Organizational Power and Politics

POWERPower is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others.

◦ The potential to influence others

◦ People have power they don’t use and may not know they possess

◦ Power requires one person’s perception of dependence on another person

Sources of Power

Legitimate Power Reward power Coercive Power Expert Power Referent Power

Contingencies of Power

ContingenciesOf Power

Powerover others

SourcesOf Power

Substitutability

Centrality

Discretion

Visibility

Influence ability of the targets of power

Dependency

Personality

Intelligence

Gender

Age

Culture

Organizational Politics Attempts to influence others using discretionary behaviors to promote personal objectives

Discretionary behaviors -- neither explicitly prescribed nor prohibited

Politics may be good or bad for the organization

Conditions for Organizational Politics

Personal Characteristics Tolerance of Politics Complex and Ambiguous Decisions Scarce Resources

Politics Tactics Attacking or blaming others

Creating a favorable image

Developing a base of support

Inspirational appeal

Consultation

Exchange

pressure

Factor influencing Political Behavior

Individual factors Organizational factors

INDIVIDUAL FACTORS

High self monitors

Internal locus of control

Organization investment

Perceived job alternative

Expectation of success

ORGANIZATIONAL FACTOR Reallocation of resources

Promotion opportunities

Low trust

Role ability

Unclear performance

Evaluation system

High performance pressure

Self serving senior manager

Controlling Political Behavior Provide Sufficient Resources

Introduce Clear Rules

Free Flowing Information

Manage Change Effectively

Peer Pressure Against Politics

Increase Opportunities for Dialogue

Hire Low-Politics Employees

Remove Political Norms

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