Power and Politics

BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE FOR MANAGEMENT

Group Members
• Aksa - 027
• Zabreen Khalil -017
• Khubaib Razi - 024
• Bushra Fatima -086
• Alisha Tehreem -070
• Haris Nazir -002
• Ahmad Hassan -040
• Ahmar Naeem - 023
 What is Power?
Power
• A capacity that A has to influence the
behavior of B so that B acts in
accordance with A’s wishes.
• Potential: power does not need to be
actualized to be effective
• Dependency: based on the available
alternatives and their availability
Contrasting
Leadership and Power
Leadership
• Focuses on goal achievement.
• Requires goal compatibility with
followers.
• Focuses influence downward.
• Leadership styles and relationships
with followers
Power
• Used as a means for achieving goals.
• Requires follower dependency.
• Used to gain lateral and upward
influence
• Power tactics for gaining
compliance
Presented By

Khubaib Razi
Formal Bases of Power
• 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 Reward Power Legitimate Power

• A power base • Compliance achieved • The power a person

dependent on fear. based on the ability to receives as a result of
• At the organizational distribute rewards that his or her position in the
level, power of others view as valuable. formal hierarchy of an
dismissal suspension, or organization.
demotion.
Bases of Power: Personal Power
Expert Power Referent Power Charismatic Power

Influence based on special Influence based on An extension of referent

skills or knowledge. possession by an individual power stemming from an
of desirable resources or individual’s personality and
personal traits. interpersonal style.
Presented By

Zabreen Khalil
Effective Power Bases
• Expert and referent power are positively
related to performance and commitment
• Reward and legitimate power are unrelated to
organizational outcomes
• Coercive power is negatively related to
employee satisfaction and commitment
Dependency:
The Key To Power
What Creates Dependency
The General Dependency Postulate
 The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater
• Importance of the resource to the
organization
the power A has over B.
• Scarcity of the resource
 Possession/control of scarce organizational
resources that others need makes a manager
• Non substitutability of the resource

powerful.

 Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple

suppliers) reduces the resource holder’s power.
Presented By

Haris Nazir
Power Tactics
• Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specific actions.
• Influence Tactics:
 Legitimacy
 Rational persuasion
 Inspirational appeals
 Consultation
 Exchange
 Personal appeals
 Ingratiation
 Pressure
 Coalitions
Power in Groups – Coalitions

• Clusters of individuals
who temporarily come
together to a achieve a
specific purpose.
Effectiveness of Power Tactics
• Some tactics are more effective than others.
• Rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and consultation tend to be the most
effective, especially when the audience is highly interested in the outcomes of a
decision process.
• Pressure tends to backfire and is typically the least effective of the nine tactics.
Presented By

Bushra Fatima
Sexual Harassment:
Unequal Power in the Workplace
• Unwelcome advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual
nature.
Politics: Power in Action
• Politics occur when employees convert power into action.

• Organizational Politics:

 Activities 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

• Outside of job requirements

• Requires the use of power
Prsented By

Ahmer Naeem
Legitimacy of
Political Behaviors
Legitimate Political Behavior Illegitimate Political Behavior
• Normal everyday politics • “Hardball” activities such as
 complaining, • sabotage,
 leg pulling,
 Whistle blowing,
• jeopardizing others,

 backbiting • conspiracy,

• whistle-blowing, and

• symbolic protests
Political Tactics
 Posturing: Cleverly taking credit for others work.
 Empire building: gaining control over human and material resources.
 Making the supervisor look good: engaging in “apple polishing.”.
 Creating power and loyalty cliques: facing superiors as a cohesive group rather than alone.
 Engaging in destructive competition: sabotaging the work of others through character
assassination.
Presented By

Alisha Tehreem
Employee Responses to Organizational
Politics
Presented By

Ahmad Hassan
Impression Management
• The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of
them.
Impression Management Results
• Interviews
 Self-promotion and ingratiation work well

• Performance Evaluations
 Ingratiation positively related
 Self-promotion is negatively related
Implications for Managers
• Power can be controlled 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
Thank You.