Power And

Politics
POWER

▰ Exists as a potential or fully actualized

influence over a dependent relationship
▰ the ability to influence others

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LEADERSHIP AND POWER
LEADERSHIP
▰ Focuses on goal achievement
▰ Requires goal compatibility with
followers
▰ Focuses influence downward
POWER
▰ Used as a means for achieving goals
▰ Requires follower dependency
▰ Used to gain lateral and upward influence
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LEADERSHIP AND POWER

DIFFERENCES LEADERSHIP POWER

Goal Compatibility Requires goal congruence Only needs dependence

Direction of Influence Focuses on downward Concerned with influence in

influence all directions

Research Emphasis Emphasizes leadership focuses on tactics used by

style individuals and groups

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 King Leonidas

Xerxes

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BASES OF POWER

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FORMAL POWER

Established by an individual’s position in an organization

Three Bases
Coercive Power
- conveyed through fear of losing one’s job, being demoted, receiving a poor
performance review, having prime projects taken away, etc.
- For example, the VP of Sales who threatens sales folks to meet their goals
or get replaced.

Reward Power
- Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others
view as valuable
- For example, supervisor who gives extra time off for employees who
exceeded the quota.
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FORMAL POWER

Legitimate Power
- The formal authority to control and use resources based on a person’s
position in the formal hierarchy
- For example, the CEO who determines the overall direction of the company
and the resource needs of the company.

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PERSONAL POWER

Power that comes from an individual’s unique characteristics

Expert Power
- comes from one’s experiences, skills or knowledge
- For example, the Project Manager who is an expert at solving particularly
challenging problems to ensure a project stays on track.

Referent Power
- comes from being trusted and respected
- For example, the Human Resource Associate who is known for ensuring
employees are treated fairly and coming to the rescue of those who are not.

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Dependency - The Key to Power

The General Dependency Postulate

- The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B.
- Possession/control of scarce organizational resources that others need makes a
manager powerful
- Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple suppliers) reduces the resource
holder’s power

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Dependency - The Key to Power

What creates dependency?

Importance

- If nobody wants what you’ve got, it’s not gong to create dependency. To create
dependency, therefore the thing(s) you control must be perceived as being
important.

Scarcity

- A resource needs to be perceived as scarce to create dependency.

Non Substitutable

- The fewer viable substitutes there are for a resource, the more power the control
over that resource provides

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POWER TACTICS

Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specific actions

Nine influence tactics:
Legitimacy - relying on one’s authority position or stressing that a request is in
accordance with organizational policies or rules

Rational persuasion - presenting logical arguments and factual evidence to demonstrate

that a request is reasonable

Inspirational appeals - developing emotional commitment by appealing to a target’s

values, needs, hopes and aspirations

Consultation - increasing the target’s motivation and support by involving him/her in

deciding how the plan or change will be accomplished

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POWER TACTICS

Exchange - rewarding the target with benefits or favours in exchange for following a
request

Personal Appeals - asking for compliance based on friendship or loyalty

Ingratiation - using flattery, praise, or friendly behaviour prior to making a request

Pressure - using warnings, repeated demands, and threats

Coalitions - enlisting the aid of other people to persuade the target or using the support
of others as a reason for the target to agree.

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 Preferred Power Tactics by Influence Direction

UPWARD INFLUENCE DOWNWARD INFLUENCE LATERAL INFLUENCE

Rational Persuasion Rational Persuasion Rational Persuasion

Inspiration Appeals Consultation

Pressure Ingratiation

Consultation Exchange

Ingratiation Legitimacy

Exchange Personal appeals

Legitimacy Coalitions

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Factors Influencing Power Tactics

Choice and effectiveness of influence tactics are moderated by:

Sequencing of tactics

- Softer to harder tactics work best

Political skill of the user

The culture of the organization

- Culture affects user’s choice of tactic

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Sexual Harassment: A Case of Unequal Power

Sexual Harassment - Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects

an individual’s employment and creates a hostile work environment
Sexual harassment isn’t about sex – it is about abusing an unequal power
relationship
- Harassment can damage the well-being of the individual, work group,
and organization

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Managerial Actions to Prevent Sexual Harassment

▰ Make sure a policy against it is in place.

▰ Ensure that employees will not encounter retaliation if they file a
complaint.
▰ Investigate every complaint and include the human resource and
legal departments.
▰ Make sure offenders are disciplined or terminated.
▰ Set up in-house seminars and training.

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Politics: Power in Action

Activities that are not required as part of one’s formal role in the
organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of
advantages or disadvantages within the organization

LEGITIMATE POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

- Normal everyday politics - complaining, bypassing, obstructing
ILLEGITIMATE POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
- Extreme political behavior that violates the implied rules of the game:
sabotage, whistle-blowing, and symbolic protest

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The Reality of Politics

- Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity

- Judgments on quality of resource distribution differ markedly based
on the observer’s perception
- Most decisions are made under ambiguous conditions

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Causes and Consequences of Political Behavior

Factors that Influence Political Behavior

INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONAL

High self monitors Promotional opportunities

Internal locus of control Low trust

Organizational investment Unclear performance evaluation

system

Expectations of success High performance pressure

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Employee Responses to Organizational Politics

Most employees have low to modest willingness to play politics and have the
following reactions to politics:
- Decreased job satisfaction
- Increased anxiety and stress
- Increased turnover
- Reduced performance

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Defensive Behaviors

Employees who perceive politics as a threat have defensive reactions

Types of Defensive Behaviors
- Avoiding Action
- Avoiding Blame
- Avoiding Change

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Impression Management

The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others

form of them

Impression Management Techniques

Conformity: Agreeing with someone else’s opinion in order to gain his or her approval.

Excuses: Explanations of a predicament creating event aimed at minimizing the

apparent severity to the predicament.

Apologies: Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and simultaneously seeking

to get a pardon for the section

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Impression Management

Self-Promotion: Highlighting one’s best qualities downplaying one’s deficits and calling
attention to one’s achievements.

Flattery: Complimenting others about their virtues in an effort to make oneself appear
perceptive and likeable.

Favors: Doing nice for someone to gain that person’s approval.

Association: Enhancing or protecting one’s image by managing information about

people and things with which one is associated.

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IM Effectiveness

Job Interview Success

- IM does work and most people use it
- Self-promotion techniques are important
- Ingratiation is of secondary importance
Performance Evaluations
- Ingratiation is positively related to ratings
- Self-promotion tends to backfire

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The Ethics of Behaving Politically

Questions to consider:
- What is the utility of engaging in the behavior?
- How does the utility of engaging in the political behavior balance out
any harm it will do to others?
- Does the political activity conform to standards of equity and justice?

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Global Implications

Perception of Politics:
- Negative consequences are common
Preference for Power Tactics:
- Differences exist consistent with cultural values
Effectiveness of Power Tactics:
- Little evidence for differences

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Implications for Managers

Power can be increased by:

▰ Increasing the dependence of others
▰ Gaining unique knowledge or skills
▰ Minimizing one’s own dependence
▰ Acquiring useful bases of power
▰ Using effective power tactics
▰ Avoiding coercion

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