18/3/2013

POWER
AND
POLITICS
Presented To: Mrs. Pradeepika
(Asst. professor)

Presented By :-
JASSI DUTT
 18/3/2013

POWER AND POLITICS

 Study questions.
 What is power?
 How do managers acquire the power
needed for leadership?
 Whatis empowerment, and how can
managers empower others?
 What are organizational politics?
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CONTD…..
 Study questions.
How do organizational politics affect
managers and management?
Can the firm use politics
strategically?
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“Power tends to corrupt;

absolute power
corrupts absolutely”
--- Lord Acton
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A DEFINITION OF POWER
POWER
A capacity that A has to influence
the behavior of B so that B acts in
B
accordance with A’s wishes. A

DEPENDENCY
B’s relationship to A when
A possesses something
that B requires.
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 Power is the ability to …

Get someone to do something you want
done.
Make things happen in the way you
want.
 Influence is …
What you have when you exercise
power.
Expressed by others’ behavioral
response to your exercise of power.
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Power and Dependence

Person B’s
Person
counterpower
over Person A A

Person Person
B B’s Goals
Person A’s
power over
Person B
Faces of Power in A c 18/3/2 013

tion
• Positive • Negative
– Leading – Coercing
– Influencing – Forcing
– Selling – Hurting
– Persuading – Crushing
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Coercive

Reward
The Bases Legitimate
of Power
Expert

Referent
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BASES OF POWER
Formal Power
Is established by an individual’s position in an
organization; conveys the ability to coerce or
reward, from formal authority, or from control of
information.

Coercive Power
A power base dependent on fear.

Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on
the ability to distribute
rewards that others view as
valuable
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BASES OF POWER
Legitimate Power
The power a person receives as a result
of his or her position in the formal
hierarchy of an organization.

Information Power
Power that comes from
access to and control
over information.
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BASES OF POWER
Expert Power
Influence based on special
skills or knowledge.

Referent Power
Influence based on possession
by an individual of desirable
resources or personal traits.

Charismatic Power
An extension of referent power stemming from an
individual’s personality and interpersonal style.
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CONSEQUENCES OF POWER
Sources Consequences
of Power of Power

Expert

Power Commitment
Referent
Power
Legitimate
Power Compliance

Reward
Power
Coercive Resistance
Power
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SEXUAL HARASSMENT: UNEQUAL

POWER IN THE WORKPLACE
 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 behavior
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OFFICE ROMANCE AND POWER

 Co-workers believe thatemployees in
relationships abuse their power to favor
each other.
 Higher risk of sexual harassment when
relationship breaks off.
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HOW DO MANAGERS
ACQUIRE THE
POWER NEEDED FOR
LEADERSHIP?
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Power Tactics
Reason Friendliness

Sanctions Coalition

Higher
Bargaining
Authority
Assertiveness
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WHAT IS EMPOWERMENT, AND HOW CAN

MANAGERS EMPOWER OTHERS?
 Empowerment.
The process by which managers help others
to acquire and use the power needed to make
decisions affecting themselves and their
work.
Considers power to be something that can be
shared by everyone working in flatter and
more collegial organizations.
 Provides
the foundation for self-managing
work teams and other employee involvement
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CONTD…..
 Power as an expanding pie.
With empowerment, employees must be trained
to expand their power and their new influence
potential.
Empowerment changes the dynamics between
supervisors and subordinates.
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Ways to expand power.

Clearly define roles and responsibilities.
Provide opportunities for creative problem
solving coupled with the discretion to act.
Emphasize different ways of exercising
influence.
Provide support to individuals so they become
comfortable with developing their power.
Expand inducements for thinking and acting,
not just obeying.
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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.
 What Creates Dependency
 Importance of the resource to the organization
 Scarcity of the resource

 Nonsubstitutability of the resource

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CONTRASTING LEADERSHIP AND POWER

 Leadership  Power
 Focuses on goal  Used as a means
achievement. for achieving
 Requires goal goals.
compatibility with
 Requires follower
followers.
dependency.
 Focuses influence
downward.  Used to gain

 Research Focus lateral and

 Leadership styles upward influence.
and relationships  Research Focus
with followers  Power tactics for
gaining
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BRIEFING
 Power is the ability to influence people and
events.
 Managers need to use power effectively.
 Closely related to power is politics. Politics
relates to the ways people gain and use power
in organizations.
 Political activities in an organization are
inevitable and managers should manage them
carefully.
 Power and politics are present in all
organizations.
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What are
organizational
politics?
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ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
 Attempts to influence others
using discretionary behaviors to
promote personal objectives
 Discretionary behaviors --
neither explicitly prescribed
nor prohibited

 Politics
may be good or bad for
the organization
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POWER IN ACTION
Legitimate
Political

Behavior Illegitimate

Limited Resources
The Reality
of Politics
Ambiguous Decisions
TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
POLITICS
Managing Attacking and
impressions blaming

Creating Types of Integration /

obligations Organizational Praising Others
Politics
Developing a Forming
Base for
coalitions
Support
CAUSES TO POLITICAL BEHAVIOR :
NO OPPOSITION, NO NEED FOR POLITICS

 Scarcity of Resources  Organizational Change

 Non-Programmed
Decisions
 Ambiguous Goals
 Technology and External
Environment
 Lust for Power
 Discretionary Authority
 Organizational Culture
 Psychological Factors
NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF POLITICS
Self Interest

Organizational Conflicts

Effect on Managers

Inequitable Distribution
of Power
TECHNIQUES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
POLITICS
 Form the Right  Control the Decision
Alliances Criteria
 Expect Reciprocal  Control Information
Favours
 Control Communication
 Try to be popular Channels
 Build up a Preferred  Use Outside Expert
Image
 Control the Agenda of
CAN THE FIRM USE POLITICS
STRATEGICALLY?
MANAGING POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR

Ethical and Positive Open and Honest

Role Model Communication

MANAGING POLITICAL
BEHAVIOUR

Eliminate or
Study the Political
Reduction
Behaviour
of
Uncertainty
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ETHICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
Unethical Ethical
Question 1 Yes
Is the action Question 3
motivated by Is the political
Ye activity fair
self-serving No
and equitable?
interests which
exclude the Unethical
goals of the s Yes
organization?

No No
Unethi
Question 2 cal
Does the political
action respect
individual
rights?
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“You can get much farther with a kind word

and a gun than you can with a kind word
alone.”
---A. Capone

THANK
YOU
For listening