DuBrin, Chapter 11 Power, Politics, and Influence

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DuBrin, Chapter 11Power, Politics, and Influence
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Power, Politics, and Influence

• Power
• Is the potential or ability to influence
  decisions and control resources.
• Organizational politics
• Is the informal approaches to gaining power
  through means other than merit or luck.
• Influence
• Resembles power, but tends to be more subtle and
  indirect.

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Types of Power and Motives

• Socialized Power
• Is the use of power to achieve constructive ends.
• Personalized Power
• Is the use of power primarily for the sake of
  personal aggrandizement and gain.

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Sources of Power

• (Position Power) Power Granted by the
  Organization
• (Personal Power) Stemming from the Individual
• (Resource Power) Power from Providing Resources

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Sources of Power (1 of 3)

• Power Granted by the Organization (Position
  Power)
• Legitimate power is based on the managers formal
  position within the hierarchy of the firm.
• Power is enhanced by establishing polices and
  procedures that increase the scope of the
  positions control.
• Coercive power is controlling others through the
  fear of punishment.
• To be effective, employees must fear the
  punishment.
• Reward power is controlling others through
  rewards or the promise of rewards.
• Information Power formal control over
  information that people need to do their work.

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Sources of Power (2 of 3)

• Power Stemming from the Individual(Personal
  Power)
• Expert power is the ability to influence others
  because of ones specialized knowledge, skills,
  or abilities.
• Referent power is the ability to influence others
  that stems from ones desirable traits and
  characteristics.
• Prestige Power influence through status and
  reputation.

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Sources of Power (1 of 3)

• Power from Providing Resources
• Resource Dependence Perspective
• Subunits or individuals within an organization
  who control or provide the resources that the
  organization needs on a continuing basis can
  become quite powerful.
• Control of resources equals power for managers.

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Empowerment of Group Members

• Empowerment
• Process of sharing power with group members,
  thereby enhancing their feelings of
  self-efficacy.
• Strategic benefits of distributing power
• Improved productivity, quality, and satisfaction
• Keys for the transition to effective empowerment
• Sharing information
• Providing more structure (training and support)
• Gradually replacing traditional organizational
  structure
• Allowing individuals and teams to determine how
  to achieve objectives
• Above all, trusting in employees to do the right
  thing

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5 Stages in the Process of Empowerment
Stage 1 Conditions leading to a psychological
state of powerlessness
Stage 2 The use of managerial strategies and
techniques
Stage 3 To provide self-efficacy information to
subordinates, using four resources
Stage 4 Results in empowering experience of
subordinate
Stage 5 Leading to behavioral effects
Organizational factors Supervision Reward
system Nature of job
Participative management Goal setting Feedback
system Modeling Contingent/ competence- based
reward Job enrichment
Enactive attainment Vicarious experience Verbal
persuasion Emotional arousal
Strengthening of effort performance expectancy
or belief in personal efficacy
Initiation/ persistence of behavior to
accomplish task objectives
and
Remove conditions listed under Stage 1
Source Jay A. Conger and Rabindra N. Kanungo,
The Empowerment Process Integrating Theory and
Practice, Academy of Management Review (July
1988) p.475.
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Signs of Empowerment / Disempowerment

• Empowered Employees
• Take initiative in ambiguous situations
• Identify opportunities in ambiguous situations
• Apply critical thinking skills
• Offer judgments about how decisions support
  shared purpose
• Identify and act on opportunities to improve
  systems
• Optimize resources by reducing expenses and
  finding opportunities to invest in new resources

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Signs of Empowerment / Disempowerment

• Disempowered Employees
• Wait for a designated authority to take charge
• Address problem but fail to see opportunity
• Accept decisions without questioning
• Discuss but not able to apply information about
  shared purpose
• Attempt consensus but yield to higher authority
  when failing at consensus
• Focus on resource questions only when directed to
  do so

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Factors Contributing To and Examples of Political
Behavior

• Organizations have a political nature due to
• Coalitions of interests competing for resources.
• A pyramidal power structure that concentrates
  power at the top of the organization.
• Downsizing and team structures limit upward
  mobility for ambitious managers with a strong
  need for power.
• Decentralization disperses power in the
  organization.
• Machiavellian manipulation of others and the
  organization for personal gain by some managers.

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Effective Use of Politics

• Ethical Behaviors
• Develop power contacts
• Manage your impression
• Control vital information
• Keep informed
• Be courteous, pleasant, and positive
• Ask satisfied customer to contact your manager
• Avoid political blunders
• Use flattery sincerely

• Unethical Behaviors
• Engage in backstabbing
• Embrace-or-demolish
• Set a person up for failure
• Play territorial games (turf wars)

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Organizational Influence Tactics

• Leading by example
• Assertiveness
• Rationality
• Ingratiation
• Exchange
• Inspirational appeal and emotional display
• Joking and kidding

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The Control of Dysfunctional Politics and Ethical
Considerations

• Excessive politics and influence tactics can harm
  an organization and its members.
• Ways to control these activities
• Rely on objective measures of performance tied to
  proper and significant goals for the
  organization.
• Align individual goals and objectives to be
  congruent with those of the organization to
  increase commitment and performance.
• Practice open communications to remove the
  political value of information and to increase
  the overall understanding of the organization.