1. Chapter 7
Power and Politics

2. Power and Politics Power
A capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes
Dependency: B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B requires
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages 209.
Power is not necessarily bad – power if used properly should be a positive influence in your organization.

3. Leadership and Power Power Leadership Does not require goal acceptance
Focuses on intimidation
Maximizes importance of lateral and upward influence
Power focuses on tactics for gaining compliance
Requires goal agreement
Focuses on downward influence
Minimizes importance of lateral and upward influence
Leadership research focuses on answers
Material pertinent to this illustration is found on page 210.
Additional slide if you want to pursue this theme.
Leadership and power as two concepts are closely intertwined. Leaders use power as a means of attaining group goals. Leaders achieve goals, and power is a means of facilitating their achievement. One difference relates to goal acceptance; power does not require that individuals accept the goals of the person in power, only dependence on that person. Leadership requires some congruence between the goals of the leader and the led. Another difference is the direction of influence. Leadership focuses on downward influence over one's subordinates, while power does not. Power can be used laterally, upwardly, and by groups as well as individuals.

4. Measuring Bases of Power
Coercive power
The person can make things difficult for people, and you want to avoid getting him or her angry.
Power that is based on fear.
Reward power
The person is able to give special benefits or rewards to people, and you find it advantageous to trade favors with him or her.
Legitimate power
The person has the right, considering his or her position and your job responsibilities, to expect you to comply with legitimate requests.
Material pertinent to this illustration is found on pages
Does a person have one or more of the five bases of power? Affirmative responses to the slide’s questions can answer this question.

5. Measuring Bases of Power
Expert power
The person has the experience and knowledge to earn your respect, and you defer to his or her judgment in some matters.
Referent power
You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her.
Material pertinent to this illustration is found on pages
Notes:
Referent power – if I admire you and identify with you, you can exercise power over me because I want to please you.

6. Evaluating the Bases of Power
Coercive power tends to result in negative performance responses from individuals, decreases satisfaction, increases mistrust, and creates fear.
Legitimate power does not have a negative effect, but does not generally stimulate employees to improve their attitudes or performance, and it does not generally result in increased commitment.
Reward power may improve performance in a variety of situations if the rewards are consistent with what the individuals want as rewards.
Expert power relies on trust that all relevant information is given out honestly and completely.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

7. Continuum of Responses to Power
Coercive
Base of
Leader
Power
Reward
Legitimate
Expert
Referent
Mostly likely employee response
Resistance
Compliance
Commitment
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on page 214.

8. Popularity of Power Tactics: From Most to Least Popular
When Managers
Influenced
Superiors*
When Managers
Influenced
Subordinates
Most Popular
Reason
Coalition
Friendliness
Bargaining
Assertiveness
Higher authority
Reason
Assertiveness
Friendliness
Coalition
Bargaining
Higher authority
Sanctions
Material pertinent to this illustration is found on pages
•Reason: Use of facts and data to make a logical or rational presentation of ideas
•Friendliness: Use of flattery, creation of goodwill, acting humble, and being friendly prior to making a request
•Coalition: Getting the support of other people in the organization to back up the request
•Bargaining: Use of negotiation through the exchange of benefits or favours
•Assertiveness: Use of a direct and forceful approach such as demanding compliance with requests, repeating reminders, ordering individuals to do what is asked, and pointing out that rules require compliance
•Higher authority: Gaining the support of higher levels in the organization to back up requests
•Sanctions: Use of organizationally derived rewards and punishments such as preventing or promising a salary increase, threatening to give an unsatisfactory performance evaluation, or withholding a promotion
Least Popular
*The dimension of sanctions is omitted in the scale
that measures upward influence.

9. Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees
The freedom and the ability of employees to make decisions and commitments
Managers disagree over definition of empowerment
Empowerment as delegating decision making within a set of clear boundaries
versus
Empowerment as “a process of risk taking and personal growth”
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on page 219.
View 1: Empowerment start sat the top, with specific goals and task assigned, responsibility delegated, and people be held accountable for their results.
View 2: Empowerment starts at the bottom, considering the employees needs, showing them what empowered behaviour looks like, building teams, encouraging risk taking, and demonstrating trust in employee’s ability to perform.
The concept of empowerment has caused much cynicism in many workplaces. Employees are told that they are empowered, and yet they do not feel that they have the authority to act, or feel that their manager still micro-manages their performance.

10. Conditions for True Empowerment
Clear definition of the values and mission of the company
Company must help employees acquire the relevant skills
Employees need to be supported in their decision making, and not criticized when they try to do something extraordinary
Employees need to be recognized for their efforts
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on page 220.

11. Characteristics of Empowered People
Sense of self-determination
Employees are free to choose how to do their work; They are not micromanaged
Sense of meaning
Employees feel that their work is important to them; They care about what they are doing
Sense of competence
Employees are confident about their ability to do their work well; They know they can perform
Sense of impact
Employees people believe they can have influence on their work unit; Others listen to their ideas
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

12. Political Behaviour
Those activities that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
Legitimate: normal everyday behaviour
Illegitimate: extreme political behaviours that violate the implied rules of the game
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

13. Why Do We Get Politics?
Organizations are made up of groups and individuals who have differing values, goals and interests
Resources in organizations are limited
Performance outcomes are not completely clear and objective
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages
Organizations are made up of individuals and groups with different values, goals, and interests. This creates the potential for conflict over resources, which are limited, and this turns potential conflict into real conflict. Gains by one individual or group are often perceived as being at the expense of others within the organization. These forces create competition among members for the organization's limited resources.

14. Factors Influencing Political Behaviour
Individual factors •
High self-monitors •
Internal locus of control •
High Mach •
Organizational investment •
Perceived job alternatives •
Expectations of success
Political behaviour
Favourable outcomes
Low High •
Rewards
Organizational factors
Material pertinent to this illustration is found on pages •
Averted punishments •
Reallocation of resources •
Promotion opportunities •
Low trust •
Role ambiguity •
Unclear performance
evaluation system •
Zero-sum reward practices •
Democratic decision making •
High performance pressures •
Self-serving senior managers

15. What Individual Factors Contribute to Politics?
High self-monitors
Internal locus of control
High mach
Organizational investment
Perceived job alternatives
Expectations of success
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

16. What Organizational Factors Contribute to Politics?
Reallocation of rewards
Promotion opportunities
Low trust
Role ambiguity
Unclear performance evaluation system
Zero-sum reward practices
Democratic decision-making
High performance pressure
Self-serving senior managers
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

17. Types of Political Activity
Attacking or blaming others
Controlling information
Forming coalitions
Networking
Creating obligations
Managing impressions
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

18. Impression Management
The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them
More likely used by high self-monitors than low self-monitors
High self-monitors try to read the situation
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages

19. Exhibit 7-8 Impression Management (IM) Techniques
Conformity
Agreeing with someone else’s opinion in order to gain his or her approval.
Excuses
Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at minimizing the apparent severity of the predicament.
Apologies
Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and simultaneously seeking to get a pardon for the action.
Acclamations
Explanation of favorable events to maximize the desirable implications for oneself.
Flattery
Complimenting others about their virtues in an effort to make oneself appear perceptive and likable.
Favours
Doing something nice for someone to gain that person’s approval.
Association
Enhancing or protecting one’s image by managing information about people and things with which one is associated.
Material pertinent to this illustration is found on pages

20. Making Office Politics Work
Nobody wins unless everybody wins
Don’t just ask for opinions—change them
Everyone expects to be paid back
Success can create opposition
Material pertinent to this discussion is found on pages
Is there an effective way to engage in office politics that is less likely to be disruptive or negative? Fast Company, an on-line business magazine, identifies several rules that may help to improve the climate of the organization, while negotiating through the office politics maze:
(1) Nobody wins unless everybody wins.
(2) Don’t just ask for opinions.
(3) Everyone expects to be paid back.
(4) Success can create opposition.

21. Working With Others Exercise
Instructions for Role Play
Working in your group, read the instructions for the assignment
You have 15 minutes to develop a 3 minute role play, using the source of power assigned to your group
You MUST stick to the time limit
Material pertinent to this exercise is found on page
The next set of slides provide visuals for the various aspects of the Working With Others Role Play: Instructions, scenario, reminders of types of power, scoring information, and comparative information.

22. Role Play Scenario – Pg. 236
You are the leader of a group that is trying to develop a website for a new client. One of your group members, who was assigned the task of researching and analysing the websites of your client’s competition, has failed twice to bring the analysis to scheduled meetings, even though the member knew the assignment was due. Consequently, your group is falling behind in getting the website developed. As leader of the group, you have decided to speak with this team member, and use your specific brand of power to influence the individual’s behaviour.
Material pertinent to this exercise is found on page

23. Sources of Power
COERCIVE: depends on fear. It is the ability to punish or withhold privileges.
REWARD: Based on one's control over things that others desire such as vacations, raises, promotions and office locations.
LEGITIMATE: person holding power has right to it because of position or role. Thus the person has a formal right to direct others in certain matters and the subordinates have a duty to obey those directions.
EXPERT: the perception by others that one has superior judgment or knowledge on some topics, often specialized in nature. Unlike information power, this power base does not involve sharing of the facts or reasoning behind a decision.
REFERENT: develops out of subordinates' admiration for leader and his/her desire to model behaviour and attitudes after that person. The person builds feelings of support, liking, admiration and respect with subordinates.
Material pertinent to this exercise is found on page

24. Mean Responses to Type of Influence
Material pertinent to this exercise is found on page

25. Discussion Questions
Which kind of influence is most likely to immediately result in the desired behaviour?
Which will have the most long-lasting effects?
What effect will using a particular base of power have on the ongoing relationship?
Which form of power will others find most acceptable? least acceptable?
In which kinds of situations is each kind of power most effective and useful? least effective and useful?
Material pertinent to this exercise is found on page