Organisational Behaviour

SESSION 3
POWER & POLITICS

Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Pham Thi Bich Ngoc, PhD

Nguyen Lien Huong, PhD
Tran Huy Phuong, PhD
Tutor: Nguyen Hoang Hieu, MBA
Nguyen Minh Hang, MA

Hanoi, Autum 2022

Contents
 Definition of power
 Bases of power
 Power/influence tactics
 How to use power effectively
 Politics and political behaviour
 Political skill development
 Causes and consequences of political
behaviour
 Managing political behaviour
A Definition of Power
 Power
 The capacity that A has to influence the behavior
of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes
 Exists as a potential or fully actualized

 Dependency
 B’s relationship to
A when A
possesses
something that B
requires.
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
 Dependency increases when resources are:
 Important
 Scarce
 Nonsubstitutable
Bases of Power: Formal Power
 Comes from an individual’s position in an
organization
 Coercive Power
 Based on others’ fear of
negative results
 Reward Power
 Based on the ability to distribute
rewards viewed as valuable by
others
 Legitimate Power
 Based on a person’s position in
the formal hierarchy
Bases of Power: Personal Power
 Comes from an individual’s unique
characteristics
 Expert Power
 Based on special skills or knowledge
 Referent Power
 Based on possession of desirable resources or
personal traits
 Information Power
 Based on possession of infor. desired by others
 Connection Power
 Based on connections with influential or important
persons inside or outside the organization.
 Power Tactics
Rational
Rational Inspirational
Inspirational
Persuasion
Persuasion Appeals
Appeals

Legitimacy
Legitimacy Consultation
Consultation
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influencing
influencing
Coalitions
Coalitions tactics
tactics Exchange
Exchange

Personal
Personal
Pressure
Pressure Appeals
Appeals
Ingratiation
Ingratiation
 Preferred power tactics

Upward Influence Downward Influence Lateral Influence

Rational Rational persuasion Rational persuasion
persuasion
Inspirational appeals Consultation
Pressure Ingratiation
Consultation Exchange
Ingratiation Legitimacy
Exchange Personal appeals
Legitimacy Coalitions
Using power effectively
 Understand and use all of the various types
of power and influence
 Use power tempered by maturity and self-
control
 Accept that influencing people is an important
part of the management job
 Use power in ethical ways
Politics: Power in Action
 Politics
 The process of gaining and using power
 Fact of life in organizations
 Political Behavior
 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
Common Political Behaviors

Networking
Networking

33
Common
Common Reciprocity
Reciprocity
Political
Political
Behaviors
Behaviors
Coalitions
Coalitions
Political Skill
 The ability to effectively understand others at
work and to use this knowledge to enhance one’s
own objectives.
 People with strong political skills:
 Find it easy to imagine themselves in others’ positions
or see their points of view
 Can understand situations, determine the best
response and adjust their behavior accordingly
 Develop large networks and are known by many
people
 Easily gain cooperation of others
 Make others feel at ease
 Political skill development

Reciprocity Coalitions
Learn the organizational culture
& power players
Develop good working relationships
esp. with your manager
Be loyal, honest team player
Gain recognition

Networking
Networking on the job
 Key to promotion to higher management
 Requires social skills
 Is about building professional relationships
and friendships
 Difficult for women
Networking to find a job
 Most successful approach
 2/3 of all jobs
– Word of mouth
– Informal referrals
 Results in more new jobs than all other
methods combined
The networking process
 Perform a self-assessment and set goals
 Create your one-minute self sell
 Develop your network
 Conduct networking interviews
 Maintain your network
Factors influencing political behavior
 Employee responses to org. politics
 Most managers and
associates (70%) feel
they have been
harmed by political
behavior of others
 Fewer managers and
associates (45%) feel
they have gained
power and influence
by acting politically
 Most employees have
low to modest
willingness to play
politics
Managing political behavior
 Maintain open communication
 Clarify performance expectations
 Manage scarce resources well
 Use participative management
 Encourage cooperation among work
groups
 Provide a supportive organizational
climate
Points to take home
 Use all of the various types of power and
influence effectively but ethically
 Effective managers accept the political nature
of organizations
 Political astuteness can result in higher
evaluations, salary increases, and promotions
 Nevertheless, extreme organizational politics
lead to employee dissatisfaction and
undermine organizational performance