12

C H A P T E R
T W E L V E

Organizational Power
and Politics
 Suggested topics
Describe a time when you had to deal with
organizational politics.
Describe a situation where you saw
evidence of power or influence being used
in an organization
Describe a time when someone influenced
you to act a particular way or do a particular
thing that you would not of otherwise done.
 Power
Empowerment

How to get it
How to use it

without abusing it
 Definition
A four letter word?
Influence?
Control over others?
Being able to get things done?
??????
 A shifting definition
Reflects the new reality of organizations
A new definition of employee
 The Meaning of Power
Power is the capacity of a person,
team, or organization to influence
others.
The potential to influence others
People have power they dont use
and may not know they possess
Power requires one persons
perception of dependence on
another person

Southland Times, New Zealand

 Why does having power matter?
With power you can
Intercede favorably on behalf of someone in trouble
Get a desirable placement for a talented subordinate
Get approval for expenditures beyond the budget
Get items on and off agendas
Get fast access to decision makers
Maintain regular, frequent contact with decision
makers
Acquire early information about decisions and policy
shifts
 The goal?
Overcome feelings of powerlessness
Convert power effectively into interpersonal
influences in ways that avoid the abuse of
power
To empower yourself
To facilitate the empowerment
of others
Relationship Among Social Influence, Power,
and Politics
Capacity to
Successful
exert influence

Organizational
Power Social influence
politics

Use of power for

personal interests Unsuccessful
 Power and Dependence
Person Bs
counterpowe Person
r over Person A
A

Person Person
B Bs Goals
Person As
power over
Person B
 Types of Individual Power: A
Summary
Individual Power

Position Power
Personal Power
Referent power
Legitimate power
Expert power
Reward power
Coercive power
 Model of Power in
Organizations
Sources
Of Power

Power
Legitimate over Others
Reward
Coercive
Contingencies
Expert Of Power
Referent
 Legitimate Power
Ones structural position
The power a person receives as a result of
his or her position in the formal hierarchy of
an organization
 The Limits of Legitimate Power
The Caine Mutiny illustrates
the limits of legitimate power
in organizations. Captain
Queeg (Humphrey Bogart,
seated left) asked his crew to
do more than they were
willing to follow, so they Archive Photos

staged a mutiny.
 Reward and Coercive Power
Power that achieves compliance based on
the ability to distribute rewards that others
view as valuable
Coercive Power: the opposite of reward
power: the power that is based on fear of
negative results.
 Sources of Power
Legitimate Power

Reward Power

Coercive Power

Expert Power
Archive Photos

Referent Power
 Expert Power
Influence is based on special skills or
knowledge
 Referent Power
Influence is based on possession by an
individual of desirable resources or personal
traits

The desire to please

 Information and Power
Control over information flow
Based on legitimate power
Relates to formal communication network
Common in centralized structures (wheel pattern)

Coping with uncertainty

Those who know how to cope with organizational
uncertainties gain power
Prevention
Forecasting
Absorption
 Contingencies of Power
Sources Power
Of Power over others

Contingencies
Of Power

Substitutability
Centrality
Discretion
Visibility
Increasing Nonsubstitutability

Controlling
Differentiation
Tasks

Increasing
Nonsubstitutability

Controlling Controlling
Labour Knowledge
 Consequences of Power
Sources Consequences
of Power of Power

Expert
Power
Commitment
Referent
Power
Legitimate
Power Compliance
Reward
Power
Coercive Resistance
Power
 Sexual Harassment and Power
Harasser stereotypes the victim as subservient
and powerless
Harasser threatens job security or safety
through coercive or legitimate power
Hostile work environment harassment
continues when the victim lacks power to stop
the behaviour
 Office Romance and Power
Co-workers believe that employees in
relationships abuse their power to favour
each other.
Higher risk of sexual harassment when
relationship breaks off.
 Organizational Politics
Attempts to influence others using
discretionary behaviours to promote
personal objectives
Discretionary behaviours neither explicitly
prescribed nor prohibited

Politics may be good or bad for the

organization
 Organizational Politics: More Likely at
the Top
Extent to Which Political Activity is Likely (range 0-3)

1.3 Political activity (1.22)

1.2 is perceived to
increase at higher (1.07)
1.1
organizational levels
1.0
.9
.8
(.73)
.7
(.54)
.6 (.50)
.5
.4
.3 (.18)
.2
.1
Production and Clerical and Technical and Lower Middle Upper
blue collar white collar professional management management management
Organizational Level
 Types of Organizational
Politics
Managing Attacking and
impressions blaming

Creating
Types of Controlling
obligations Organizational information
Politics

Cultivating Forming
networks coalitions
 Impression management
Conformity: agreeing with anothers opinion to get their
approval
Excuses: Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at
minimizing the apparent severity of the predicament
Apologies: Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event
and simultaneously seeking to get a pardon for the action
Acclamations: Explanation of favourable events to maximize the
desirable implications for oneself.
Flattery: Complimenting others on their virtues in an effort to
make oneself appear perceptive and likeable
Favours: Doing something nice for someone to gain that
persons approval
Association: Enhancing or protecting ones image by managing
information about people and things with which one is
associated.
 It was
You Johns fault
scratch my
back Attacking and
blaming I thought
you
knew
Creating
Types of Controlling
obligations Organizational information
Politics

Cultivating Forming
networks coalitions

Look who We agreed

I know that
Conditions for Organizational
Politics

Personal Scarce
Characteristics Resources
Conditions
Supporting
Organizational
Politics
Complex and
Tolerance of
Ambiguous
Politics
Decisions
 Conditions for Organizational
Internal
locus of
Politics Perceived
control alternatives?

Personal Scarce
Characteristics Resources
Conditions
Deceit is Zero-sum
appropriate Supporting rewards
Organizational
Politics
Complex and
Tolerance of
Ambiguous
Politics
Decisions
Democratic
It works here decision making
 Political Antics Top the Most Unethical
List:
Situation
Survey Results Potentially
political
Gender discrimination behaviours
in recruitment or hiring (22.6)
Arrangements with vendors
leading to personal gain (23.1)
Nonperformance factors
used in appraisals (23.5)
Gender discrimination
in compensation (25.8)
Not maintaining
confidentiality (26.4)
Using discipline
inconsistently (26.9)
Gender discrimination
in promotion (26.9)
Sexual
harassment (28.4)
Allowing differences in pay
due to friendships (30.7)
Hiring, training, or promoting
based on favouritism (30.7)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Percentage Responding with a 4 or 5 on a five-Point Scale
Measuring Degree of Seriousness (where 5=very great)
Controlling Political Behaviour
Provide
Remove
Sufficient
Political Norms
Resources

Hire
Introduce
Low-Politics
Clear Rules
Employees

Increase
Free Flowing
Opportunities
Information
for Dialogue

Manage Change Peer Pressure

Effectively Against Politics