Power & Politics - Sources of Individual Power, Sources of Functional & Divisional Power and...
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Transcript of Power & Politics - Sources of Individual Power, Sources of Functional & Divisional Power and...
Power, Politics, Sources of Individual, Functional & Divisional Power and
Organisational Politics
Dr. G C Mohanta, BE, MSc(Engg), MBA, PhD(Mgt)
Professor
Al-Qurmoshi Institute of Business Management Hyderabad
Power Power is the potential ability to influence
behaviour, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance, and to get the people to do the things they would not otherwise do.
The greater A’s dependency on B, the greater B’s power over A.
Dependency arises as some body has control over the resources and due to:
Importance of the resource to the organization
Scarcity of the resource
Non-substitutability of the resource
Sources of Individual Power Two main sources of individual power
Position power—based on one’s formal position in an organization
Personal power—derived from a person’s individual qualities or characteristics
Position Power
• Legitimate power• Reward power• Coercive power• Information power
Personal Power
• Rational persuasion• Referent power• Expert power• Charismatic power
Individual Power
Legitimate Power Legitimate Power—refers to the ability to influence
others because of the position one holds in the organization.
It is also called authority, or the right to command. Characteristics of organizational authority are:
i. It is invested in a person's position.
ii. It is accepted by subordinates.
iii. Authority is used vertically, flows from the top down.
Coercive & Reward Power
Coercive Power—the power to punish or withhold punishment.
It is based on fear.
It can come from legitimate power.
It can come informally, e.g., fear of rejection by co-workers.
Reward Power—The power to give pay raises, promotion, praise, interesting projects, and other rewards to subordinates.
Information, Expert & Rational Persuasion Power
Information Power—The power that stems from access to and control over information.
Expert Power—based on an individual's special and valued expertise.
The lower the substitutability of the expertise, the greater the expert's power.
Rational Persuasion - Ability to mount logical arguments and factual evidence to convince others an idea as acceptable.
Referent & Charismatic Power Referent Power - Informal power that stems from
being liked, admired, and respected.
Charismatic Power - An intense form of referent power that stems from an individual’s personality or physical or other abilities, which induce others to believe in and follow that person. Vision
Inspire trust
Excellent communicators
Sources of Functional and Divisional Power
Power Tactics
Ways in which Individual translates power bases into specific actions
Seven tactical dimensions or strategies
Reason
Assertiveness
Friendliness
Coalition
Bargaining
Higher authority
Sanctions
Power Tactics: From Most to Least Popular
Strategies for Attaining Power
Maintaining alliance with powerful people
Embrace or Demolish
Divide and Rule
Manipulate Information
Create good impressions
Collect and use IOUs
Go slow and easy
Wait for crises
Reservations against participation
Power Sharing Decentralization of power- shared decision
making.
De-concentration – handing over some admin authority to lower levels
Delegation- Transferring responsibility for specifically defined functions
Devolution - creating and strengthening sub-units
Privatization – passing responsibility to private organisations.
Organizational Politics Politics are the 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.
Politics = Power in Action
Legitimate and illegitimate political behaviors are common in organizations.
Factors contributing to Political Behavior
Individual factors (e.g., personality traits, needs)
Organizational factors (e.g., when organizational resources decline, resources change, low trust exists, high performance pressures, and the opportunity of promotion exists)
Good Power and PoliticsProcesses
Empowerment, open conflict, positive-sum games, creative turbulence, acceptance of rules of the game, consensus on core values, shifting coalitions and interests
Outcomes
Flexibility, adaptiveness, overcome dependency and inertia, root out entrenched interests, abolish unproductive routines, increased efficacy, efficiency
Bad Power and PoliticsFrom the organization’s perspective
Processes Back-stabbing, rumor-mongoring, vengeance-
seeking, sabotage, corruption, secrecy, hoarding, zero-sum games
Outcomes Goal subversion/sub-optimization; factionalism;
stalemate & inertia, high cost in time & resources, loss of transparency and accountability
From the participant’s perspective Uncertainty, anxiety, frustration, stress, isolation,
inability to focus on tasks, failure
How Do People Respond to Organizational Politics?
Decreased job satisfaction, increased anxiety, increased turnover, and reduced performance
Defensive Actions:
Reactive and protective behaviors to avoid action, blame, or change
Impression Management
The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them.
Defensive BehaviourAvoiding Action
Over conforming
Buck Passing
Playing Dumb
Stretching
Stalling
Avoiding Blame Bluffing
Playing Safe
Justifying
Scapegoating
Misrepresenting
•Avoiding Change – Prevention
– Self-protection
Impression Management Conformity: Agreeing to gain approval
Excuses: To minimize severity
Apologies: Admitting responsibility and attempt to gain pardon
Self-Promotion: Highlighting one’s achievements and positives
Flattery: Complimenting others
Favours: Doing something nice to gain approval
Association: Reflected glory