POLITICS AND POWER IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

WHAT IS POWER?
Power is easy to feel but difficult to define. It is the potential ability of a person or group
to influence another person or group and control their behaviour. It is the ability to get
things done the way one wants them to be done. Power is a factor at all levels of most
organizations. It can be a factor in almost any organizational decision.
POWER AND AUTHORITY
Sometimes, power and authority are used synonymously because of their objective of
influencing the behaviour of others. However, there is difference between the two.
Power does not have any legal sanctity while authority has such sanctity. Power is
referred to as the capacity of an individual to influence the will or conduct of others. As
against, authority is termed as the right possessed by a person to give the command to
others. Authority is legal and formal right to a person, who can take decisions, give
orders and commands to others to perform a particular task. It is conferred to high
officials, to accomplish organization’s objectives.

TYPES OF POWER
John French and Bertram Raven described Six types of power.
1. Legitimate Power – This comes from the belief that a person has the formal right
to make demands and to expect others to be compliant and obedient. It exists
when subordinates of someone in authority obeys orders given to them because
they have the believe that the person is in a position of power to be able to give
them such orders. For example, it is the CEO who decides on the overall direction
of the company and also determines the resource needs of the organization.
2. Reward Power – This result from the ability to reward others or compensate
another for compliance. Example of reward power includes promotion, bonuses,
increase in salaries, extra-time off from work, public praise, and so on. The main
aim of reward power is spurring up subordinates for effectiveness and
productivity.
3. Expert Power – This is based on a person’s high level of skill and knowledge.
People naturally respect and follow those who are experts in a certain field.
Subordinates who know that their superior has an expert power feel so relaxed
 because they believe that he will guide them correctly due to his many
experiences.
4. Referent Power – This is a result of a person’s perceived attractiveness,
worthiness and right to others respect. Leaders in the business industry have
gained referent power by entrusting their employees with so much tasks and
responsibilities in performing their jobs. This type of power is best achieved in the
organization when the turnover of the employee is low and also in a work
environment where a personal relationship exists.
5. Coercive power – This comes from the belief that a person can punish others for
noncompliance. This power is conveyed through fear of being demoted, losing
one’s job or receiving poor review of performance. It is gotten through
threatening others. It can be used when there is going to be a cut in personnel
due to shift in management and transitions. For example, a Vice President of sales
who threatens sales officers to either meets their goals or otherwise gets
replaced.
6. Informational Power – This result from a person’s ability to control the
information that the others need to accomplish something.

ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
One great organizational scholar, Tushman defined politics, ‘as the structure and process
of the use of authority and power to affect definition of goals, directions and the other
major parameters of the organization.
Politics can also be defined as the actions or activities concerned with achieving and
using power in a country or society.
Power and politics are inextricably interwoven with the fabric of an organization’s life. In
any organization, at any given moment, a number of people are seeking to gain and use
power to achieve their own ends. This pursuit of power is political behaviour.
Organizational politics refers to the activities carried out by people to acquire, enhance
and use power and other resources to obtain their preferred outcomes in a situation
where there is uncertainty or disagreement. Organizational politics can be also said to be
the informal, often behind the scenes activities and behaviours that individuals engage
in to gain power, influence decisions and advance their own interests within the
organization. It involves tactics such as forming alliances, lobbying, networking,
manipulating of information and strategic positioning.
Organizational politics can have both positive and negative consequences. On one hand,
it can foster creativity, innovation and healthy competition. On the other hand, excessive
politics can lead to power struggles, conflicts, lack of transparency and hinder the
organization objectives and goals.

Factors and Impact Of Political Behaviour In Organization

The very nature of political behaviour makes it difficult to manage or even
approach in a rational and systematic manner. However a manager who understands
why people use political behaviour and the techniques people usually employ has the
best chance to manage political behaviour successfully.
People use political behaviour in organizations in response to the five main
factors:
1. Ambiguous goals
2. Scarce resources
3. Technology and the environment
4. Non-programmed decisions
5. Organizational change

Ambiguous Goals: When the goals of a department or the entire organization are
ambiguous then there is more room available for playing politics. Some people may use
the ambiguity to manipulate the situation for their benefit.
Scarce Resources: When resources are scarce, people have the tendency to use political
behaviour to make sure that they get the biggest possible share of the resource.
Changes in Technology and Environment: Organizational effectiveness is largely a
function of the organization’s ability to appropriately respond to external environment
which is highly dynamic and generally unpredictable as well as adequately adopt to
complex technological developments. Thus, political behaviour is increased when the
internal technology is complex and when external environment is highly volatile.
Non-Programmed Decisions: Sometimes, the companies have to make a lot of non-
programmed decisions on certain issues. These decisions are not based on clear
standards and precedents, because such issues involve many factors and variables that
are complex in nature. Hence decisions are taken on intuition, hunches and guesses and
all these subjective feelings can be affected by political behaviour.
Organizational Change: Whenever there are changes in the organizational structure and
policies, peoples in powerful positions have the opportunity to play politics. These
changes may include restructuring of a division or creating a division, personnel changes,
introducing a new product line and all these changes influence political behaviour when
various individuals and groups try to control the given situation.
It is widely accepted that managers have to be politicians in order to maintain
their positions in the organizational hierarchy as well as serve the interests of their units.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN RELATION TO POLITICS AND POWER IN AN ORGANIZATION

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
Sexual harassment refers to unwelcome or unwanted sexual advances, request for
sexual favours and other verbal, non verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that
creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive environment.
Sexual harassment can occur in various settings, such as the workplace, educational
institutions, public space or social interactions. It can involve comments, gestures or
even visual images that are sexual in nature and causes discomfort or humiliation.

Forms Of Sexual Harassment

There are primarily two forms pf harassment;
1. Quid pro quo Harassment: This occurs when someone in the position of authority
or power demands sexual favours or make employment decisions such as
promotion of employee in compliance to sexual advances
2. Hostile work environment harassment: This refers to an intimidating, offensive or
hostile atmosphere created by unwanted sexual conduct, comments, gestures,
images or repeated advances to make the victim feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
It is important to note that sexual harassment can happen to individuals of any gender
and may involve individual of the same of different gender.
Sexual harassment can be closely intertwined with organization politics and power
dynamics. Below are some few points to consider.
 Power imbalance and abuse of power: sexual harassment often occurs within a
context of power imbalance where the harasser holds a position of authority and
misuse or abuse the power by exploiting their position to make unwanted
advances to the victims.
  Organization Culture: The organization culture plays a significant role in shaping
the prevalence and response to sexual harassment. If the culture tolerates of
turns a blind eye to harassment, it can enable perpetrators and discourage victims
from reporting incidents.
 Retaliation and Silence: Victims of sexual harassment may fear speaking out due
to concerns about retaliation, damage to their reputation or being discredited by
powerful individuals in the organization. Perpetrators may use their influence to
discredit or silence victims, making it difficult for victims to seek redress or
justice.
 Reporting and accountability: The way an organization handles reports of sexual
harassment can be influenced by power dynamics and politics. If the organization
lacks clear policies, transparency and impartial reporting process, victims may
hesitate to come forward.
Addressing sexual harassment requires a multi-faced approach that involves establishing
clear policies, promoting a culture of respect, providing support for victims, and holding
perpetuators accountable. Organization needs to create an environment where power is
used responsibly and individuals feel safe to report incidents without fear or further
harm.

REFERENCES
Kehnide Gboloha Somoye 2013. “The Effect of Power and Politics in Modern
Orgarnization and Its Impact on Workers”. International Journal of Academic Research in
Business and Social Science.
Dr, AR. Saravanakumar 2019. In book “Organizational Behaviour (pp. 10). Publisher:
Alagappa university SIM Mode book.