ORGANIZATIONAL POWER| NCM 119 | TOPIC 05

UNIT 4 (CHAPTER 13) LEADERSHIP ROLES AND MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS BY MARQUIS & HUSTON
LESSON OUTLINE v A person’s response to authority is generally conditioned early
1. Understanding power through authority figures, experiences in the family unit, and
a) Gender and power
gender role identification.
b) Power and powerlessness
c) Types of power v
2. Authority-Power gap
TYPES OF POWER
3. Mobilizing the power of the nursing profession
REWARD POWER
4. Action plan to increase professional power in
nursing v Ability to grant favors
5. Building a personal power base v Develops great deal of loyalty and devotions toward leaders
6. Politics power PUNISHMENT/ COERCIEVE POWER
v Fear; opposite of reward power
UNDERSTANDING POWER
v Power:
v The manager who shuns or ignores, berates or belittles an
employee is exercising this power
• Latin verb portere to be able
• The authority and ability to get things accomplished LEGITIMATE/AUTHORITY POWER
v Position
• The capacity or potential to get others to do something
v Creates feelings of obligation & responsibility.
one wants them to do that they would not ordinarily do
otherwise
EXPERT POWER
v Knowledge and skill
• Having power gives one the potential to change the
v Limited to a specialized area
attitudes and behaviors of individual people and groups
v Having critical knowledge allows a manager to gain power over
v Authority
others who need knowledge.
• The right to command accompanies any management
REFERENT POWER
position is a source of legitimate power
v Association with others
v Responsibility
v Power that a person has because others identify with that
• Denotes the obligation to act
leader or what he symbolizes.
GENDER AND POWER
v A person gives feelings of personal acceptance or approval.
v Gender differences power are fading
v May also develop this power because others perceive them as
v Power regarding the corporate world is beginning to look at
powerful
new ways for all leaders to obtain & handle
v Glass ceiling à barrier in the corporate world
CHARISMATIC POWER
v Personal; is distinguished by some referent power
v Powerless nurses are ineffective nurses
INFORMATIONAL POWER
MALE POWER
v The need for information
v Not come from outright acts of domination by from
unacknowledged preeminence of men’s priorities, needs and AUTHORITY – POWER GAP
desire in ways that seem ordinary or natural
v Women often are far more accommodating and submissive
than their male partners
RELUCTANCE OF WOMEN TO EMBRACE POWER
v Negative connotations of power and never use power
constructively
v Women were socialized to view power differently from men
v An authority–power gap exists when someone in author issues
v Some women view powers as dominance vs submission,
orders and they are not followed.
associated qualities not accomplishments and dependent on
v The negative effect of a wide authority–power gap is that
personal or physical attributes, not skill
organizational chaos may develop.
v Some women believe the don’t inherently possess power
THE SIZE OF THE AUTHORITY GAP BETWEEN
POWER AND POWERLESSNESS
v Power is likely to bring more power in an ascending cycle, MANAGER AND EMPLOYEE
v Widens as the manager expresses a personal interest in his or
whereas powerlessness will only generate more powerlessness
her employees
v Negative face of power à dominance VS submission
v Can be decreased by the visible exercise of authority in
v Positive face of power à exerts influence on behalf of,
decision making
rather than over, someone or something
v Increases when the manager loses credibility with employees
v Power is not good or evil
v Is influenced by how much status the manager has
v It is how it is used & for what purpose that matters
v Perhaps it is powerlessness that corrupts instead of power

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BRIDGING THE GAP BUILDING PERSONAL POWER BASE
v Overt displays of authority should be used as a last resort.
MAINTAIN PERSONAL ENERGY.
v The leader should make a genuine effort to know and care v Take sufficient time to unwind, reflect, rest and have fun when
about each subordinate as a unique individual. you feel tired.
v The empowerment of staff is a hallmark of transformational v Take time for significant relationships & develop outside
leadership. Empowerment means to enable, develop, or allow. interests

EMPOWERMENT v Let go of things you cannot control

v Creates and sustains a work environment that speak to values
PRESENT A POWERFUL PICTURE TO OTHERS.
Occurs when: v Take time for self care they exude confidence (standing tall,
v Leaders communicate their vision. poised, assertive, articulate, well groomed presents a picture of
v Employees are given the opportunity to make the most of their personal control & power.
talents. PAY THE ENTRY FEE.
v Learning, creativity, and exploration are encouraged. v Do more, Work harder & Contribute to the organization
v Be a Team Player
MOBILIZING THE POWER OF THE
NURSING PROFESSION DETERMINE THE POWERFUL IN THE
ORGANIZATION.
v Understand & work with the structure
6 DRIVING FORCES TO INCREASE NURSING
v Know the names & faces of those with power
POWER BASE
1. The timing is right LEARN THE LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS OF THE
2. The size of the nursing profession ORGANIZATION.
v Understand the culture & value system
3. Nursing’s referent power
v Being unaware results in embarrassment
• The nursing profession has a great deal of referent power
as a result of the high degree of trust and credibility the
LEARN HOW TO USE THE ORGANIZATION’S
PRIORITIES
public places in them v Be cognizant of organizational goals & use those priorities &
4. Increasing knowledge base and education for nurses goals to meet management needs.
5. Nursing’s unique perspective
INCREASE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND
• Professional autonomy or freedom to act on what one KNOWLEDGE
knows v Increase professional skills & knowledge to expert level.

• Nursing has long been recognized as having a strong MAINTAIN A BROAD VISION
caring component
v Always look upward & outward.

6. Desire of consumers and providers for change

v People without vision rarely become very powerful.

USE EXPERTS & SEEK COUNSEL

ACTION PLAN TO INCREASE v Seek out role models; Look to others for advice & counsel
PROFESSIONAL POWER IN NURISNG v Aligning oneself with appropriate veterans in the organization is
v Changing nurses’ views of both power and politics is perhaps
excellent for building power
the most significant key to proactive rather than reactive
participation in policy setting.
BE FLEXIBLE
v Develop a reputation as someone who can compromise.

DEVELOP VISIBILITY AND VOICE IN THE

1. Place more nurses in positions that influence public policy.
ORGANIZATION.
• Nurses should be a part of the decision making process in v Be active in committees or groups that are recognized by the
the health care system organization as having clout
2. Stop nurses from acting like victims. LEARN TO TOOT YOUR OWN HORN.
3. Increase the level of nurses’ understanding regarding all v Accepting compliments is an art
health-care policy efforts. v Be gracious and not passive

4. Build coalitions within and outside of nursing. MAINTAIN A SENSE OF HUMOR.

5. Promote greater research to strengthen evidence-based v Appropriate humor is very effective

practice. v Humor allow the leader to relax so that he or she can step

6. Support nursing leaders. away from the challenge and look at the circumstance in a

7. Pay attention to mentoring future nurse-leaders and leadership different perspective

succession. EMPOWER OTHERS.

v Leaders need to empower others, and followers must empower
their leader.

TO KEEP POWER
1. Maintain a small authority–power gap.
2. Empower subordinates whenever possible.

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Organizational Power NCM 119
3. Use authority in such a manner that subordinates view
what happens in the organization as necessary.
4. Use political strategies to maintain power and authority
when necessary

POLITICS POWER
v Politics is the art of using legitimate power wisely
v Requires clear decision making, assertiveness, accountability,
and willingness to express ones views
v Power may not be gained indefinitely, it may be fleeting
v Although power is a universally available resource, it does not
have a finite quality and can be lost as well as gained.

NEGATING THE EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL

POLITICS
v Become an expert handler of information and communication.
v Be a proactive decision maker.
v Expand personal resources.
v Develop political alliances and coalitions.
v Be sensitive to timing.
v Promote subordinate identification.
v View personal and unit goals in terms of the organization.
v Leave your ego home in a jar.

QUEEN BEE SYNDROME

v Female-dominated professions often exemplify the queen bee
syndrome. The queen bee is a woman who struggled to
become successful, but once successful, she refuses to help
other women be successful.

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