Power, politics and leadership
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Transcript of Power, politics and leadership
Power, Politics and Leadership
POLITICS OF EDUCATION ( MEM 518)
Mindanao University of Science and Technology
Lecturer: Enrique S. Guevarra , MEd
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Learning Objectives
After studying these topics and doing the exercises , you should be able to
Recognize the various types of power
Identify tactics used for becoming an empowering leader
Know how to use delegation to support empowerment.
Pinpoint factors contributing to organizational politics.
Describe both ethical and unethical political behaviors.
Explain how a leader can control dysfunctional politics.
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Sources and Types of Power
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1. Position Power
2. Personal Power
3. Power Stemming from Ownership
4. Power Stemming from Providing Resources
5. Power Derived from Capitalizing on opportunity.
6. Power Stemming from Managing Critical Problems
7. Power Stemming from Being Close to Power
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Position Power
Power is frequently classified according to whether its stems from the organization or the individual
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Four bases of power :
1. Legitimate Power - the lawful right to make a decision and expect compliance .
2. Reward Power – the authority to give employees rewards for compliance
3. Coercive Power is the power to punish non compliance ; it is based on fear.
4. Information power is power stemming from formal control over the information people need to do their work.
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Personal Power
This power is derived from the person rather than the organization
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Types of Personal Power
1. Expert power is the ability to influence others through specialized knowledge , skills or abilities.
2. Referent power is the ability to influence others through one’s desirable traits and characteristics
3. Prestige power stems from one’s status and reputation
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9Power Stemming from Ownership
Executive leaders accrue power in their capacity as agents acting on behalf of share holders.
The strength of ownership power depends on how closely the leader is linked to shareholders and board members.
A leader’s ownership is also associated with how much money he or she has invested in the firm.
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Power stemming from Providing ResourcesThe organization
requires a continuing flow of human resources, money, customers and clients , technological inputs and materials to continue to function.
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Power Derived from Capitalizing on Opportunity
Power can be derived from being in the right place and taking the appropriate action.
It pays to be “ where the action is”.
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12Power Stemming from Managing Critical Problems
The strategic contingency theory of power suggests that units best able to cope with the firm’s critical problems and uncertainties acquire relatively large amounts of power.
The Strategic contingency theory concerns the power a person acquires by virtue of centrality.
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Power Stemming from Being Close to Power
The closer a person is to power , the greater power he or she exerts.
The higher unit reports in a firm’s hierarchy , the more power it possesses.
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Tactics for Becoming an Empowering Leader
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The Nature of Empowerment
Empowerment refers to passing decision making authority and responsibility from
managers to group members
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16Components of Empowerment ( Gretchen M. Spreitzer)
Meaning – the value of work goal , evaluated in relation to a person’s ideals or standards.
Competence or self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in his or her capability to perform a particular task well.
Self-determination – is an individual’s feeling of having a choice in initiating and regulating actions.
Impact is the degree to which the worker can influence strategic, administrative or operating outcomes on the job.
Internal commitment takes place when workers are committed to a particular project , person or program, for individual motives.
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Empowering Practices
Foster Initiative and Responsibility
Link Work Activities to Organizational Goals
Provide Ample Information
Allow Group Members to Choose Methods.
Encourage Self-leadership
Implement Team-based Human Resource Policies
Establish Limits to Empowerment
Continue to Lead
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18Effective Empowering Practices
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
1. Foster Initiative and Responsibility
2. Link Work Activities to Organizational Goals
3. Provide Ample Information
4. Allow Group Members to Choose Methods.
5. Encourage Self-leadership
6. Implement Team-based Human Resource Policies
7. Establish Limits to Empowerment
8. Continue to Lead
EFFECTIVE EMPOWERMENT
• Meaning to work• Competence• Self-efficacy• Impact• Internal commitment
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Factors contributing to Organizational Politics
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Organizational politics refers to informal approaches to gain power through means other than merit or luck.
Politics are played to achieve power, either directly or indirectly.
Power may be achieved By being promotedBy receiving a larger budget or other resourcesBy obtaining more resources for one’s group By being exempt from undesirable assignments.
Researchers concluded that “ Political skill is an interpersonal style that combines social awareness with the ability to communicate well. ( Ferrez et al 2000)
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Many writers still regard organizational politics as emphasizing self-interest at the expense of others , engaging in mysterious activities or “ kissing up”
“It’s often a question of language. When we won on an issue, we call it leadership. When we lose, we call it politics. Practicing politics simply means increasing your options for effective results ( Labarre 1999)
People want power for many different reasons, which is why political behavior is so widespread in organizations. By definition , politics is used to acquire power.
Power, Politics and Leadership
22Pyramid-Shaped Organization Structure
A pyramid concentrates power at the top.
Each successive layer on the organization chart has less power than the layer above.
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Subjective Standards of Performance
People often resort to organizational politics because they do not believe that the organization has an objective and fair way of judging their performance and suitability for promotion.
“It’s not what you know but who you know” applies to organizations that lack clear-cut standards of performance.
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24Environmental Uncertainty and Turbulence
When people operate in an unstable and unpredictable environment , they tend to behave politically.
They rely on organizational politics to create a favorable impression because uncertainty makes it difficult to determine what they should really be accomplishing.
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Emotional Insecurity
Some people resort to political maneuvers to ingratiate themselves with superiors because they lack confidence in their talents and skills.
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Machiavellian Tendencies
Some people engage in political behavior because they want to manipulate others, sometimes their own personal advantage.
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27The Organizational Politics Questionnaire
Please refer to the the word format
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28Encouraging Admiration from Subordinates
Most organizational leaders say they do not encourage kissing up and that they prefer honest feedback from subordinates
Managers , as well as other workers, send out subtle signals that they want to be praised, such as smiling after receiving a compliment and frowning when receiving negative feedback.
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Political Tactics and Strategies
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30Ethical Political Tactics and StrategiesStrategies Aimed at Gaining Power
1. Develop power contacts
2. Control Vital information
3. Stay informed.
4. Control lines of communication
5. Bring in outside experts
6. Make a quick showing
7. Remember that everyone expects to be paid back
8. Be the first to accept reasonable changes
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31Ethical Political Tactics and Strategies
Strategies and Tactics aimed at
1. Display loyalty
2. Manage your impression
3. Ask satisfied customers to contact your boss.
4. Be courteous, pleasant and positive.
5. Ask advice.
Building Relationships
6. Send thank-you notes to large numbers of people.
7. Flatter others sensibly
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32Ethical Political Tactics and StrategiesStrategies aimed
at Political Blunders
1. Criticizing the boss in a public forum.
2. Bypassing the boss.
3. Declining an offer from top management.
4. Putting your foot in your mouth
5. Not conforming to the company dress code
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33Unethical Political Tactics and Strategies
1. Backstabbingo The ubiquitous back stab
requires that you pretend to be nice but all the while plan someone’s demise.
2. Embrace or Demolisho It suggests that you
remove from the premises rivals who suffered past hurts through your efforts ; otherwise the wounded rivals might retaliate at a vulnerable moment.
3. Setting a Person Up for Failure
o The object of a set up is to place a person in a position where he or she will either fail outright or look ineffective
4. Divide and Ruleo The object is to have
subordinates fight among themselves , thus yielding the balance of power to another person.
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34Unethical Political Tactics and Strategies
5. Playing Territorial Games
o Territorial games involve protecting and hoarding resources that give one power , such as information , relationships and decision making authority.
o People arte greedy to survive in a corporate world.
6. Creating and Then Resolving a False Catastrophe
o An advanced devious tactic is for a manager to pretend a catastrophe exists and then proceed to rescue others from the catastrophe , thereby appearing to be a superhero. ( Sandberg 2003)
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Exercising Control over Dysfunctional Politics
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Organizational politics can hurt an organization and its members.
Too much politicking can result in wasted time and effort , thereby lowering productivity.
A study of 1,730 employees in four organizations investigated how the perception of political behavior was related to certain outcomes. Among the findings were as follows :
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Perceptions of political behavior taking place in the work group were associated with less commitment to the organization and a stronger turnover intention with less commitment to the organization and a stronger turnover intention
Perceptions of political behavior taking place throughout the organization were also associated with less commitment to the organization and a stronger turnover intention ( Maslyn and Fedor 1998)
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38How to control dysfunctional politics?
Avoiding favoritism
Setting good examples at the top of the organization.
Sharing of similar goals among the individuals and the organization
Hiring people with integrity
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SUMMARY
1. Organizational power is derived from
Position PowerLegitimateRewardCoerciveInformation
Personal PowerExpert Reference
2. Power stems from Ownership Control of
resources Capitalizing on
opportunities Managing critical
problems Being close to
power
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SUMMARY3. Full-pledged
empowerment includes Dimensions of meaning Self-determination Competence Impact Internal commitment
4. Actions taken to become an empowering leader
Foster initiative and responsibility
Link work activities to the goals of the organization
Provide ample information
Allow group members to choose methods.
Encourage self-leadership
Implement team-based human resource policies
Establish limits to empowerment
Continue to lead.
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SUMMARY
5. To acquire and retain power , a leader must skillfully use organizational politics. Contributing factors include
Pyramidal shape of organization
Subjective performance standards
Environmental uncertainty
Emotional insecurity
Machiavellianism Encouraging admiration
from subordinates
6. Political tactics and strategies
Ethical methods Aimed at gaining
power Aimed at building
relationships Aimed at avoiding
political blunders
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Unethical tactics Embrace or
demolish strategy
Constitute another category of political behavior
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Reference
Dubrin, A.J. 2007, Leadership : Research Findings , Practice, and Skills Fifth edn, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.