2. Learning Goals
• Describe the nature of power in
organizations and ways to build power
• Discuss the relationship between power and
politics in organizations
• Describe the bases of power and ways of
building power in organizations
• Understand political strategies and political
tactics
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3. Learning Goals (Cont.)
• Do a political diagnosis
• Describe international differences in
political behavior in organizations
• Discuss the ethical issues surrounding
organizational politics
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4. Chapter Overview
• Introduction
• Power
• Political behavior
• International aspects of political behavior in
organizations
• Ethical issues about political behavior in
organizations
7. Introduction (Cont.)
• Political behavior pervades organizational
life
• Focuses on developing and using power in
an organization
• Often gives power to people who do not
have it from their organizational position
8. Power
• Power: ability to get something done the
way a person wants it done
• Includes the ability to gather physical and
human resources and put them to work to
reach a goal
• Essential to leadership and management
functions
9. Power (Cont.)
• More than dominance: a capacity to get
something done in an organization
• Central feature of political behavior
• Unavoidable presence in organizations
10. Power (Cont.)
• Facets of power
– Potential power: one party perceives another
party as having power and the ability to use it
– Actual power: the presence and use of power
– Potential for power: person or group has
control of resources from which to build power
11. Power (Cont.)
• Power relationships: moments of social
interaction where power manifests itself
• Dimensions of power relationships
– Relational: social interaction between people
and groups
– Dependence
• Reliance of one party on another party
• High power when valued results not available
elsewhere
– Sanctioning: use of rewards or penalties
12. Power (Cont.)
• Power and authority
– Different concepts although a person can have
both
– Authority usually flows from a person’s
position in an organization
– Power can accrue to people at any level
14. Power (Cont.)
• Power dynamics
– Dynamic not static; rises and falls for people
and groups
– Shifts in environment can change power of
person or group
• Marketing: successful product--power goes up; lose
market share--power goes down
• Technology: as it increases in importance, people
who know it become more powerful. The opposite
happens as importance of technology drops
15. Bases of Power
• Bases of power: aspects of formal manage-
ment position and personal characteristics
– Organizational bases of power: sources of
power in formal management position
– Personal bases of power: sources of power in
a manager’s personal characteristics
• Accumulate to a total power base
See text book Figure 15.1
16. Bases of Power (Cont.)
• Organizational bases of power
– Legitimate power
• Derives from position
• Decision authority
– Reward power
• Tie positive results to a person’s behavior
• Organization’s reward system and policies
17. Bases of Power (Cont.)
• Organizational bases of power (cont.)
– Coercive power
• Tie negative results to a person’s behavior
• Organization’s reward system and policies
– Information power
• Information control
• Information distribution
18. Bases of Power (Cont.)
• Organizational bases of power (cont.)
– All management positions have some
organizational basis of power
– Minimally have legitimate power
– Reward and coercive power depend on organi-
zational policies about rewards and sanctions
– Assume the power in the position but it stays
after person leaves the position
19. Bases of Power (Cont.)
• Personal bases of power
– Referent power: positive feelings about the
leader. Related to charisma
– Expert power: technical knowledge and
expertise
– Flow from the attributes and qualities of the
person
– Strongly affected by attribution processes
21. Power, Leadership,
and Management (Cont.)
• Behavior of powerful leaders and managers
– Delegate decision authority
– See people’s talents as a resource
– Can change people’s working conditions
– Get resources and information for work group
– Take risks
22. Power, Leadership,
and Management (Cont.)
• Behavior of powerful leaders and managers
(cont.)
– Press for innovations
– Share power widely
– Help develop people
Results
Highly effective
Increases total power of the work group
Increases people’s promotion opportunities
23. Power, Leadership,
and Management (Cont.)
• Behavior of powerless leaders and
managers
– Supervise closely
– Do not delegate decision authority
– Often distrust subordinates
– See people’s talents as a threat
– Stick to the rules
24. Power, Leadership,
and Management (Cont.)
• Behavior of powerless leaders and
managers (cont.)
– Do not take risks
– Strongly focus on the work
– Protect his or her territory
Results
Ineffective
Low total power of work group
Decreases people’s promotion opportunities
25. Which do you prefer:
powerful
or
powerless
leader or manager?
Power, Leadership,
and Management (Cont.)
26. Building Power
• Six major sources of power
• Sources are related to bases of power
described earlier
• Political diagnosis, described later, is an
important step in building power
27. Building Power (Cont.)
• Knowledge, skill, reputation, professional
credibility (expert and information power)
• Political network
– Formal or informal
– Often based on position in a communication
channel
– Important in lateral relationships
• Create perception of dependence: control
of scarce resources
28. Building Power (Cont.)
• Work activities (legitimate power)
– Extraordinary
– Visible
– Successful at high-risk activities
• Charisma (referent power). Especially
important in lateral relationships
29. Building Power (Cont.)
• Power base of the work unit
– Coping with uncertainty
– Unique function
– Changes in external environment
– Centrality in work flow
Human resource management departments that become
expert in affirmative action, equal employment opportunity,
and workforce diversity can increase their power.
30. Attribution of Power
• Ascribing power to people at any level
• May not be same as actual power
• Attribution based on
– Personal characteristics
– Context of the person
31. Attribution of Power (Cont.)
• Personal characteristics
– Formal position: status and authority
– Technical knowledge
– Central position in a communication network
• Context of the person
– Physical context
– Group or project membership
– Member of a coalition
32. Political Behavior
• Getting, developing, and using power to
reach a desired result
• Often appears in situations of uncertainty or
conflict over choices
• Often happens outside accepted channels of
authority
33. Political Behavior (Cont.)
• Unofficial, unsanctioned behavior to reach a
goal
• Build bases of power
• Use political behavior
– Affect decisions
– Get scarce resources
– Earn cooperation of people outside direct
authority
34. Political Behavior (Cont.)
• Ebbs and flows with the dynamics of power
• Two characteristics: power and influence
• Directed at reaching organizational goals or
individual goals
• Plays an important role in lateral
relationships
• Rarely have formal authority in such
relationships
36. Political Behavior (Cont.)
• Political behavior and lateral relationships
– Line-staff
• Many entry positions
– Marketing
– Human resource management
– Information systems
– Competition for resources: money, people,
equipment, office space
– Interdependence in work flow. Especially
modern manufacturing
37. Political Maneuvering
in Organizations
• Political maneuvering
– Political strategy
• Plan to reach a goal using specific political tactics
• Goal: organizational or personal
– Political tactics
• Builds power base
• Uses power
38. Political Maneuvering
in Organizations (Cont.)
• Political strategy
– Specifies combinations and sequences of
political tactics
– Includes plan for responding to changes in the
political context
– People at all levels can develop and use a
political strategy
– Not written; usually tacit
39. Political Maneuvering
in Organizations (Cont.)
• Political strategy (cont.)
– Used in
• Resource allocation
• Choice of senior managers
• Career decisions
• Performance appraisals
• Pay increase decisions
40. Political Maneuvering
in Organizations (Cont.)
• Political tactics
– Decision making processes
• Selectively emphasize decision alternatives
• Influence decision process in favor of self or work
unit
– Use outside expert or consultant. Power is
equal but wants to shift another level
– Control the decision making agenda: often
done when person does not want change
41. Political Maneuvering
in Organizations (Cont.)
• Political tactics (cont.)
– Build coalitions
• Form around people inside and outside the
organization
• Those believed important to person’s position
– Co-optation: get support by putting possible
opponents on a task force or advisory board
42. Political Diagnosis
• Help understand the loci of power
• Identify type of political behavior likely to
happen in an organization
• Usually done unobtrusively by observing
behavior and making subtle inquiries
43. Political Diagnosis (Cont.)
• Areas of diagnosis
– Individuals
• Identify powerful people and politically active
people
– Assess amounts of power
– Assess ways they likely will use their power
– Assess their political skills
44. Political Diagnosis (Cont.)
• Areas of diagnosis (cont.)
– Coalitions
• Alliance of people who share a common goal
• Widely dispersed in organization
• Try to affect decisions
45. Political Diagnosis (Cont.)
• Areas of diagnosis (cont.)
– Political networks
• Affiliations, alliances, coalitions
• Control information flow and resources
• Identify major influences in the network
46. The Dark Side of
Organizational Politics
Organizational
politics
Deception Lying
Intimidation
47. The Dark Side of
Organizational Politics (Cont.)
• Deception
– See the Machiavelli quotation on page 293
– Trick another party into picking wrong decision
alternative
– Personal goals more important than
organizational goals
Manager does not want change and
asks for an endless series of studies
48. The Dark Side of
Organizational Politics (Cont.)
• Lying
– Intentional misstatement of the truth
– Trying to mislead other party
– Distorts information in favor of the liar
– Can have long-term negative effects if
discovered
“There will be no layoffs.”
49. The Dark Side of
Organizational Politics (Cont.)
• Intimidation
– Direct or indirect pressures on a person by
someone with power over the person
– Restrict communication of person with others
– Isolate from others
– Includes sexual harassment of anyone
Imply withholding a promotion unless . . .
50. International Aspects of Political
Behavior in Organizations
• People from different cultures hold different
beliefs about power and power relationships
• Some cultures see a directive and autocratic
use of power as correct
• Other cultures define a consultative or
democratic approach as correct
• Different individuals within those cultures
have different beliefs about power
relationships
51. International Aspects of Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• The Philippines, Mexico, India, Singapore,
Hong Kong: value a directive use of power
• Workers ascribe power to a directive
manager and weakness to a consultative one
• Consultative-oriented managers at a
disadvantage in power-directive cultures
52. International Aspects of Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Scandinavian countries, Israel, Switzerland,
Austria, and New Zealand
– Expect managers to involve workers in
decision-making process
– Directive manager would not be well accepted
by workers in Scandinavian organizations
– Manager has high power in home culture; little
power in Scandinavian cultures
53. International Aspects of Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Cultural orientation to uncertainty and
power
– Workers in Greece and France expect managers
to maintain low levels of uncertainty
– Manager who cannot keep uncertainty low has
little power and influence over his workers
– Workers in Denmark and the United States
have higher tolerance for uncertainty
54. International Aspects of Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Cultural orientation to uncertainty and
power (cont.)
– Nonmanagers in those countries expect
managers to make risky decisions
– Ascribe high power to risk-taking managers;
low power to those who avoid risk
– Degree of power ascribed to managers affects
their ability to affect others with political tactics
55. International Aspects of Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Individualistic orientation and power
– High individualistic: United States, Australia,
Great Britain, Canada, the Netherlands
– Low individualistic
• Many South American countries
• Value family ties and conformity to social norms
– South American workers expect managers to
look after them
– Managers who show interest in subordinates'
private lives enjoy high power
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56. Ethical Issues About Political
Behavior in Organizations
• Utilitarian view: using power and political
behavior to serve only one's self-interest is
unethical
• Political behavior that uses excessive
organizational resources to reach a personal
goal is also unethical
57. Ethical Issues About Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Suggest any political strategy is unethical
– Does not serve goals of the organization or
– A larger group of people than the single
political actor
Ignoring equipment maintenance to push products through
a manufacturing process for personal gain is behaving unethically
58. Ethical Issues About Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Using power and political behavior that
violates another person's rights is unethical
• A political tactic such as co-optation can
violate others' rights
• Co-opted individual, unless he or she
understands the goal of the political actor,
has not consented to such influence
59. Ethical Issues About Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Sense of justice strongly argues for fair
treatment
• Giving preferential treatment to someone to
build a sense of obligation is unethical
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60. Ethical Issues About Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Guidelines for ethical political behavior
– Distinguishes organizational statesmanship
from "dirty politics"
– Behavior should serve people outside the
organization, beyond the single political actor
– Individuals should clearly know intent of actor;
give free consent to be influenced
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61. Ethical Issues About Political
Behavior in Organizations
(Cont.)
• Guidelines (cont.)
– Right of due process should not be violated
while the political behavior unfolds
– Administration of policies should allow fair
treatment of all affected people
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