Unit IV

Power & Politics in Nursing

By
Hidayat Khan
Lecturer KMU
The Meaning of Power
Power is the capacity of a person,
team, or organization to influence
others.
 The potential to influence others
 People have power they don’t use
and may not know they possess
 Power requires one person’s
perception of dependence on
another person

Southland Times, New Zealand

Legitimate Power
One’s structural position
The power a person receives as a result of his or her
position in the formal hierarchy of an organization
Reward and Coercive Power
Power that achieves compliance based on the ability to
distribute rewards that others view as valuable
Coercive Power: the opposite of reward power: the
power that is based on fear of negative results.
Expert Power
Influence is based on special skills or knowledge
Referent Power
Influence is based on possession by an individual of
desirable resources or personal traits

The desire to please…

Consequences of Power
Sources Consequences
of Power of Power

Expert
Power
Commitment
Referent
Power
Legitimate
Power Compliance

Reward
Power
Coercive Resistance
Power
Politics
Politics  as a term is generally applied to the art or
science of running governmental or state affairs,
including behavior within civil governments, but also
applies to institutions, fields, and special interest
groups such as the corporate, academic, and religious
segments of society. It consists of "social relations
involving authority or power" and to the methods and
tactics used to formulate and apply policy.
Organizational Politics
Organizational Politics: “Involves intentional acts of
influence to enhance or protect the self-interest of
individuals or groups.”

Organizational politics is an inescapable and intrinsic

reality.
 Organizational Politics
Attempts to influence others using
discretionary behaviours to promote personal
objectives
Discretionary behaviours — neither explicitly
prescribed nor prohibited

Politics may be good or bad for the

organization
Types of Organizational Politics
Managing Attacking and
impressions blaming

Creating
Types of Controlling
obligations Organizational information
Politics

Cultivating Forming
networks coalitions
 Impression management
 Conformity: agreeing with another’s opinion to get their
approval
 Excuses: Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at
minimizing the apparent severity of the predicament
 Apologies: Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and
simultaneously seeking to get a pardon for the action
 Acclamations: Explanation of favorable events to maximize the
desirable implications for oneself.
 Flattery: Complimenting others on their virtues in an effort to
make oneself appear perceptive and likeable
 Favours: Doing something 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.
 It was John’s
fault
You scratch
my back…

Attacking and
blaming I thought you
knew…

Creating
Types of Controlling
obligations Organizational information
Politics

Cultivating Forming
networks coalitions

Look who I We agreed

know… that…
Controlling Political Behaviour
Provide
Remove
Sufficient
Political Norms
Resources

Hire
Introduce
Low-Politics
Clear Rules
Employees

Increase
Free Flowing
Opportunities
Information
for Dialogue

Manage Change Peer Pressure

Effectively Against Politics
 What is Organizational Culture?

A system of meaning shared by the

organization’s members
Cultural values are collective beliefs, assumptions, and
feelings about what things are good, normal, rational,
valuable, etc.
 Culture’s Overall Function

Culture is the social glue that helps hold an organization

together by providing appropriate standards for what
employees should say or do.
 Stories
Stories Rituals
Rituals

How
How Employees
Employees
Learn
Learn Culture/
Culture/
How
How it
it is
is “reinforced”
“reinforced”

Material
Material
Language
Language
Symbols
Symbols
17
A Socialization Model

Socialization Process
Outcomes

Productivity

Prearrival Encounter Metamorphosis Commitment

Turnover