POWER &POLITICS

CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Power and Politics

Power: The ability of one person or group to cause another person or group to do something that they otherwise might not have done. Organizational Politics: Activities in which managers engage to increase their power and to pursue goals that favor their individual and group interests.
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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

The Dark Side of Power and Politics

Power and politics often have negative connotations because people associate them with attempts to use organizational resources for personal advantage and to achieve personal goals at the expense of other goals.
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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

The Bright Side

Managers can use power to control people and other resources so that they cooperate and help to achieve an organizations current goals. Managers can use power to engage in politics and influence the decision-making process to help promote new, more appropriate organizational goals.
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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Sources of Individual Power

Formal individual power is the power that stems from a persons position in an organizations hierarchy. Informal individual power is the power that stems from personal characteristics.
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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Sources of Formal Power

Legitimate: The power to control and use organizational resources to accomplish organizational goals. Reward: The power to give pay raises, promotion, praise, interesting projects, and other rewards to subordinates. Coercive: The power to give or withhold punishment, such as suspension, termination, or even the withholding of praise and goodwill. Information: The power that stems from access to and control over information.
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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Sources of Informal Power

Expert: Informal power that stems from superior ability or expertise. Referent: Informal power that stems from being liked, admired, and respected. Charismatic: An intense form of referent power that stems from an individuals personality or physical or other abilities, which induce others to believe in and follow that person.
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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Evaluating the Bases of Power

People will respond in one of three ways:
1. Commitment The person is enthusiastic about the request and carries the task out. 2. Compliance The person goes along with the request grudgingly, putting in minimal effort. 3. Resistance The person is opposed to the request and tries to avoid it.

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Leaders Use of Power

The least effective power bases are the ones most likely to be used by managers.
Coercive, legitimate, and reward Easiest to implement

CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Effective leaders use referent and/or expert power.

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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

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CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Advice to Managers
Recognize that power and politics influence all behavior in organizations and that it is necessary to develop the skills to be able to understand and manage them. Analyze the sources of power in the function, division, and organization in which you work to identify powerful people and the organizations power structure. To influence organizational decision making and your chances of promotion, try to develop a personal power base to increase your visibility and individual power.
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