Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Chapter 11 Organizational Behavior Nelson & Quick, 6 th edition Power

Copyright ©2009South-Western, a division

of Cengage Learning All rights reserved

Chapter 11 Organizational

BehaviorNelson & Quick, 6th edition

Power and Political Behavior



Concept of Power

Power - the ability to influence another person

Influence - the process of affecting the thoughts, behavior, and feelings of another person

Authority - the right to influence another person



Concept of Power

Zone of Indifference - the range in which attempts to influence a person will be perceived as legitimate & will be acted on without a great deal of thought

Zone of Indifference

Z o n e o f I n d i f f e r e n c e

Managers strive to expand employee’s zone of indifference



Sources of Organizational Power: Interpersonal

Reward Power - agent’s ability to control the rewards that the target wants

Coercive Power - agent’s ability to cause an unpleasant experience for a target

Legitimate Power - agent and target agree that agent has influential rights, based on position and mutual agreement



Sources of Organizational Power: Interpersonal

Referent Power - based on interpersonal attraction; charismatic

Expert Power - agent has knowledge target needs

Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation



Which Power is Most Effective?

Expert Power!

• Strong relationship to performance & satisfaction• Transfers vital skills, abilities, and knowledge

within the organization• Employees internalize what they observe & learn

from managers they consider “experts”



Information Power

Information Power - access to and control over important information

• Formal/informal position in communication network

• Interpreting information when passing it on (the spin)

• Can flow upward, downward,and laterally




Criteria for Using Power Ethically

Does the behavior produce a good outcome for people both inside and outside the organization?

Does the behavior respect the rights of all parties?

Does the behavior treat all parties equitably and fairly?




Two Faces of Power

Personal Power - power used for personal gain

Social Power – power used to create motivation or to accomplish group goals



Characteristics of Successful Power Users

• Have high need for social power• Approach relationships with a communal

orientation• Focus on needs and interests of others

Altruism Belief in justice

Belief in the authority system

Preference for work & discipline




Sources of Organizational Power: Intergroup

• Control of critical resources

• Control of strategic contingencies - activities that other groups need to complete their tasks




Sources of Organizational Power: Intergroup

Ways groups hold power over other groups (strategic contingency)– Ability to cope with uncertainty– High degree of centrality -

functionality central to organization’s success

– Nonsubstitutability - group’s activities are indispensable



Power Analysis: A Broader View

Organizational Power

Coercive Power - influence through threat of punishment, fear, or intimidation

Utilitarian Power - influence through rewards and benefits

Normative Power - influence through using knowledge of member’s desire for belonging; letting members know they are expected to do the “right” thing



Power Analysis: A Broader View

Types of MembershipAlienative Membership - members feel hostile, negative, do not want to be there

Calculative Membership - members weigh benefits and limitations of belonging

Moral Membership - members have positive organizational feelings; will deny own needs



Etzioni’s Power Analysis

Type of Membership

Typ

e o

f P

ow

er

Alienative Calculative Moral

Normative

Utilitarian

Coercive

SOURCE: Adapted from Amitai Etzioni, Modern Organizations (Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1964), 59-61. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, N.J.



Kanter’s Symbols of Power• Ability to intercede for someone in trouble• Ability to get placements for favored

employees• Exceeding budget limitations• Procuring above-average raises for employees• Getting items on meeting agendas• Access to early information• Having top managers seek out their opinion




Kanter’s Symbols of Powerlessness

First-line Supervisors• Overly close supervision• Inflexible adherence to rules• Do job rather than train

Key to overcoming powerlessness: share power & delegate decision making

Managers• Assign external attribution -

• Blame others• Blame environment

Top Executives• Budget cuts• Punishing behaviors• Top-down communications

Staff Professionals• Resistance to change• Turf protection



Korda’s Power Symbols

Time

FurnishingsSize of desk

Rectangular table

Locked file cabinet

Access

Who has access to you?

To whom do you have access?




Korda’s Power Symbols

Power - there are more people who inconvenience themselves on your behalf than there are people on whose behalf you would inconvenience yourself

Status - a person’s relative standing in a group based on prestige and deference



Political Behavior in Organizations

Organizational Politics - the use of power and influence in organizations

Political Behavior - actions not officially sanctioned by an organization that are taken to influence others in order to meet one’s personal goals



Conditions Encouraging Political Activity

• Unclear goals• Autocratic decision

making• Ambiguous lines of

authority• Scarce resources• Uncertainty




Effective Political Characteristics

What characteristics do effective political

actors possess?




Influence Tactics

Upward Influence: the boss

Downward Influence: an employee

Lateral Influence: a coworker

Pressure

Upward appeals

Exchange tactics

Coalition

Ingratiation

Rational persuasion

Inspirational appeals

Consultation



Most Effective Tactic: Influence by Rational Persuasion

The person uses logical arguments and factual evidence to persuade you that a proposal or request is viable and likely to result in the attainment of task objectives.

This new procedure will save us over $150,000.




Effective Tactic:Influence by Ingratiation

The person seeks to get you in a good mood or to think favorably of him or her before asking you to do something.

SOURCE: Information on slides 23-27 from the first two columns from G. Yuki and C. M. Falbe. “Influence Tactics and Objectives in Upward, Downward, and Lateral Influence Attempts.” Journal of Applied Psychology 75 (1990): 132-140. Copyright © 1990 by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

Only you can do this job right!




Frequently Used Tactic:Influence by Consultation

The person seeks your participation in making a decision or planning how to implement a proposed strategy, policy, or change.

This new attendance plan is controversial. How can we make it more acceptable?




Frequently Used Tactic: Influence by Inspirational Appeals

The person makes an emotional request or proposal that arouses enthusiasm by appealing to your values and ideals, or by increasing your confidence that you can do it.

Getting that account will be tough, but I know you can do it.




Political Skill

Political Skill - ability to get things done through favorable interpersonal relationships outside of formally prescribed organizational mechanisms– Social astuteness– Interpersonal influence– Networking ability– Sincerity

Learned traits




Managing Political Behavior

• Maintain open communication• Clarify performance expectations• Use participative management• Encourage cooperation among work

groups• Manage scarce resources well• Provide a supportive organizational

climate



Managing Up: The BossUnderstand Your Boss

and Her Context Her goals and

objectives The pressures on her Her strengths,

weaknesses, blind spots

Her preferred work style

Assess Yourself and Your Needs

Your own strengths and weaknesses

Your personal style Your predisposition

toward dependence on authority figures



Managing Up: The Boss

SOURCE: Information on slides 29-30 adapted and reprinted by permission of Harvard Business Review. From “Managing Your Boss,” by J. J. Gabarro and J. P. Kotter, (May-June 1993): p. 155. Copyright© 1993 by the Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation; all rights reserved.

Develop and Maintain a Relationship that

• Fits both your needs and styles

• Is characterized by mutual expectations

• Keeps your boss informed

• Is based on dependability and honesty

• Selectively uses your boss’s time and resources



Sharing Power: Empowerment

Empowerment - sharing power in such a

way that individuals learn to believe in their ability

to do the job!



Empowerment’s Four Dimensions

Meaning – fit between the work role and the employee’s values and beliefs

Self-determination - having control over the way one does one’s work

Impact - belief that one’s job makes a difference within the organization

Competence - belief that one has the ability to do the job well

E2s



Guidelines for Empowering

• Express confidence in employees

• Set high performance expectations

• Create opportunities for participative

decision making

• Remove bureaucratic constraints that

stifle autonomy

• Set inspirational and meaningful goals



Point ANo Discretion

Point BTask Setting

Point CParticipatory

Empowerment

Point DMission Defining

Point ESelf-management

ImplementFollow-up

Alt. Choice

Alt. Eval

Alt. Dev

Problem Id.

Problem Id. Alt. EvalAlt. DevAlt.

ChoiceImplementFollow-up

Employee Empowerment Grid

Decision-Making Authority over Job ContentAmitai Etzioni, Modern Organizations, 1964, pp.... 59-61. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

Dec

isio

n-M

akin

g A

uth

ori

ty o

ver

Job

Co

nte

xt



Finkelstein: Why Executives Fail

• See themselves and their companies as

dominant, without peers

• Think they have all the answers

• Eliminate those not 100% behind them

• Rely on what worked for them in the past

• No clear boundaries between personal

interests and corporate interests



Using Power Effectively

• Use power in ethical ways• Understand and use all of the various

types of power and influence• Seek out jobs that allow you to develop

your power skills• Use power tempered by maturity and

self-control• Accept that influencing people is an

important part of the management job



Chapter 11: Reflect & Discuss

Scarface Video Clip

What to Watch for and Ask Yourself

• What are Mel’s sources or bases of power in this interaction with Tony Montana?

• What are Tony Montana’s sources or bases of power?

• What type of power relationship forms between the two men?

Documents

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Chapter 11 Organizational Behavior Nelson & Quick, 6 th edition Power