After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions: What is power and why is it important? What are the sources of power and influence? How do people respond to power and influence? What is organizational politics? How do individual navigate politics in organizations?
Chapter 12 Power and Politics Make connections, gain power and influence Chapter 12 Study Questions What is power and why is it important? What are the sources of power and influence? How people respond to power and influence? What is organizational politics? How individual navigate politics in organizations? Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-2 What is power and why is it important? Power • The ability to get someone to something you want done • The ability to make things happen in the way you want Social Power • A term used to recognize that power comes from the ability to influence another in a social relation Force • Power made operative against another’s will Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-3 What is power and why is it important? Power and Dependence • Dependency – One Person or group relies on another person or group to get what they want or need • Control – Authority or ability to exercise restraining or dominating influence over someone or something Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-4 What is power and why is it important? The Problem of Powerlessness Powerlessness is defined as a lack of autonomy and participation Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-5 What is power and why is it important? Power as an Expanding Pie • Empowerment – involves sharing power, information, and rewards with employees to make decisions and solve problems in their work • Zero Sum Game – one person’s gain in equal to another person’s loss (“I win, you lose”) Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-6 FIGURE 12.1 Hypothetical psychological contract for a secretary Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-7 What are the sources of power and influence? Two primary sources of power: Position • Derives from a person’s position in the organization Personal • Resides in the individual • Independent of that individual’s position Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-8 What are the sources of power and influence? Types of position power Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc 12-9 What are the sources of power and influence? Legitimate power • The extent to which a manager can use subordinates’ internalized values or beliefs that the “boss” has a “right of command” to control their behavior Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- What are the sources of power and influence? Connection Power • The ability to call on connections and networks both inside and outside the organization for support in getting things done and in meeting one’s goals Association Power • Arises from influence with a powerful person on whom other depend Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-13 What are the sources of power and influence? Reciprocal Alliances • Represents the power arising from alliances with others developed through reciprocity (the trade of power or favors for mutual gain in organizational transactions) Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- In your experience Which personal power would you likely use to request a promotion? a Coalition b Rational persuasion c Expertise Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- How people respond to power and influence? Responses to Power and Influence Conformity – • Compliance – occurs when individual accept another’s influence because of the positive or negative outcomes tied to it • Identification – occurs when individuals accept an influence attempt because they want to maintain a positive relationship with the person or group making the influence request • Internalization – occurs when an individual accepts influence because the induced behavior is congruent with their value system Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc 12-16 How people respond to power and influence? Resistance • Constructive Resistance Characterized by thoughtful dissent aimed at constructively challenging the influencing agent to rethink the issue • Dysfunctional Resistance Involves a more passive form of non-compliance in which individuals ignore or dismiss the request of the influencing again Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc 12- How people respond to power and influence? How Power Corrupts • Bathsheba Syndrome When men and women of otherwise strong personal integrity and intelligence engage in unethical and selfish behavior in the pinnacle or power because they mistakenly believe they are above the law Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- What is organizational politics? Why do we have organizational politics? • Formal Systems Dictate what is to be done in organizations and how work processesaretobecoordinatedandstructured ã InformalSystems Patternsofactivityandrelationshipsthatariseineveryday activitiesasindividualsandgroupsworktogetthingsdone Copyright â 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-19 What is organizational politics? The Role of SelfInterest • Self-interested Politics Occur when individuals or groups work to shift otherwise ambiguous outcomes to their personal advantage without consideration of the organization or coworkers Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-20 What is organizational politics? Political Climates • Organizational Political Climate The shared perceptions about the political nature of the organization • Workarounds Working around the system to accomplish a task or goal when the normal process or method isn’t producing the desired result Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- How individual navigate politics in organizations? Building Power Bases • Power Bases The sources of power individuals and subunits develop in organizations Non-Substitutable means the individual or the work performed by the subunit cannot be easily replaced Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- Figure 12.2 Building power bases Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & 12-23 How individual navigate politics in organizations? Developing Political Skills • Political Savvy The skill and adroitness at reading political environments and understanding how to influence effectively in these environments Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12- How individual navigate politics in organizations? Networking • Social Capital The current or potential resources gained through one’s network • Human Capital The knowledge, skills and intellectual assets employees bring to the workplace Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-25 Figure 12.3 Sample scenarios for connections and networks in organization s Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & 12-26 How individual navigate politics in organizations? Structural Holes Theory • Brokers Serve as links between structural holes in a network, providing greater access to resources, information and opportunities • Structural Holes The absence of a link between two contract who are both linked to an actor Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 12-27 .. .Chapter 12 Study Questions What is power and why is it important? What are the sources of power and influence? How people respond to power and influence? What is organizational politics? ... 1 2-4 What is power and why is it important? The Problem of Powerlessness Powerlessness is defined as a lack of autonomy and participation Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, 1 2-5 What is power. .. Sons, 1 2-8 What are the sources of power and influence? Types of position power Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc 1 2-9 What are the sources of power and influence? Legitimate? ?power •