14 arvind kumar power n politics

POWER, POLITICSIN MANAGEMNET

CHAPTER 18 Power, Politics, and Conflict

Copyright © 2002 Prentice-Hall

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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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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The Bright Side• Managers can use power to

control people and other resources so that they cooperate and help to achieve an organization’s 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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Insert Figure 18.1 here



Sources of Individual PowerFormal individual power is the power that stems from a person’s position in an organization’s hierarchy.Informal individual power is the power that stems from personal characteristics.

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Sources of Formal Power• LegitimateLegitimate: The power to control and use

organizational resources to accomplish organizational goals.

• RewardReward: The power to give pay raises, promotion, praise, interesting projects, and other rewards to subordinates.

• CoerciveCoercive: The power to give or withhold punishment, such as suspension, termination, or even the withholding of praise and goodwill.

• InformationInformation: The power that stems from access to and control over information.

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Sources of Informal Power• ExpertExpert: Informal power that stems from

superior ability or expertise.• ReferentReferent: Informal power that stems from

being liked, admired, and respected.• CharismaticCharismatic: An intense form of referent

power that stems from an individual’s personality or physical or other abilities, which induce others to believe in and follow that person.

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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 organization’s 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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14 arvind kumar power n politics

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