Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
13th Edition

Power
Power and
and Politics
Politics
Bob Stretch
Southwestern College

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-1

Chapter
Chapter Learning
Learning Objectives
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

Define power, and contrast leadership and power.

Contrast the five bases of power.
Identify nine power or influence tactics and their contingencies.
Show the connection between sexual harassment and the abuse of
power.
Distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate political behavior.
Identify the causes and consequences of political behavior.
Apply impression management techniques.
Determine whether a political action is ethical.
Show the influence of culture on the uses and perceptions of
politics.

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-2

AA Definition
Definition of
of Power
Power
Power
The capacity that A has to influence the
behavior of B so that B acts in
accordance with As wishes
Exists as a potential or fully actualized
influence over a dependent relationship

Dependency
Bs relationship to A when A possesses
something that B requires
The greater B's dependence, the more
power A has

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-3

Contrasting
Contrasting Leadership
Leadership and
and Power
Power
Leadership
Focuses on goal
achievement
Requires goal compatibility
with followers
Focuses influence
downward

Power
Used as a means for
achieving goals
Requires follower
dependency
Used to gain lateral and
upward influence

Research Focus
Leadership styles and
relationships with
followers

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Focus
Power tactics for gaining
compliance
14-4

Bases
Bases of
of Power:
Power: Formal
Formal Power
Power
Formal Power
Established by an individuals position in an organization
Three bases:
Coercive Power
A power base dependent on fear of
negative results
Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on the
ability to distribute rewards that
others view as valuable
Legitimate Power
The formal authority to control and
use resources based on a persons
position in the formal hierarchy
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14-5

Bases
Bases of
of Power:
Power: Personal
Personal Power
Power
Power that comes from an individuals unique
characteristics these are the most effective
Expert Power
Influence based on special skills or knowledge

Referent Power
Influence based on possession by an individual of desirable
resources or personal traits

E X H I B I T 14-1
E X H I B I T 14-1

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14-6

Dependency:
Dependency: The
The Key
Key to
to Power
Power
The General Dependency Postulate
The greater Bs dependency on A, the greater the power A
has over B
Possession/control of scarce organizational resources that
others need makes a manager powerful
Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple suppliers)
reduces the resource holders power

Dependency increases when resources are:

Important
Scarce
Nonsubstitutable
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14-7

Power
Power Tactics
Tactics
Power Tactics
Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specific
actions
Nine influence tactics:

Legitimacy
Rational persuasion*
Inspirational appeals*
Consultation*
Exchange
Personal appeals
Ingratiation
Pressure
Coalitions

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

* Most effective
(Pressure is the least effective)
14-8

Preferred
Preferred Power
Power Tactics
Tactics by
by Influence
Influence
Direction
Direction
Upward Influence

Downward Influence

Lateral Influence

Rational persuasion

Rational persuasion

Rational persuasion

Inspirational appeals

Consultation

Pressure

Ingratiation

Consultation

Exchange

Ingratiation

Legitimacy

Exchange

Personal appeals

Legitimacy

Coalitions

E X H I B I T 14-2
E X H I B I T 14-2

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14-9

Factors
Factors Influencing
Influencing Power
Power Tactics
Tactics
Choice and effectiveness of
influence tactics are moderated
by:
Sequencing of tactics
Softer to harder tactics work
best

Political skill of the user

The culture of the
organization
Culture affects users choice
of tactic

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-10

Sexual
Sexual Harassment:
Harassment: AA Case
Case of
of Unequal
Unequal
Power
Power

Sexual Harassment:

Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an

individuals employment and creates a hostile work
environment
Overt actions, like unwanted touching, are relatively easy to
spot
Subtle actions, like jokes or looks, can cross over the line into
harassment

Sexual harassment isnt about sex: it is about abusing

an unequal power relationship
Harassment can damage the well-being of the individual,
work group, and organization

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-11

Managerial
Managerial Actions
Actions to
to Prevent
Prevent Sexual
Sexual
Make sure a policy against it
Harassment
Harassment
is in place.
Ensure that employees will
not encounter retaliation if
they file a complaint.
Investigate every complaint
and include the human
resource and legal
departments.
Make sure offenders are
disciplined or terminated.
Set up in-house seminars and
training.
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14-12

Politics:
Politics: Power
Power in
in Action
Action
Political Behavior
Activities that are not required as part of ones formal role
in the organization, but that influence, or attempt to
influence, the distribution of advantages or disadvantages
within the organization
Legitimate Political Behavior
Normal everyday politics - complaining, bypassing,
obstructing

Illegitimate Political Behavior

Extreme political behavior that violates the implied rules of the
game: sabotage, whistle-blowing, and symbolic protest

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-13

The
The Reality
Reality of
of Politics
Politics
Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity
Limited resources lead to competition and political
behaviors

Judgments on quality differ markedly based on the

observers perception
Blaming others or fixing responsibility
Covering your rear or documenting decisions
Perfectionist or attentive to detail

Most decisions are made under ambiguous conditions

Lack of an objective standard encourages political
maneuvering of subjective reality

E X H I B I T 14-3
E X H I B I T 14-3

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14-14

Causes
Causes and
and Consequences
Consequences of
of Political
Political
Behavior
Behavior

Factors that Influence Political Behavior

E X H I B I T 14-4
E X H I B I T 14-4

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14-15

Employee
Employee Responses
Responses to
to Organizational
Organizational
Politics
Politics

Most employees have low to modest willingness to play

politics and have the following reactions to politics:

E X H I B I T 14-5
E X H I B I T 14-5

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14-16

Defensive
Defensive Behaviors
Behaviors
Employees who perceive politics as a threat have
defensive reactions
May be helpful in the short run, dangerous in the long run

Types of defensive behaviors

Avoiding Action
Overconforming, buck passing, playing dumb, stalling

Avoiding Blame
Bluffing, playing safe, justifying, scapegoating

Avoiding Change
Prevention, self-protection

E X H I B I T 14-6
E X H I B I T 14-6

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14-17

Impression
Impression Management
Management (IM)
(IM)
The process by which individuals attempt to control the
impression others form of them
IM Techniques

Conformity
Excuses
Apologies
Self-Promotion
Flattery
Favors
Association

Source: Based on B. R. Schlenker, Impression Management (Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1980); W. L. Gardner and M. J. Martinko, Impression
Management in Organizations, Journal of Management, June 1988, p. 332; and R. B. Cialdini, Indirect Tactics of Image Management Beyond Basking,
in R. A. Giacalone and P. Rosenfeld (eds.), Impression Management in the Organization (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1989), pp. 4571.

E X H I B I T 14-7
E X H I B I T 14-7

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14-18

IM
IM Effectiveness
Effectiveness
Job Interview Success
IM does work and most people use it
Self-promotion techniques are important
Ingratiation is of secondary importance

Performance Evaluations
Ingratiation is positively related to ratings
Self-promotion tends to backfire

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-19

The
The Ethics
Ethics of
of Behaving
Behaving Politically
Politically
It is difficulty to tell ethical from unethical politicking
Three questions help:
1. What is the utility of engaging in the behavior?
2. Does the utility balance out any harm done by the action?
3. Does the action conform to standards of equity and justice?

Answers can be skewed toward either viewpoint

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14-20

Global
Global Implications
Implications
Politics Perceptions
Negative consequences to the perception of politics seem to
be fairly widespread

Preference for Power Tactics

The choice of effective tactics is heavily dependent on the
culture of the country in which they are to be used

Effectiveness of Power Tactics

Still open to debate; too little research has been done

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-21

Summary
Summary and
and Managerial
Managerial
Implications
Implications
Increase your power by having others depend on you
more.
Expert and referent power are far more effective than
is coercion.
Greater employee motivation, performance, commitment,
and satisfaction
Personal power basis, not organizational

Effective managers accept the political nature of

organizations.
Political astuteness and IM can result in higher
evaluations, salary increases, and promotions.

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

14-22

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

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means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the
United States of America.

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