Transcript Document

Power, Authority & Organizational Politics
OBJECTIVES:

TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF POWER AND
ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS

DESCRIBE THE SOURCES OF POWER IN THE
ORGANIZATION

DISCUSS THE USE OF POWER IN A MANAGERIAL
WORK

OUR FOCUS IS AN ORGANIZATION IN THIS COURSE
(not politics in general)
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
POWER:
THE ABILITY OF ONE PERSON OR GROUP TO CAUSE
ANOTHER PERSON OR GROUP TO DO SOMETHING THAT
THEY OTHERWISE MIGHT NOT HAVE DONE.
INDIVIDUAL
INDIVIDUAL
POWER
ACTIVITY
GROUP
GROUP
AUTHORITY:
THE POWER THAT ENABLES ONE PERSON TO HOLD
ANOTHER PERSON ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS OR HER
ACTIONS.
(AUTHORITY = PRÁVOMOC in Slovak)
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS:
ACTIVITIES IN WHICH MANAGERS ENGAGE TO INCREASE
THEIR POWER AND TO PURSUE GOALS THAT FAVOR
THEIR INDNIDUAL AND GROUP INTERESTS.
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Why is Power Necessary?
A. FOR THE EFFICIENT FUNCTIONING OF
ORGANIZATIONS
B. AN ORGANIZATION’S POWER STRUCTURE PARTIALLY REVEALED BY THE
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART - DERIVES FROM
THE FORMAL AND INFORMAL SOURCES OF
POWER THAT MANAGERS, FUNCTI0NS, AND
DIVISIONS POSSESS, WHICH DETERMINES
HOW THE ORGANIZATION MAKES DECISIONS
AND WHOSE INTERESTS THOSE DECISIONS
FAVOR
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
How Power & Org. Politics Can Help
an Organization
 1. MANAGERS CAN USE POWER TO CONTROL
PEOPLE AND ANOTHER RESOURCES SO THAT
THEY COOPERATE AND HELP TO ACHIEVE AN
ORGANIZATION’S CURRENT GOALS
 2. MANAGERS CAN ALSO USE POWER TO
ENGAGE IN POLITICS AND INFLUENCE THE
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS TO HELP TO
PROMOTE NEW, MORE APPROPRIATE
ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Can Power Harm an Organization?
 POWER - HUNGRY MANAGERS ARE PEOPLE
WHO MIGHT USE POWER TO HARM THE
ORGANIZATION
(to use power for personal advantage)
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Sources of Individual Power
INDIVIDUAL POWER
FORMAL POWER:
(OR POSITION POWER)
INFORMAL POWER:
(OR PERSONAL POWER)
LEGITIMATE
EXPERT
REWARD
REFERENT
COERCIVE
CHARISMATIC
INFORMATION
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Formal Individual Power
IS POWER THAT ORIGINATES FROM A PERSON’S
POSITION IN AN ORGANIZATION
A. LEGITIMATE POWER

THE POWER TO CONTROL AND USE ORGANIZATIZATIONAL
RESOURCES TO ACCOMPLISH ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

LEGITIMATE POWER AND FORMAL AUTHORITY ARE ONE
AND THE SAME.
B. REWARD POWER

THE POWER TO GIVE PAY RAISES, PROMOTION, PRAISE,
INTERESTING PROJECTS, AND OTHER REWARDS TO
SUBORDINATES
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Formal Individual Power
C. COERCIVE POWER

THE POWER TO GIVE OR WITHOLD PUNISHMENT
D. INFORMATION POWER

THE POWER THAT STEMS FROM ACCESS TO AND CONTROL
OVER INFORMATION
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION:
THE BOSS’S SECRETARY IS TYPICALLY VERY POWERFUL
EVEN IF HE (OR SHE) DOESN’T HAVE A FORMAL
AUTHORITY.
WHY IS IT SO?
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Informal Individual Power
IS POWER THAT STEMS FROM PERSONAL
CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS PERSONALITY, SKILLS,
AND CAPABILITIES
A. EXPERT POWER

THE POWER THAT STEMS FROM
EXPERTISE.
SUPERIOR ABILITY OR
B. REFERENT POWER

INFORMAL POWER THAT STEMS FROM BEING LIKED,
ADMIRED, AND RESPECTED
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Formal Individual Power
C. CHARISMATIC POWER

AN INTENSE FORM OF REFERENT POWER THAT STEMS
FROM AN INDNIDUAL‘S PERSONALITY OR PHYSICAL OR
OTHER ABILITIES, WHICH INDUCE OTHERS TO BELIEVE IN
AND FOLLOW THAT PERSON
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION:
WHY ADVERTISERS PAY FAMOUS ATHLETES TO ENDORSE
GOODS AND SERVICES? IS THERE SOME RELATIONSHIP
WITH SOME SOURCE OF POWER?
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Functional Power
THE POWER THAT IS POSSESSED BY SOME
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT
AN
ORGANIZATIONAL
UNIT
BECOMES
POWERFUL WHEN THE TASKS THAT IT
PERFORMS GIVE IT THE ABILITY TO CONTROL
THE BEHAVIOR OF OTHER UNITS, TO MAKE
THEM DEPENDENT ON IT, AND THUS TO
INCREASE ITS SHARE OF ORGANIZATIONAL
RESOURCES.
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Functional Power
ABILITY TO
CONTROL
UNCERTAIN
CONTINGENCIES
IRREPLACEABILITY
FUNCTIONAL
POWER
CENTRALITY
(THE CENTRE OF
INFORMATION)
ABILITY TO
CONTROL AND
GENERATE
RESOURCES
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
The Use of Power
WHY MANAGERS ENGAGE IN ORGANIZATIONAL
POLITICS?
THEIR JOB IS A "SCARCE RESOURCE"
(The higher a manager rises in a hierarchy, the more
difficult it is to continue to rise because fewer and
fewer jobs are available at the upper levels. To compete
for these jobs and to increase their chance of
promotion and their share of organizational resources,
managers try to increase their power and influence).
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Tactics for Increasing Individual
Power
A. TAPPING THE SOURCES OF POWER



MAKE THEMSELVES IRREPLACEABLE
CONTROL CRUCIAL CONTINGENCY
MAKE THEMSELVES MORE CENTRAL
B. RECOGNIZING WHO HAS POWER
THERE ARE FIVE FACTORS TO ASSESS IN ORDER TO
DETERMINE THE RELATIVE POWER OF DIFFERENT MANAGERS IN
AN ORGAIZATION:
 SOURCES OF POWER
 CONSEQUENCES OF POWER
 SYMBOLS OF POWER (for example titles)
 PERSONAL REPUTATION
 REPRESENTATION INDICATORS (membership in committees)
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Tactics for Increasing Individual
Power
C. CONTROLLING THE AGENDA

SOME POWERFUL MANAGERS, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN PREVENT
FORMAL DISCUSSION OF ANY ISSUE THEY DO NOT
SUPPORT BY NOT PUTTING THE ISSUE ON THE AGENDA
D. BRINGING IN AN OUTSIDE EXPERT

A PERSON THAT IS USALLY WELL-KNOWN TO THE
MANAGER
E. BUILDING COALITIONS AND ALLIANCES
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPORT
PERSONAL POWER OF A MANAGER
A. KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION
B. PERSONAL ATTRACTIVENESS

EFFORT
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
ACCEPTANCE OF AUTHORITY

ZONE OF INDIFFERENCE IS THE RANGE OF
AUTHORITATIVE
REQUESTS
TO
WHICH
A
SUBORDINATE IS WILLING TO RESPOND WITHOUT
SUBJECTING
THE
DIRECTIVES
TO
CRITICAL
EVALUATION OR JUDGMENT.

ORDERS
FALLING
OUTSIDE
THE
ZONE
OF
INDIFFERENCE ARE NOT CONSIDERED LEGITIMATE
UNDER TERMS OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT – IS AN UNWRITTEN
AGREEMENT THAT SETS OUT WHAT MANAGEMENT
EXPECTS FROM THE EMPLOYEE, AND VICE-VERSA.
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007
Class Discussion
OF THE SEVEN SOURCES OF INDIVIDUAL POWER
(LEGITIMATE,
REWARD,
COERCIVE,
INFORMATION,
EXPERT,
REFERENT
AND
CHARISMATIC)
WHICH INFLUENCES INDIVIDUALS IN THE CLASS?
WHY?
© J. Rudy, Organizational Behavior, FMCU, Fall 2007