CS 10: Power

Objective 1. Identify sources of power (pp. 119-125)

1. Discuss the sources of power in the following table:

Sources Meaning Example
 Based on rewards Money, desired schedule, desired
 The expectation of reward is the key to assignments, provision of
Reward using this type of power personal space, or the
 Praise and thanks never run out acknowledgment of
accomplishments.

• Based on threats, fear of punishment if Sources of coercive power:

one fails to conform. Undesired schedule or
• Only works when you have visibility of assignments, embarrassment in
Coercive what people are doing front of others, withheld pay
• Can be useful if people persistently increases, transfer, layoff,
underperform. Otherwise, you rarely demotion, and termination.
need it.

• Based on position The chief nurse executive, vice

• Does not work well when there is no
clear chain of command.
Legitimate • It is the right to command within the
organizational structure, based on the
hierarchical position held.
president, or director of nursing
has more legitimate power than
the division manager, who, in
turn, has more legitimate power
than the unit manager does.

• Based on trust and respect

• Gained by modelling behaviors and
effective use of delegation
• Only works if you have low employee
turn over
Referent • Personal feelings of acceptance and
approval develop through association
with a powerful person.
• The leader is admired and exerts
influence because the followers desire to
be like the leader.

Expert • People gain expert power through

knowledge, skills, information,
experience, and competence.
• This power is limited to a specific area
of expertise.
 • Knowledge of the organization and its
rules, regulations, and workflow helps
one to acquire power over others who
need the knowledge to meet their
responsibilities.

• Power comes from knowledge, access to

information, and the sharing of
information.
• It is especially powerful when others
Information need the information
• But.........
• This is a short-term power that doesn't
necessarily influence or build credibility.

Comes from formal or informal coalitions

(partnership) and interpersonal relations and
Connection links to prestigious and influential people with-
in and outside of the organization.

Comes from presenting an effective point of

Persuasion view

• Power is generated by a dynamic,

popular, and powerful persona.
Charismatic • Those get generated through personal
charm.

• Informal sources of power are related to

one's personal power rather than position
power.
• Be in the right place at the right time or
have unique characteristics
• Education, experience, personal
appearance, good manners, postures,
Personal confident voice.
• Several ways to expand one’s personal
resources:
1. Start by taking good care of oneself
2. Develop hobbies and interests.
3. Develop and focus on one's goals
4. 4. Be a proactive decision maker.

Interpersonal • Comes from connection, information,

and group decision-making powers.
• Relationships provide access to the
 informal communication network.
• Connection power is based on
connections with a powerful person or
others as a way to get accurate and
reliable information.
• Information is power if used
strategically. Increase information power
through connections, and try to get on
routing lists.
• Group decision-making power can create
synergy (collaboration) when people
come together to make decisions and go
forth as a united front.
• Coaching, counseling, delegating,
mentoring, and rewarding are concepts
closely related to interpersonal power.

Position power is increased by centrality,

criticality, flexibility, relevance, and visibility.
Organizational informal power is enhanced by
expertise, career goal setting, and
communication skills plus understanding the
Position organization, having a sense of unity with the
organizational goals, mentoring, networking,
coalition building, negotiating, collaborating,
fostering collegiality, and using an empowering
attitude.
2. Enumerate 5 sources of personal power. (Page 121, Box 5-2)
• Education
• Experience
• Drive
• Decisiveness
• Attractiveness
• Happy temperament
• Personal appearance
• Manners
• Body language
• Posture
• Gestures
• Confident voice
• Location
• Coalitions
3. Discuss ways to expand one’s personal resources. (Page 121)
There are several ways to expand one's personal resources. Start by:
- Taking good care of oneself.
- Eat a well-balanced diet, rest, relax, exercise, and develop relationships to maintain one's personal
energy and to project a good image to others.
- Develop hobbies and interests.
- Have fun.
- Use a good sense of humor.
- Develop and focus on one's goals.
- Recognize opportunities.
- Be assertive.
- Learn how to collect and review accurate information.
- Be a proactive decision maker.
- Expand one's personal resources by broadening one's skill base and continuing one's education.
- Show up to do networking and develop political alliances and coalitions .
4. List sources of interpersonal power. (Page 122, Box 5-3)

• Connections
• Information
• Group decision-making powers

5. Discuss sources of position power. (Page 122, Box 5-4)

Source Description
Provides access to information in a communication network and increases position
Centrality power. One can increase centrality power by getting centrally located and by having
information routed through oneself.

Criticality Increases position power. It is determined by :

1) How dependent others are on the work performed by the position.
(2) The number of others performing the same tasks.
(3) The level of knowledge and skills required by the position.

Flexibility Or discretion allows one to exercise judgment. It is associated with the life cycle of a
position. It is more difficult to make new tasks routine than it is to make old tasks
routine. The number of rules governing a position increases with the number of people
occupying the position over time.

Relevance Involves positions related to central objectives and issues of the organization that
contribute to more position power. The trainer, mentor, evaluator, advocate, or
representative is a relevantly powerful position. Trainers reduce uncertainty for new
employees and tend to be appreciated by those who have benefited from the training.

Visibility Is a key to success. Excellent performance is multiplied by visibility. Direct contact

with face-to-face communication is a way to have visibility. A good presentation of a
report will get more visibility than writing the report. Participating in problem-solving
task forces gives one visibility.
 Objective 2. Define authority and empowerment and their importance in leadership and
management.

1. What is authority? List the three types of power involved.

Is legitimate, position power, and in some cases can be expert power. It is determined by structure in
an organization and involves rules, roles, and relations.
Types of power:
- Legitimate
- Position power
- Expert power
2. Explain how gender influences power and authority in nursing. (Page 123)
- Gender differences are noted in relation to power. There has been a tendency to socialize women into
family and societal roles to facilitate others' success.
- Men have generally been socialized to relate to hierarchical order of rank, status, income, privilege,
and reputation.
- Women are often more concerned about relating to people.
- Some women have negative views of power and did not learn to use it constructively. Women may
view power as dominance and physical strength instead of accomplishments and skills.

3. Define empowerment.
Is the process of gaining control? Coercive and reward power tend to bring about resistance.
Legitimate power tends to bring about compliance (agreement). Expert power and referent power
tend to bring about commitment.

4. Discuss activities that help people empower themselves. (Pages 123-124)

Physical: Maintaining one's physical health provides a basis for personal power. A balanced diet, exercise,
rest, and relaxation help one maintain good health, making it easier to become more powerful and giving one
the stamina to handle the power.
Psychological: are important for gaining control. One should schedule activities to maintain one's mental
health and emotional balance. One needs a strong self-concept and a clear understanding of one's strengths and
weaknesses.
Material: may include money, clothing, supplies, or personnel. Much power is derived from control of
material resources. An awareness of what material resources are needed and how to get them is important
to empowerment.

5. Explain how empowered employees can be an asset/ beneficial to an organization.

(Page 125)
Empowered employees tend to be more satisfied, productive, and innovative. They are likely to produce higher
quality products and services than non-empowered employees. Clients and patients can be given decisional
control too. They can be informed of what is happening and what is expected in the future. They can be
allowed to make decisions based on information and their goals.

6. How can leaders and managers role model in empowerment? Explain. (Page 125)
Leaders and managers can role model by:
- Demonstrating correct and desirable behavior.
- Can give recognition to others' successes.
 - Feedback about good performance by means of praise, thank-you notes, and recognition ceremonies
provide support.
- It is also important to provide social and emotional support.

Objective 3. Discuss collective bargaining and its advantages and disadvantages (Textbook
pp. 141143)

1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of collective bargaining.

- Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and a group of
employees aimed at reaching agreements to regulate working conditions.
- The interests of the employees are commonly presented by representatives of a trade union to
which the employees belong. The collective agreements reached by these negotiations
usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance
mechanisms, and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.
Advantages Disadvantages
1. Some equalization of power between administrators and Unions cost money; an
staff associates can be obtained because of the staff adversarial relationship
associates' strength in numbers. may develop between
2. Professionalism can be promoted. Nurses can gain control administration and staff
of practice: associates; and strikes
3. Grievance procedures become viable, and staffing for may not be prevented.
systematic and equitable distribution of work can be
established.
4. Unfair treatment of employees can be reduced.
5. • The quality of services can be influenced while
economic security can be increased.