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Power and Politics: How People Influence One

Another

Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/IrwinOrganizational Behavior, Core Concepts

10Organizational Behavior

core concepts

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Learning Objectives

• List influence tactics and outcomes, and summarize research conclusions about the effectiveness of the tactics

• Describe five bases of power, and give examples of how they are related to work outcomes

• Discuss how to make employee empowerment succeed

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Learning Objectives

• Define organizational politics, explain what triggers it, and describe its use in organizations

• Distinguish between favorable and unfavorable impression management tactics

• Explain how to manage organizational politics

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Generic Influence Tactics

1. Rational persuasion2. Inspirational appeals3. Consultation4. Ingratiation5. Personal appeals6. Exchange7. Coalition tactics8. Pressure9. Legitimating tactics

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Three Influence Outcomes

1. Commitment – substantial agreement followed by initiative and persistence in pursuit of common goals

2. Compliance – reluctant agreement requiring subsequent prodding to satisfy minimum requirements

3. Resistance – stalling, unproductive arguing, or outright rejection

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Practical Research Insights

• Commitment is more likely when people rely on strong rational persuasion and do not rely on pressure and coalition tactics

• Ingratiation (making the boss feel good) can slightly improve your performance appraisal results

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Practical Research Insights

• Commitment is more likely when the influence attempt involves something important and enjoyable

• Credible people tend to be the most persuasive

• Unfair influence tactics were associated with greater resistance among employees

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Creating Strategic Allies

• Mutual respect

• Openness

• Trust

• Mutual benefit

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How to Do a Better Job of Influencing and Persuading Others

• Reciprocity – almost universal belief that people should be

paid back for what they do – that one good turn deserves another

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Social Power and Empowerment

• Social power – ability to marshal the human, informational,

and material resources to get something done

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Question?

Which type of power obtains compliance through formal authority?

A. Reward

B. Coercive

C. Legitimate

D. Referent

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Five Bases of Power

• Reward power – obtaining compliance with promised or

actual rewards.

• Coercive power – obtaining compliance through threatened or

actual punishment.

• Legitimate power – obtaining compliance through formal

authority.

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Five Bases of Power

• Expert power – obtaining compliance through one’s

knowledge or information.

• Referent power – obtaining compliance through charisma or

personal attraction.

Read an article on organizational power

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Employee Empowerment

• Empowerment – sharing varying degrees of power with lower-

level employees to better serve the customer

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Randolph’s Empowerment Model

Figure 10-1

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Domain of Organizational Politics

• Organizational politics – intentional acts of influence to enhance or

protect the self-interests of individuals or groups

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Sources of Uncertainty

1. Unclear objectives

2. Vague performance measures

3. Ill-defined decision processes

4. Strong individual or group competition

5. Any type of change

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Levels of Political Action in Organizations

Figure 10-2

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Question?

What is a temporary groupings of people who actively pursue a single issue?

A. Alliance

B. Coalition

C. Association

D. Federation

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Levels of Political Action

• Coalition – temporary groupings of people who actively

pursue a single issue

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Political Tactics

• Attacking or blaming others

• Using information as a political tool

• Creating a favorable image

• Developing a base of support

• Praising others

• Forming power coalitions with strong allies

• Associating with influential people

• Creating obligations

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Impression Management

• Impression management – process by which people attempt to control

or manipulate the reactions of others to images of themselves or their ideas

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Favorable Impression Management• Job-focused

– manipulating information about one’s performance

• Supervisor-focused – praising and doing favors for one’s

supervisor

• Self-focused – presenting oneself as a polite and nice

person

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Bad Impressions

Four motives for intentionally looking bad at work:

• Avoidance

• Obtain concrete rewards

• Exit

• Power

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Bad Impressions

Five unfavorable upward impression management tactics:

• Decreasing performance

• Not working to potential

• Withdrawing

• Displaying a bad attitude

• Broadcasting limitations

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How to Keep Organizational Politics within Reasonable Bounds

• Screen out overly political individuals at hiring time.

• Create an open-book management system.• Make sure every employee knows how the

business works and has a personal line of sight to key results with corresponding measurable objectives for individual accountability.

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How to Keep Organizational Politics within Reasonable Bounds

• Have non-financial people interpret periodic financial and accounting statements for all employees.

• Establish formal conflict resolution and grievance processes.

• As an ethics filter, do only what you feel comfortable doing on national television.

• Publicly recognize and reward people who get real results without political games.