2007 Prentice Hall

Organizational Behavior:
An Introduction to
Your Life in Organizations
Chapter 13
Power and Influence
2007 Prentice Hall
Preview
What is power?
How can you identify the sources of power in
your company?
How can you acquire power in your
organization?
As a leader, what should you know about
power?
How can others acquire power over you?
How does a persons view of power depend on
their culture?
2007 Prentice Hall
What is power?
Power is the ability to mobilize resources
to accomplish some end
Influence also involves the ability to get
someone to do something but typically
suggests that the individuals who have
been influenced have gone along
somewhat willingly
Authority suggests legitimate control or
command over others
2007 Prentice Hall
Power sources versus power tactics
Power sources are the entire repertoire of
behaviors that an individual could
potentially call upon to influence others
Power tactics are the behaviors actually
used in a particular situation
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Formal versus informal power
Formal power originates in the principle of
hierarchy with those higher in the
organization having more power and those
lower having less
Informal power is reciprocal, individuals
help each other out because of anticipated
mutual gain, and conflict is minimal
2007 Prentice Hall
Other sources of power
Manipulation: changing some aspect of the
targeted individuals or their environment to
achieve a desired goal
Providing information indirectly: suggesting what
someone should do
Influencing third parties: bring in a third party
who has power
Control of resources: take control of the
resources that they want or need, thus making
them dependent on you
2007 Prentice Hall
Prepare for the use of power
Setting the stage with signs of power
Enhancing and emphasizing power bases
by role reference or self-promotion
Minimizing the other persons strength with
subtle put-downs
Minimizing the influence of outside parties
by pointing out their flaws
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Apply power tactics
1. Rational persuasion persuade with logic & facts
2. Inspirational appeals
3. Consultation to enlist support and assistance
4. Ingratiation to establish a positive mood before you ask for
something
5. Exchange of favors now or in the future
6. Coalitions by seeking the aid of others to persuade
7. Legitimation by claiming the authority or right to make a
request
8. Pressure by making demands or threats
9. Upward appeals by getting the support of higher ups
10. Personal appeals by appealing to feelings of loyalty and
friendship
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Engage in political behavior
Political behavior: activities that are not required as part
of a persons organizational role but that influence, or
attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and
disadvantages within the organization
Sometimes political behavior is good for the organization
and sometimes it is not
Guidelines for whether you should play politics:
Is it in line with your personal beliefs, values and style?
What outcomes is this behavior likely to produce?
Is engaging in this behavior in line with your personal goals?
Are the likely outcomes of this behavior in line with
organizational goals
2007 Prentice Hall
Use networks and mentors
One goal of networking is to establish
effective relationships with key people who
have the potential to help you in your
career
Networking plays an important role in
disseminating information and ideas
throughout the organization
A mentor can help in building a network
2007 Prentice Hall
Understand empowerment
The term used when a company moves
power downward in its formal
organizational hierarchy
Empowerment provides employees with
power, information, knowledge and
rewards, and is accomplished through a
variety of employee involvement programs
2007 Prentice Hall
How do leaders differ from power-
holders?
Leaders aim to enhance the effectiveness
of their organization
Power-holders seek to influence others for
their own ends, independent of whether
organizational effectiveness is enhanced
All effective leaders have power, but not
all power-holders are leaders
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Does power corrupt?
Leaders should be taught to be aware
that:
having power is likely to incite them to act
even when inaction is the preferable course
power is likely to reduce their feelings of
responsibility and empathy for others
power is likely to accentuate the probability
that they will use their authority even when
other modes, such as encouraging
participation, are preferable
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How are employees subject to
routinization and dehumanization?
Routinization is the transformation of an immoral
job into a routine, mechanical, highly
programmed operation
Routinization results in amoralization, which is
the removal of moral standards
Dehumanization is the process of depriving
individuals of their human qualities and
attributes, of their individuality; it reduces the
likelihood that an individual will ask moral
questions
2007 Prentice Hall
How do some managers intimidate
their employees?
Get up close and personal: using direct
confrontation and invading the personal
space of another individual
Getting angry
Keep people guessing about what you are
thinking, including how you are judging
them
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How powerful is deception?
Machiavellianism is the extent to which
individuals exhibit a cool detachment from
others and may be, as a result, more
manipulative and impersonal
Psychological tests for Machiavellianism
have failed to meet professional standards
for reliability
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What is the allure of toxic leaders?
Toxic leaders engage in destructive behaviors
that inflict serious and enduring harm on their
followers and organizations
Why people accept toxic leaders:
our need for reassuring authority figures to fill our
parents shoes
our need for security and certainty and the willingness
to sacrifice freedom to achieve them
our need to feel chosen or special
our fear of ostracism and isolation
our fear of personal powerlessness to challenge a
bad leader
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Effects of national culture
The power tactics universally believed to
be effective are rational persuasion,
collaboration and consultation
Pressure, gift giving and socializing are
considered to be the least effective tactics
This area needs more research
2007 Prentice Hall
Effects of organizational culture
Organizational cultures differ significantly
in how people use power and how their
employees react to the existing power
structures
Power relationships are crucial influences
in any organizational culture
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Apply what you have learned
World Class Company: The Walt Disney
Company
Advice from the Pros
Gain Experience
Can you solve this managers problem?
2007 Prentice Hall
Summary What is power?
Power is the ability to mobilize resources
to accomplish some end
The terms power and influence are used
synonymously
Authority suggests control or command
over others that is legitimized by a group
or organization
2007 Prentice Hall
Summary How can you identify the
sources of power in your company?
In organizations power can be either formal or
informal.
There are six bases of interpersonal power:
Three soft/interpersonal bases are referent,
expert and information power, while three
hard/formal bases are coercive, reward and
legitimate power
Other sources of power include manipulation,
providing information indirectly, influencing third
parties, and control of resources
2007 Prentice Hall
Summary How can you acquire
power in your organization?
You acquire power in your organization by
setting a goal, acquiring sources of power,
preparing for the use of power, and then
acting
You can apply any of a number of power
tactics, including rational persuasion,
building coalitions, engaging in political
behavior, and networking
2007 Prentice Hall
Summary As a leader, what should
you know about power?
The idea that power corrupts is true
Managers with power tend to distance
themselves from subordinates, for
example, and they are somewhat likely to
act selfishly and with reduced social
inhibitions
2007 Prentice Hall
Summary How can others acquire
power over you?
Organizations are powerful entities that may use
authority, routinization and dehumanization to
induce compliance in their workers
Factors that lead to obedience to authority
include working for a prestigious company,
being paid well, and being given a direct order
by a legitimate authority figure
You resist authority by developing your
individual ethical beliefs in advance, by being
financially independent, by mustering social
support for your views, and by understanding
the dynamics of authority
2007 Prentice Hall
Summary How does a persons
view of power depend on their
culture?
Cultural differences may influence your
perceptions of:
organizational politics
Conflict
Networking
and related phenomena