Power is the ability of an individual or group to influence Irreplaceability- A function or division may gain power if it is

decisions and control resources. Power can also be thought irreplaceable, specifically if there are no other functions or
of as the ability of one person to get another person to do divisions that can perform their duties and responsibilities.
something. Centrality- How vital or central a division’s operations are in
Political skill - is a combination of social intelligence with the an organization also defines its power.
flexibility of behavior to different situational demands. Ability to Control and Generate Resources- Ability can also
Political tactics - are often used by managers and be seen as a principal source of power by top managers since
professionals to gain power and influence in accomplishing they can manage or direct where and when funds or
their work. resources are allocated.
Influence- In affecting outcomes, people who use influence
must exert more effort and show more competence than EMPOWERMENT- Empowerment is the process of giving
someone who is using power. employees greater authority, independence, and
responsibility to perform important tasks in the organization.
SOURCES OF INDIVIDUAL POWERAND INFLUENCE ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS: The Use of Power
Legitimate Power These activities allow managers to influence others and
 is based on the formal position that an individual holds manipulate the results of the organization’s decision-making
to control and use organizational resources in achieving process to favor their individual, functional and divisional
goals. interests.
 legitimate power is the ultimate source of an
individual’s power in an organization. Tactics for Increasing Individual Power
Reward Power Tapping the sources of functional and divisional power -
 is the power to give incentives like raises in pay, One of the political tactics used by managers is to increase
promotions, recognition, interesting assignments, and their power through the sources of functional and divisional
other rewards deemed to be beneficial by subordinates. power.
COERCIVE POWER Recognizing who has the power - When employees develop
 is the power to take away something or give the ability to identify which manager has power and what
punishment for noncompliance. Fear is the principal power he or she possesses, they may strive to impress and
reason why this power affects an individual’s behavior. influence such managers.
Being threatened with suspension, demotion, a. Sources of Power - Since power has different sources, one
termination, or even having unpleasant job must accurately identify the source of power that managers
assignments, influences the behavior of employees. have to choose who among them has the best chance of
INFORMATION POWER rising to the top.
 is power originating from the access and control of b. Consequences of Power - We may associate the relative
important organizational records and decisions. power of a manager with the number of resources he or she
 Managers with more capability of accessing significant acquires during the budget process.
organizational information have greater power over c. Symbols of Power - Managers with a high level of power
others. can be easily identified by the various symbols of prestige
and status they have.
Sources of Informal Individual Power d. Personal Reputations - The significance of a manager’s
EXPERT POWER profile and the esteem that employees express toward him
 It pays off to be a proficient pioneer in an organization indicates the amount of power he has to influence others.
because people depend on you. e. Representational Indicators - An employee’s amount of
 This also allows you to be promoted up the organizational roles, membership in committees, access to
organizational hierarchy. information, and range of responsibilities he/she has
REFERENT POWER also indicate power.
 Employees who are highly admired and respected Controlling the agenda - This involves manipulating the
possess referent power. presentation of issues to influence the decision of others in
 It is the ability to influence others due to one’s desirable terms of the course of actions to be taken.
features or characteristics. Bringing in an outside expert - Disagreements occur in an
CHARISMATIC POWER organization when it undergoes change or restructuring.
 is an extreme form of referent power. Building coalitions and alliances - In the objective of
 It comes from a person’s unique personality, bodily influencing the decision-making process of an organization,
strengths, or other capabilities that persuade others to different functions may build coalitions and alliances among
follow that person. themselves.

SOURCES OF FUNCTIONAL AND DIVISIONAL POWER Organizational conflict - often arises from organizational
Ability to Control Uncertain Contingencies politics performed by managers. Various researchers often
 A contingency is a possible problem or event that must consider organizational conflict as unavoidable and negative
be planned for. for the organization.
 One must have enough people or resources as a
solution should the event happen.
Sources of Organizational Conflict 4th Phase: Bargaining. Here, each party discusses its
Differentiation - This occurs when employees and tasks are negotiation goals and tries to meet an agreement. It is also
divided into different groups to be more effective in important for parties to raise questions for clarification and
producing goods and services. not just simply accept statements to end a conversation.
 Differences in functional orientations - Functions or 5th Phase: Closure. This is where parties either have “sealed
divisions have different views on what and how things the deal” and agreed on the negotiated terms, or one party
should be done to increase organizational performance. has declined the negotiations and decided to walk away.
This may become a source of conflict as each sub unit Either way, the negotiation process has come to an end and
has opposing views on their priorities in work. often, the conflict among parties has been resolved.
 Status inconsistencies - Functions that perceive that
their activities are critically essential in the company’s Negotiation Strategies
operations may believe that they have higher status Distributive Approach - The traditional fixed-pie approach in
than other functions. As a result, they may attempt to which negotiators consider the situation as a pie that they
attain their goals at the expense of other functions have to distribute between them.
further causing conflict among functions that lowers Interactive Approach - An approach to negotiation in which
organizational performance. both parties look for ways to integrate their goals under a
Task Relationships. -Tasks in an organization may be larger umbrella.
interrelated and may affect one another thus conflicts
between employees and groups may happen.
Scarcity of Resources - Conflict happens when there are
scarce resources.
Communication - Proper communication is a vital key for the
organization to have successful operations and mishandling it
may cause conflict among its members.

Pondy’s Model of Organizational

Stage 1: Latent Conflict - At this stage, there is still no actual
conflict. The possible conflict is still concealed and may
suddenly or gradually emerge between employees.
Stage 2: Perceived Conflict -The second stage begins when
one party starts to notice that the other party’s actions cause
delays in achieving their goals. Simple arguments may arise
since both parties try to pinpoint the origin of the problem.
Stage 3: Felt Conflict - During this stage, the parties involved
begin to develop damaging and aggressive feelings toward
each other. Their cohesiveness and cooperation decline thus
negatively affecting the organization’s performance.
Stage 4: Manifest Conflict. The involved parties, at this stage,
begin to show much openly aggressive behaviour - some
exchange heated arguments, some display physical violence,
and some deliberately exert less cooperation.
Stage 5: Conflict Aftermath - Organizations have their ways
on how to resolve conflict among members. Their behaviors
and approaches to future conflicts may be influenced by the
consequences of the previous conflicts.

Negotiation- is the process by which parties with different

preferences and interests attempt to agree on a solution.
1st Phase: Investigation - This is where managers gather
information regarding the conflict between individuals or
groups. It is the initial assessment of the situation and
determining goals for the negotiation process.
2nd Phase: Determining the BATNA - The term BATNA is an
acronym for “best alternative to a negotiated agreement”..
The parties must identify their alternatives when negotiating
a deal to reject what is unfavorable and accept what is
greatly beneficial.
3rd Phase: Presentation. During this phase, all gathered
information is properly assembled to support one’s
negotiating position.