1. Power and Politics

2. Questions for Consideration Questions for Consideration
Power and Politics
Questions for Consideration
Questions for Consideration
1. What is power?
2. How does one get power?
3. How does dependency affect power?
4. What tactics can be used to increase power?
5. What does it mean to be empowered?
6. How are power and harassment related?
7. Why do people engage in politics?

3. 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
Politics
Behaviour to influence, or attempt to influence the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Dependency: Key to Power
Importance
The things you control must be important
Scarcity
A resource must be perceived as scarce
Non-substitutability
The resource cannot be substituted with something else

9. Increasing Dependency
To increase the dependency of others on you, you need to
Control things viewed as important
The resources must be viewed as scarce
The resource must have few or no substitutes (nonsubstitutability)

10. 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”

11. 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

12. 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

13. Examples of Sexual Harassment
Disagreement as to what specifically constitutes sexual harassment
Includes
Unwanted physical touching
Recurring requests for dates when it is made clear the person isn’t interested
Coercive threats that a person will lose her or his job if she or he refuses a sexual proposition

14. Examples of Sexual Harassment
More subtle forms (harder to interpret)
Unwanted looks or comments
Off-colour jokes
Sexual artifacts such as nude calendars in the workplace
Sexual innuendo
Misinterpretations of where the line between “being friendly” ends and “harassment” begins

15. Political Behaviour
Those activities that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
Legitimate: normal everyday behavior
Illegitimate: extreme political behaviors that violate the implied rules of the game

16. 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

17. What Individual Factors Contribute to Politics?
High self-monitors
Internal locus of control
High mach
Organizational investment
Perceived job alternatives
Expectations of success

18. 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

19. Types of Political Activity
Attacking or blaming others
Controlling information
Forming coalitions
Networking
Creating obligations
Managing impressions

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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