Power in oraganization behaviour

2. Power packed
performances by
Sri Ankita
Balaji Kulka
Hema
rni
dri
Bajir
Mansi Priya
ao
Purohi m

3. What do we have in
store for you?
• Definition of Power
• Difference between Power and
Authority
• Bases Of Power
• Dependency
• Power Tactics
• Power in Groups: Coalitions
• Unequal Power in Organizations

4. Abraham Lincoln
says that….
• Nearly all men can
stand adversity. If you
want to test a man’s
character give him
POWER.

5. I have the power…
• Capacity of A to influence
the behaviour of B so that
he/she does things that
he/she would otherwise
not do.

6. Authority and
Power..What is the
difference???
Authority Power
• Legally • Individual
enforced and
independent
• Formal
• Informal
• Limited
• Transcends
scope
Boundaries
• Just and • May be used

7. Bases Of
Power
Coercive Power:
• Power because the person
has control of the
punishments or demotions .
• Victim complies in order to
avoid punishments believed to
be controlled by the agent.

8. Bases of Power
Positional Power:
• Power of an individual because
of the
relative position and duties in
the organization.
• Target complies because he
believes the agent has the right
to make the request and he has

9. Bases of Power
Expert Power:
• Individual's power deriving
from the skills or expertise
of the person and the
organization's needs for the
same.
• Target complies because he
believes that the agent has
special knowledge about

10. Bases of Power
Referent Power:
• Power to attract others and
build loyalty.
• Based on
the charisma and interpersonal
skills of the power holder.
• Target complies because he
admires or identifies with the
agent and wants to gain the

11. Bases of Power
Reward Power:
• Refers to the degree to which the
individual can give others a reward
of some kind such as benefits, time
off, desired gifts, promotions or
increases in pay or responsibility.
• Power a person has because he
or she has control of the
resources.
• Target complies in order to
obtain rewards he or she believes

12. Dependency
• Power : Function of dependency
• There often exists a counter-power. e.g. a
powerful manager who controls
rewards may be dependant on the
employee to achieve his/her goals.
• The dependency of A on B {D(A,B)} is a
function of two things: 1. Demand
– how much A needs what B controls.

13. • 2. Supply
– how easy it is for A to go
elsewhere to get what B
controls.
– Supply is inversely related
to dependency

14. • Dependency may be mutual:
– Married couple may depend on each
other for all the same things.
– Or, A can depend on B for some things,
and B depends on A for others
– A has power over B if A is less
dependent on B than B is on A.

15. General
dependency
• General dependency postulate
– Greater B’s dependency on A
,Greater the power A has over B.
– When you possess anything that
others require but you alone
control, you make them dependent
on you and you gain power over
them
– Example
• Intelligent student
• Superrich
• Blind

16. What creates
dependency
• Dependency is increased when the resource
you control is :
– Importance.
– Scarce.
– Nonsubstitutability.
• Importance
– The things you control must be important.
– The ability to reduce uncertainty
increases a group’s power and enhances
its ability to create dependency.
– An organization like Panasonic is
dependant on engineers than Procter &
Gamble

17. Scarcity
• A resource needs to be perceived as
scarce to create depen-dency.
• The need to obtain a scarce resource—
such as, important knowledge—makes
the high-ranking member dependent on
the low-ranking member.
• Individuals in occupations in which the
supply of personnel is low relative to
demand can negotiate compensation and
benefit packages far more attractive

18. Non-substitubality
• The resource cannot be substituted
with something else.
• The more that a resource has no viable
substitutes, the more power that
control over that resource provides.
• At university in which there are strong
pressure for faculty to publish ,the
department head’s power over a

19. Power Tactics
Ways in which Tactical Dimensions:
individuals • Legitimacy
translate • Rational persuasion
power bases • Inspirational appeals
into specific • Consultation
actions. • Exchange
• Personal appeals
• Ingratiation
• Pressure
• Coalitions

20. Preferred Power Tactics
by Influence Direction
Upward Influence Downward
Influence Lateral Influence
Rational persuasion Rational
persuasion Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Pressure Ingratiation
Consultation Exchange

21. Factors Influencing the
Choice and Effectiveness of
•
Power Tactics
Sequencing of tactics
– Softer to harder tactics work best
• Skillful use of a tactic
• Relative power of the tactic user
– Some tactics work better when applied
downward or upward
• The type of request attaching to the tactic
– Is the request legitimate?
• How the request is perceived
– Is the request consistent with the target’s
values?
• The culture of the organization
– Culture affects user’s choice of tactic
• Country-specific cultural factors
– Local values favor certain tactics over others

22. Power in Groups:
Coalitions:
Coalitions the end uppower
• Mostly
their
using
A coalition is a pact or treaty wrongly, but effective if
among individuals or groups, used wisely
during which they cooperate
in joint action, each in their • Seek a broad and
own self-interest, joining diverse constituency for
forces together for a common support of their
cause. objectives.
•Typically exposed in crisis time • Occur more frequently
•In US, there is a typical in organizations with
organization regulating this high task and resource
coalition groups, interdependencies.
called Coalition for a
Democratic Workplace(CDW) • Seek to maximize their
size to attain influence.
• Occur more frequently
if tasks are

23. Unequal Power in the
Workplace
Glass Shield for higher positions
• Even in this era of globalization
, there exists a mental block among the
male, which don’t accepts a female as
their as their boss.
Sexual Harassment
• Requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal or physical conduct of a
sexual nature, typically exploiting
women.

24. The final verdict…
“The fundamental concept in social science is
power, in the same sense in which energy is
the fundamental concept in physics.”