senior staff.

This is basically the power exercised by the lower level employees on the higher levels for either complaints or fulfillment of their demands.

E.g. Workers union, ward boys and doctors etc.

2. Power resources and strategies among managersFrench and Raven (1959)

Handy (1976-85)

Kotter (1977) Mintzberg (1983)

All managers All managers Middle Managers

Middle Managers

Types of power1. Reward

power2. Coercive

power3. Legitimate

power4. Referent

power5. Expert

power

Power resources1. Physical 2. Resource3. Position4. Expert5. Negative6. PersonalInfluence7. Force8. Rules and

procedures9. Exchange10.Persuation11.Ecology12.magnetism

Influence1. Creation of

sense of obligation

2. Building of reputation as expert

3. Creating dependence by making others believe the manager has resources

Political Games1. Games to

resist authority

2. Games to counter resistance

3. Games to build power base

4. Games to change the organization

Bristol Voss (1992) approach in cities of Buchanan and Badham:

1) Focus on the job to build your credit.2) Skills of observation and listening.3) Skills to identify opinion leaders and fence sitters.4) Judge personalities and interests5) Ability to develop unobstrusive partnership and use reciprocity6) Avoid blatant use of power7) Negotiation skills and knowing when to push and when to pull

back or concede8) Ability to make the boss look good9) Not alienating superiors by saying ‘NO’10) Developing loyal and competent subordinates who make you

look good11) Patience

3. EmpowermentThe concept of empowerment owes much to the work of

Rosabeth Moss Kanter.The process by which managers help others to acquire

and use the power needed to make decisions affecting themselves and their work.

Considers power to be something that can be shared by everyone working in flatter and more collegial organizations.

Provides the foundation for self-managing work teams and other employee involvement groups.

The 3 lines of access:

1) Lines of supply

2) Lines of information

3) Lines of support

Gender and Empowermentkey propositions of empowerment relates to mentoring. It

is a highly gendered relationship.Belle Rose Ragin (1997) after her survey drew a conclusion

that gender was a major factor leading to successful as well as unsuccessfull mentoring.

This theory was later supported by many.

Political view of powerBacharach & Baratz’s (1962) work grew out

of political science and public policy and dealt with issues related to community politics .

The political view of power helped shift focus away from individual accounts of power to look more broadly at institutional practises that change the basis of power in organizations and create different forms of politics and power relationships.

1) Strategic contingency view of power2) The political organisation

The radical view of power and dominationPower is widely dispersed and not

concentrated in the hands of elite groupBargaining and negotiating process are seen

as tools for restoring equality in the power between various stakeholders

Power and authority are 2 different thingsPower of a person may bring a revelution and

help the future generations as wellLimited use of power does not arise conflict

but accessive use of power does

The relational view of power The distinction between conscious and unconscious

resistance as following from the radical view is that it appears subjective circumstances themselves prove resistant to certain types of change in ways that are not fully understood by the subjects themselves.

People can exercise power without even knowing that they are doing so

Power is the expression of order through comand which exist in two dimensions

1. Momentum 2. sting

ConclusionThrough adopting an appropriate approach to power,

managers have a wider range of understandings and techniques by which to deal with the diverse confronting them.

This chapter argues that power is dispersed, that everyone has some power, that resistence is born alongside power and that power is relational.

It also says that rather than looking at how action is controlled, this view looks at how knowledge is produced, how the powerful are advantaged in shaping knowledge through discourse, and how resistence can begin from insignificant origins

Power is not permenent, its always changing based on situations.

- Bhavin Raval