Influence, Power, and Politics in Organizations

Organizational Influence, Power, and Politics

Social Influence refers to attempts (whether sucessful or unsuccessful) to affect in a desired fashion.Power refers to the potential to influence another.Organizational Politics refers to uses of power that enhance or protect one’s own or one’s group’s personal interest .

Relationship Among Social Influence, Control, Power, and Politics

Organizational Politics

Use of power for personal interest

Capacity to exert influence

Social Influence

Successful

Unseccessful

POWER

Tactics Of Social Influence

• Rational persuasion• Inspirational appeal• Consultation• Ingratiation• Exchange• Personal appeal• Coalition• Legitimating• Pressure

Type of Power

• Reward power and coercive power : an individual’s capacity to control valued reward and punishments, repectively

• Legimate power : the recognized right of individuals to exercise authority over others because of their position in an organizational hierarchy

• Referent power : individuals who are liked and respected by others can get them to alter their actions in accord with their directives

• Expert power : control based on skills and knowledge

Measuring Individual Power Bases

Legitimate

Reward

Information

Coercive

Expert

Referent

Charisma

Persuasive

Position Power

Personal Power

The Resource – Depedency Model

•

Resources neededResources controlled

Important Resources

Production department

Accounting department

Marketing department

Unimportant Resources

Strategic Contingencies Model

Capacity to reduce uncertainty

High organizational centrality

Nonsubstitutable and indispensible activities

Subunit Power

Organizational Politics

organizational politics : actions not officially sanctioned (approved) by an organization taken to influence others to meet one’s personal goals.

Political Tactics

1. Controlling access to information2. Cultivating a favorable impression3. Developing a base of support4. Blaming and attacking others5. Aligning oneself with more powerful other

Playing Political Games in Organization

• Authority games- Insurgency game → lower-level managers →to resist formal authority- Counterinsurgency game → upper-level managers → to counter resistance to formal authority

• Power base games- Sponsorship game → any subordinate employee → to enhance base of power with superior- Alliance game → Line managers → to enhance base of power with peers- Empire building → Line managers → to enhance base of power with subordinate

• Rivalry games- Line vs staff game → Line managers and staff personnel → to defeat each other in the quest for power- Rival camps game → Any groups at the same level → to defeat each other in the quest for power

• Change games- Whistle-blowing game → lower-level managers → to correct organizational wrongdoing- Young turks game → upper-level managers → to seize control over the organization

Some Techniques to Limit Effects of Political Behavior

• Clarify Job Expectations• Open the Communication Process• Be a Good Role Model• Do not Turn a Blind Eye to Game Players

The Ethical Implication of Organizational Politics

Managerial values exist that undermine integrity, such as :

• Bottom-line mentality : a focus on short-term profit maximization

• Exploitative mentality : selfishly using others for one’s advantage

• Madison avenue mentality : convincing others that one’s unethical action are actually moral

Guidelines For Determining Ethical Action

ETHICAL

Question 1Will the political tactics promote purely selfish interest (as opposed to also promoting organizational goals?

UNETHICAL

Question 2Does the political activity respect the rights of the individuals affected?

Question 3Does the activity conform to standards of equity and justice ; is it fair?

yes

yes

yesno

no

no

Societal Norms VS Organizational Counter norms

VSSocietal Norms or Ethics Organizational Counter norms

Be open and Honest

Follow the rules at all cost

Be cost - effective

Take responsibility

Be a team player

Be secretive and deceitful

Do whatever it takes to get the job done

Use it or lose it

Take credit for your own actions; granstand

Pass the buck