CHAPTER 13:

POWER AND POLITICS

(HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION)

Dr. Amra M. Usop

Subject Professor

PREPARED BY:
BAINAUT G. MANALASAL
2-MAEDC
WHAT IS POWER?

Power is simply the ability to get things done the way one
wants them to be done--(Salancik & Pfeffer, 1989).
Exists as a potential or fully actualized influenced over a
dependent relationship.
CONTRASTING LEADERSHIP AND POWER
LEADERSHIP POWER

Focuses on goal achievement Used as means for achieving goals

Requires goal compatibility with followers Requires follower dependency

Focuses influence downward Used to gain lateral and upward influence

Research Focus Research Focus

Leadership styles and relationships with Power tactics for granting compliance
followers
 BASES OF POWER

FORMAL POWER
established by an individual’s position in an organization

• Coercive Power
• Reward Power
• Legitimate Power
• Illegitimate Power
Coercive Power
Power that is based on fear

Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that
others view as valuable.
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
PERSONAL POWER
POWER THAT COMES FROM AN INDIVIDUAL’S
UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS- THESE ARE THE MOST
EFFECTIVE

Expert Power

Referent Power

Charismatic Power
 
Expert Power
Influence based on special skills or knowledge.

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

Charismatic Power
An extension of referent power stemming from an individual’s
personality and interpersonal style.
DEPENDENCY: THE KEY TO POWER

DEPENDENCY is directly related to power. The

more that a person is dependent on you, the more
power you have over them.
WHAT CREATES DEPENDENCY?

• Scarcity refers to the uniqueness of a resource. The more

difficult something is to obtain, the more valuable it tends to be.

• Importance refers to the value of the resource.

• Non-substitutability Your resource gains value if people cannot
found something to substitute it.
POWER TACTICS
Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specific
actions
 COMMONLY USED INFLUENCE TACTICS

1. Rational persuasion includes using facts, data, and logical

arguments to try to convince others that your point of view is
the best alternative. This is the most commonly applied influence
tactic.

2. Inspirational appeals seek to tap into our values, emotions,

and beliefs to gain support for a request or course of action.
3. Consultation refers to the influence agent’s asking others for
help in directly influencing or planning to influence another person
or group. Consultation is most effective in organizations and
cultures that value democratic decision making.

4. Ingratiation refers to different forms of making others feel

good about themselves. Ingratiation includes any form of flattery
done either before or during the influence attempt.
5. Personal appeal refers to helping another person because you
like them and they asked for your help.

6. Exchange refers to give-and-take in which someone does

something for you, and you do something for them in return. The
rule of reciprocation says that “we should try to repay, in kind,
what another person has provided us” (Cialdini, 2000).
7. Coalition tactics refer to a group of individuals working
together toward a common goal to influence others. Common
examples of coalitions within organizations are unions that may
threaten to strike if their demands are not
met. 

8. Pressure refers to exerting undue influence on someone to

do what you want or else something undesirable will occur. This
often includes threats and frequent interactions until the target
agrees.
• Legitimating tactics occur when the appeal is based on
legitimate or position power. “By the power vested in me…”: This
tactic relies upon compliance with rules, laws, and regulations. It is
not intended to motivate people but to align them behind a
direction.
RESPONSES TO INFLUENCE ATTEMPTS

• Resistance occurs when the influence target does not wish to comply with
the request and either passively or actively repels the influence attempt. 

• Compliance occurs when the target does not necessarily want to obey,

but they do. 

• Commitment occurs when the target not only agrees to the request but
also actively supports it as well. Within organizations, commitment helps
to get things done because others can help to keep initiatives alive long
after compliant changes have been made or resistance has been overcome.
 Impression Upward influence Downward Influence Peer Influence
management

--means actively --the ability to --the ability to -- occurs all the

shaping the way you influence your boss influence employees time. But, to be
are perceived by and others in lower than you. effective within
others. positions higher than --This is best organizations, peers
IM techniques: yours. achieved through an need to be willing to
• Conformity --may include inspiring vision influence each other
• Excuses appealing to a higher without being
• Apologies authority or citing destructively
• Self-promotion the firm’s goals as competitive (Cohen
• Flattery an overarching reason & Bradford, 2002).
• Favors for others to follow
• Association your cause.
IM EFFECTIVENESS

Job interview success

• IM does not 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

 Factors Influencing The Choice And Effectiveness
Of Power Tactics

Sequencing of tactics
• Softer to harder tactics works best

Skillful use of the tactic

• Experienced users are successful

Relative power of the tactic user

• Some tactics work better
when applied downward
The type of request attaching to the tactic
• Is the request legitimate?
How the request is perceived
• Is the request accepted as ethical?
The culture of the organization
• Culture affects user’s choice of tactic
Country –specific cultural factors
• Local values favor certain tactics over others
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: A CASE OF UNEQUAL POWER

Sexual harassment:
Any unwelcome, sexually determined, physical, verbal, or non-
verbal conduct.(Supreme Court of India, 2013)
• overt actions, like unwanted touching, are relatively easy to spot
• subtle actions, like jokes or looks, can cross over the line to
harassment

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
Managerial Actions To Prevent Sexual Harassment

Create and communicate a clear antiharassment policy , including anti-

retaliation components.
• Conduct sexual harassment training and retraining for everyone, especially
all supervisors and managers, on at least an annual basis.
• Ensure managers and supervisors understand their obligation to maintain
zero tolerance for harassment in the workplace.
• Monitor emails and other electronic communications to scan for harassing
content. Monitor behavior too. It is important as an employer to be on
the lookout for inappropriate behavior and stop it right away.
• Ensure employees know their options if they find themselves in
such a situation. 
• Clearly define the process to submit a complaint, including a
process for situations where the direct supervisor can be bypassed
if necessary.
• Define clear consequences for such behavior and consistently apply
these when harassing behavior is discovered.
• Cultivate a culture where sexual harassment is not welcome or
tolerated. 
• Have a clear process for investigating any complaint of harassment.  
WHAT IS POLITICS?

Politics is the set of activities that are associated with

making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations
between
individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.
referred to as political science.
 POLITICS: POWER IN ACTION
Political behavior are those 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 and
disadvantages within the organization.
Legitimate and illegitimate political behaviors are common in
organizations. 
 Politics is a fact of life in organizations.
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
 FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO POLITICAL
BEHAVIOR

Individual factors (e.g., personality traits, needs)

Organizational factors (e.g., when organizational resources

decline, resources change, low trust exists, high performance
pressures, and the opportunity of promotion exists = political
behavior is likely)
THE REALITY OF POLITICS

Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity

Limited resources lead to competition and political behaviors.

Judgments on quality of resources distribution differ markedly based on the observer’s

perception.
“Blaming others” or “fixing responsibility”
“Covering your rear” or “documenting decisions”
“Perfectionist” or “attentive to detail”

Most decisions are made under ambiguous conditions

Lack of an objective standard encourages political maneuvering of subjective reality
HOW DO PEOPLE RESPOND TO ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS?

Decreased job satisfaction,

increased anxiety,
increased turnover
reduced performance   
 DEFENSIVE BEHAVIORS
• The behavior that people respond with when people perceive
politics as threat rather than opportunity
• May be helpful in the short run, dangerous in the long run

Defensive Actions: Reactive and protective behaviors to

• avoid action (overconforming, buck passing, playing dumb, stalling)
• avoid blame (bluffing, playing safe, justifying, scapegoating)
• avoid change (prevention, self protection)
SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGERS

• Power is a two-way street – others are trying to

build power along with you.

• Few employees relish being powerless in their jobs

  and organization.

• People respond differently to various power bases.

• Employees working under coercive managers are

unlikely to be committed, and more likely to resist
the manager.
• Expert power is the most strongly and consistently related to effective
employee performance.

• The power of the boss may also play a role in determining your job
satisfaction.

• The effective manager accepts the political nature of organizations.

• Regardless of level in the organization, some people are more politically

"astute" than others.

 
• The politically naive and inept tend to feel continually powerless.

• Power can lead to conformity from those around us, and this
occurring conformity can breed corruption.
 Thank you for listening.
Keep safe and Allah Bless Us
All!