04/07/23 1

POWER AND POLITICS

POWER

POWER IS POTENTIAL ABILITY OF A PERSON OR GROUP TO INFLUENCE ANOTHER PERSON OR GROUP

04/07/23 2

TYPE OF POWER

TYPES OF POWER ARE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF BASES OF POWER AND POSITION V/S PERSONAL POWER

(A) BASES OF POWER

1. LEGITMATE POWERLEGITMATE IS GRANTED BY VIRTUE OF ONE’S POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION.

2. REWARD POWERREWARD POWER IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH A PERSON CONTROLS REWARDS THAT ANOTHER PERSON VALUES.

04/07/23 3

3. COERCIVE POWERCOERCIVE POWER IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH A PERSON HAS THE ABILITY TO PUNISH OR PHYSICALLY OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY HARM SOME ONE ELSE.

4. EXPERT POWEREXPERT POWER IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH A PERSON CONTROLS INFORMATION THAT IS VALUABLE TO SOME ONE ELSE.

5. REFERENT POWERREFERENT POWER EXISTS WHEN ONE PERSON WANTS TO BE LIKE OR IMITATES SOME ONE ELSE.

04/07/23 4

(B) POSITION POWER V/S PERSONAL POWER

1. POSITION POWERPOSITION POWER RESIDES IN THE POSITION, REGARDLESS OF WHO IS FILLING THAT POSITION.(LEGITIMATE, REWARD AND SOME ASPECT OF COERCIVE AND EXPERT)

2. PERSONAL POWERPERSONAL POWER RESIDES IN THE PERSON REGARDLESS OF THE POSITION BEING FILLED.(EXPERT, COERCIVE AND REWARD)

04/07/23 5

POSITION AND PERSONAL POWER

MODERATE OVERALL POWER

STRONGEST OVERALL POWER

WEAKEST OVERALL POWER

MODERATE OVERALL POWER

HIGH

POSITION POWER

LOW

LOW PERSONAL POWER

HIGH

04/07/23 6

THE USES & OUTCOMES OF POWER

SOURCE OF LEADER INFLUENCE

TYPE OF OUTCOME

COMMITMENT COMPLIANCE RESISTANCE

REFERENT POWER

LIKELY IF REQUEST IS BELIEVED TO BE IMPORTANT TO LEADER

POSSIBLE IF REQUEST IS PERCEIVED TO BE UNIMPORTANT TO LEADER

POSSIBLE IF REQUEST IS FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL BRING HARM TO LEADER

EXPERT POWER

LIKELY IF REQUEST IS PERSUASIVE AND SUBORDINATES SHARE LEADER’S TASK GOALS

POSSIBLE IF REQUEST IS PERSUASIVE BUT SUBORDINATES ARE APATHETIC ABOUT TASK GOALS

POSSIBLE IF LEADER IS ARROGANT AND INSULTING, OR SUBORDINATES OPPOSE TASK GOALS

LEGITIMATE POWER

POSSIBLE IF REQUEST IS POLITE AND VERY APPROPRIATE

LIKELY IF REQUEST OR ORDER IS SEEN AS LEGITIMATE

POSSIBLE IF ARROGANT DEMANDS ARE MADE OR REQUEST DOES NOT APPEAR PROPER

REWARD POWER

POSSIBLE IF USED IN A SUBTLE, VERY PERSONAL WAY

LIKELY IF USED IN A MECHANICAL, IMPERSONAL WAY

POSSIBLE IF USED IN A MANIPULATIVE, ARROGANT WAY

COERCIVE POWER

VERY UNLIKELY POSSIBLE IF USED IN A HELPFUL, NONPUNITIVE WAY

LIKELY IF USED IN A HOSTILE OR MANIPULATIVE WAY

04/07/23 7

GUIDELINES FOR USING POWER

BASIS OF POWER GUIDELINES FOR USE

REFERENT POWER TREAT SUBORDINATES FAIRLYDEFEND SUBORDINATES’ INTERESTSBE SENSITIVE TO SUBORDINATES’ NEEDS, FEELINGSELECT SUBORDINATES SIMILAR TO ONESELFENGAGE IN ROLE MODELING

EXPERT POWER PROMOTE IMAGE OF EXPERTISEMAINTAIN CREDIBILITYACT CONFIDENT AND DECISIVEKEEP INFORMEDRECOGNIZE EMPLOYEE CONCERNSAVOID THREATENING SUBORDINATES’ SELF-ESTEEM

LEGITIMATE POWER BE CORDIAL AND POLITEBE CONFIDENTBE CLEAR AND FOLLOW UP TO VERIFY UNDERSTANDINGMAKE SURE REQUEST IS APPROPRIATEEXPLAIN REASONS FOR REQUESTFOLLOW PROPER CHANNELSEXERCISE POWER REGULARLYENFORCE COMPLIANCEBE SENSITIVE TO SUBORDINATES’ CONCERNS

04/07/23 8

REWARD POWER VERIFY COMPLIANCEMAKE FEASIBLE, REASONABLE REQUESTSMAKE ONLY ETHICAL, PROPER REQUESTSOFFER REWARDS DESIRED BY SUBORDINATESOFFER ONLY CREDIBLE REWARDS

COERCIVE POWER INFORM SUBORDINATES OF RULES AND PENALTIESWARN BEFORE PUNISHINGADMINISTER PUNISHMENT CONSISTENTLY AND UNIFORMLYUNDERSTAND THE SITUATION BEFORE ACTINGMAINTAIN CREDIBILITYFIT PUNISHMENT TO THE INFRACTIONPUNISH IN PRIVATE

04/07/23 9

ORGANIZATION POLITICS

ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS ARE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY PEOPLE TO ACQUIRE, ENHANCE AND USE POWER AND OTHER RESOURCES TO OBTAIN THEIR DESIRED OUT COMES. (IT IS CLOSELY RELATED TO POWER IN ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS).

ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS ARE PERVASIVE IN MOST ORGANIZATIONS. BUT IT GAINS POWER HENCE RATHER IGNORING OR TRYING TO ELIMINATES, THE MANAGERS SHOULD USE FRUITFULLY FOR CONSTRUCTIVE GAINS.

04/07/23 10

MANAGERIAL PERCEPTION OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR(A SURVEY ANALYSIS)

STATEMENT MEAN SCOREo

STANDARD DEVIATION

STRONG OR MODERATE AGREEMENT %

A THE EXISTENCE OF WORKPLACE POLITICS IS COMMON TO MOST ORGANIZATIONS

1.59 0.71 93.2

B SUCCESSFUL EXECUTIVES MUST BE GOOD POLITICIANS

1.75 0.88 89.0

C THE HIGHER YOU GO IN ORGANIZATIONS, THE MORE POLITICAL THE CLIMATE BECOMES

1.99 1.10 76.2

D ONLY ORGANIZATIONALLY WEAK PEOPLE PLAY POLITICSB

2.21 1.17 68.5

E ORGANIZATIONS FREE OF POLITICS ARE HAPPIER THAN THOSE WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF POLITICS

2.34 1.09 59.1

F YOU HAVE TO BE POLITICAL TO GET AHEAD IN ORGANIZATIONS

2.37 1.13 69.8

G POLITICS IN ORGANIZATIONS ARE DETRIMENTAL TO EFFICIENCY

2.57 1.14 55.1

04/07/23 11

STATEMENT MEAN SCOREo

STANDARD DEVIATION

STRONG OR MODERATE AGREEMENT %

H TOP MANAGEMENT SHOULD TRY TO GET RID OF POLITICS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION

2.67 1.23 48.6

I POLITICS HELP ORGANIZATIONS FUNCTION EFFECTIVELYB

2.76 1.13 42.1

J POWERFUL EXECUTIVES DON’T ACT POLITICALLYB

3.87 1.15 15.7

Oscore: 1-Strongly agree; 2-Slightly agree; 3-neither agree nor disagree; 4-slightly disagree; 5-strongly disagree.

bReverse scoring

Survey result of 428 managers of different organizations

04/07/23 12

A MODEL OF ETHICAL POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR

DOES THE PBA (POLITICAL BEHAVIOR ALTERNATIVE) RESULT IN THE EFFICIENT OPTIMIZATION OF THE SATISFACTIONS OF INTEREST INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION?

DOES THE PBA RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF ALL THE AFFECTED PARTIES?

DOES THE PBA RESPECT THE CANONS OF JUSTICE?

ACCEPT PBA

ARE THERE OVERWHELMING FACTORS THAT JUSTIFY SUB-OPTIMIZING THESE GOALS AND SATISFACTION?

ARE THERE OVERWHELMING FACTORS THAT JUSTIFY THE ABROGATION OF A RIGHT?

ARE THERE OVERWHELMING FACTORS THAT JUSTIFY THE VIOLATION OF A CANON OF JUSTICE

REJECT PBA

REJECT PBA

REJECT PBA

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

04/07/23 13

MANAGING POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR

RESOURCES POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR

POSSIBLE RESULTS

AMBIGUOUS GOALS PERSONAL GAIN DISGUISED AS PURSUIT OF GOALS

SCARECE RESOURCE PURSUIT OF MAXIMUM SHARE OF RESOURCES

TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

PERSONAL GAINS VIA UNCERTAINTY

NON-PROGRAMMED DECISIONS

PAROCHIAL DECISION MAKING

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

PURSUIT OF POLITICAL ENDS DURING REORGANIZATION

REASONS FOR AND POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR

04/07/23 14

TECHNIQUES OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR

OPPORTUNITIES POLITICAL POSSIBLEFOR POLITICAL TECHNIQUES RESULTSBEHAVIOUR

• CONTROLLING INFORMATION• CONTROLLING LINES OF COMMUNICATION• USING OUTSIDE EXPERTS• CONTROLLING THE AGENDA• GAME PLAYING• IMAGE BUILDING• BUILDING COALITIONS• CONTROLLING DECISION PARAMETERS