Organizational Behavour Management-Power & Politics

Topic: Power & Politics
By: Kwesi Amponsah-Tawiah, PhD
OBJECTIVES
What is power?
How does one get it?
What does it mean to empower
employees?
How can we be effective at office
politics?
Power and Politics
Power
The capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B
so that B acts in accordance with As wishes
Exists as a potential or fully actualized influence over
a dependent relationship
Dependency
Bs relationship to A when A possesses something that
B requires
The greater B's dependence, the more power A has
Politics
Behaviour to influence or attempt to influence the
distribution of advantages and disadvantages within
the organization.
Leadership and Power

Power
Does not require goal
acceptance
Leadership
Requires goal
agreement
Focuses on intimidation
Maximizes importance of
lateral and upward
influence
Research Focus
Leadership styles and

relationships with
followers
Focuses on downward
influence
Minimizes importance of
lateral and upward
influence
Research Focus
Power tactics for

gaining compliance
Bases of Power: Formal

Power
Established by an individuals position in

an organization
Three bases:
Coercive Power
Reward Power
A power base dependent on fear of negative results
Compliance achieved based on the ability to

distribute rewards that others view as valuable
Legitimate Power
The formal authority to control and use resources

based on a persons
position in the formal hierarchy
Department of OHRM-UGBS
Bases of Power: Personal

Power
Power that comes from an individuals

unique characteristics these are the
most effective
Expert Power
Influence based on special skills or knowledge
Referent Power
Influence based on possession by an

individual of desirable resources or personal
traits
Evaluating the Bases of

Power
Coercive power: Tends to result in negative

performance responses from individuals, decreases
satisfaction, increases mistrust, and creates fear.
Legitimate power: Does not have a negative effect,
but does not generally stimulate employees to improve
their attitudes or performance, and it does not generally
result in increased commitment.
Reward power: May improve performance in a variety
of situations if the rewards are consistent with what the
individuals want as rewards.
Expert power :Relies on trust that all relevant
information is given out honestly and completely.
Leaders Use of Power
The least effective power bases are the

ones most likely to be used by managers
Coercive, legitimate, and reward

Easiest to implement
Effective leaders use referent and/or

expert power
Dependency: The Key to

Power
The General Dependency Postulate
The greater Bs dependency on A, the greater the

power A has over B
Possession/control of scarce organizational resources

that others need makes a manager powerful
Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple suppliers)

reduces the resource holders power
Dependency increases when resources are:
Important
Scarce
Nonsubstitutable
Increasing Dependency
To increase the dependency of others on

you, you need to
Control things viewed as important

The resources must be viewed as scarce
The resource must have few or no
substitutes (nonsubstitutability)
Power Tactics
Power Tactics
Ways in which individuals translate power

bases into specific actions
Nine influence tactics:
Legitimacy
Rational persuasion*
Inspirational appeals*
Consultation*
Exchange
Personal appeals
* Most effective
Ingratiation
(Pressure is the least effective)
Pressure
Coalitions
Preferred Power Tactics by

Influence Direction
Upward Influence
Downward Influence
Lateral Influence
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Pressure
Ingratiation
Consultation
Exchange
Ingratiation
Legitimacy
Exchange
Personal appeals
Legitimacy
Coalitions
Factors Influencing Power

Tactics
Choice and effectiveness of

influence tactics are moderated by:
Sequencing of tactics
Softer to harder tactics work best
Political skill of the user
The culture of the organization
Culture affects users choice of tactic

Sexual Harassment: A
Case of Unequal Power
Sexual Harassment:
Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature
that affects an individuals employment and
creates a hostile work environment
Overt actions, like unwanted touching,
are relatively easy to spot
Subtle actions, like jokes or looks, can
cross over the line into harassment
Sexual harassment isnt about sex: it is about
abusing an unequal power relationship
Harassment can damage the well-being of
the individual, work group, and organization
Examples of Sexual
Harassment
Disagreement as to what specifically

constitutes sexual harassment
Includes
Unwanted physical touching

Recurring requests for dates when it is
made clear the person isnt interested
Coercive threats that a person will lose
her or his job if she or he refuses a
sexual proposition
Examples of Sexual
Harassment
More subtle forms (harder to interpret)
Unwanted looks or comments

Off-colour jokes
Sexual artifacts such as nude calendars in
the workplace
Sexual innuendo
Misinterpretations of where the line
between being friendly ends and
harassment begins
Make sure a policy against it is in place.

Ensure that employees will not encounter
retaliation if they file a complaint.
Investigate every complaint and include
Managerial
Actions
Prevent
the
human resource
andto
legal
departments.
Sexual Harassment
Make sure offenders are disciplined or
terminated.
Set up in-house seminars and training.
Delegation and
Delegation
is the process of entrusting
Empowerment
authority and responsibility to others.

Delegation can go upwards or laterally.
Most delegation is downwards:
It is the authorisation to undertake

activities that would otherwise be
carried out by someone in a more senior
position
Delegation is a social skill
Benefits of delegation
Makes best use of managers time

Means of training and development
Improves strength of the workforce
Encourages development of specialist
knowledge and skills
Provides job satisfaction
Encourages individual participation
Reasons for lack of

delegation
Managers
may fear that the subordinate
is not capable of doing a sufficient job.
Managers may fear being blamed for
subordinates mistakes.
Managers may fear that the subordinate
will do too good a job.
Managers may find it hard to trust
others.
A systematic approach to
delegation
Four questions to ask before delegating:
What tasks could be performed better by

others?
What opportunities are there for learning
and development through delegation?
How and to whom should the
responsibility be given?
What forms of monitoring and control
would be most appropriate?
Main stages in the process of

delegation
The Concept of
Empowerment
Empowerment
is:
Allowing employees greater freedom,

autonomy, and self control over their
work, and responsibility for decision
making.
Todays leaders understand that you have to give

up control to get results. Thats what the talk of
empowerment is about.
Gretton
Empowerment: Giving
Power to Employees
The freedom and the ability of employees to

make decisions and commitments
Managers disagree over definition of
empowerment
Empowerment as delegating decision making

within a set of clear boundaries
versus
Empowerment as a process of risk taking and
personal growth
Conditions for True

Empowerment
Clear definition of the values and

mission of the company
Company must help employees acquire
the relevant skills
Employees need to be supported in their
decision making, and not criticized when
they try to do something extraordinary
Employees need to be recognized for
their efforts
The decision-making process can be

speedier
It releases creative and innovative
capacities
It provides for greater job satisfaction,
motivation and commitment
It enables employees to gain a greater
sense of achievement
It reduces unnecessary layers of
management and the checking of
operations
Characteristics of
Empowered People
Sense of self-determination
Sense of meaning
Employees feel that their work is important to them;

They care about what they are doing
Sense of competence
Employees are free to choose how to do their work; They

are not micromanaged
Employees are confident about their ability to do their

work well; They know they can perform
Sense of impact
Employees people believe they can have influence on

their work unit; Others listen to their ideas
Politics: Power in Action
Political Behavior
Activities that are not required as part of ones

formal role in the organization, but that influence, or
attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages
or disadvantages within the organization
Legitimate Political Behavior
Normal everyday politics - complaining,

bypassing, obstructing
Illegitimate Political Behavior
Extreme political behavior that violates the

implied rules of the game: sabotage, whistleblowing, and symbolic protest
Why Do We Get Politics?
Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity

Limited resources lead to competition and
political behaviors
Judgments on quality differ markedly based on
the observers perception
Blaming others or fixing responsibility
Covering your rear or documenting
decisions
Perfectionist or attentive to detail
Most decisions are made under ambiguous
conditions
Lack of an objective standard encourages
political maneuvering of subjective reality
Factors Influencing
Political Behaviour
Individual factors
High self-monitors
Internal locus of control
High Mach
Organizational investment
Perceived job alternatives
Expectations of success
Political behaviour
Organizational factors
Reallocation of resources
Promotion opportunities
Low trust
Role ambiguity
Unclear performance
evaluation system
Zero-sum reward practices
Democratic decision making
High performance pressures
Self-serving senior managers
Low
High
Favourable outcomes
Rewards
Averted punishments
Employee Responses to
Organizational Politics
Most employees have low to modest

willingness to play politics and have the
following reactions to politics:
Department of OHRM
Defensive Behaviors
Employees who perceive politics as a threat have

defensive reactions
May be helpful in the short run, dangerous in
the long run
Types of defensive behaviors
Avoiding Action
Over conforming, buck passing, playing

dumb, stalling
Avoiding Blame
Bluffing, playing safe, justifying,

scapegoating
Avoiding Change
Prevention, self-protection
Impression Management (IM)

Techniques
The process by which individuals attempt to control the

impression others form of them
Conformity
Excuses
Complimenting others about their virtues in an effort to make oneself appear

perceptive and likable.
Favours
Explanation of favorable events to maximize the desirable implications for oneself.
Flattery
Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and simultaneously seeking to get a

pardon for the action.
Acclamations
Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at minimizing the apparent

severity of the predicament.
Apologies
Agreeing with someone elses opinion in order to gain his or her approval.
Doing something nice for someone to gain that persons approval.
Association
Enhancing or protecting ones image by managing information about people and

things with which one is associated.
The Ethics of Behaving

Politically
It is difficulty to tell ethical from

unethical politicking
Three questions help:
What is the utility of engaging in the

behavior?
Does the utility balance out any harm done
by the action?
Does the action conform to standards of
equity and justice?
Answers can be skewed toward either

viewpoint
Global Implications
Politics Perceptions
Preference for Power Tactics
Negative consequences to the perception of

politics seem to be fairly widespread
The choice of effective tactics is heavily
dependent on the culture of the country in
which they are to be used
Effectiveness of Power Tactics
Still open to debate; too little research has

been done
Summary and Implications
Power is a two-way street.

Few employees relish being powerless in their
jobs and organization.
People respond differently to various power
bases.
Employees working under coercive managers are unlikely to

be committed,
and more likely to resist the manager.
Expert power is the most strongly and

consistently related to effective employee
performance.
Summary and Implications
The power of the manager may also

play a role in determining job
satisfaction.
The effective manager accepts the
political nature of organizations.
The more political that employees
perceive an organization, the lower their
satisfaction.
Summary and Managerial

Implications
Increase your power by having others depend

on you more.
Expert and referent power are far more
effective than is coercion.
Greater employee motivation, performance,
commitment, and satisfaction
Personal power basis, not organizational
Effective managers accept the political nature
of organizations.
Political astuteness and IM can result in higher
evaluations, salary increases, and promotions.
Thank You.
Questions????????

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Topic: Power & Politics

By: Kwesi Amponsah-Tawiah, PhD

Power and Politics

Leadership and Power

Leadership styles and

Power tactics for

Bases of Power: Formal

Established by an individuals position in

A power base dependent on fear of negative results

Compliance achieved based on the ability to

The formal authority to control and use resources

Bases of Power: Personal

Power that comes from an individuals

Influence based on special skills or knowledge

Influence based on possession by an

Evaluating the Bases of

Coercive power: Tends to result in negative

Leaders Use of Power

The least effective power bases are the

Coercive, legitimate, and reward

Effective leaders use referent and/or

Dependency: The Key to

The General Dependency Postulate

The greater Bs dependency on A, the greater the

Possession/control of scarce organizational resources

Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple suppliers)

Dependency increases when resources are:

To increase the dependency of others on

Control things viewed as important

Ways in which individuals translate power

Preferred Power Tactics by

Factors Influencing Power

Choice and effectiveness of

Softer to harder tactics work best

Political skill of the user

The culture of the organization

Culture affects users choice of tactic

Disagreement as to what specifically

Unwanted physical touching

More subtle forms (harder to interpret)

Unwanted looks or comments

Make sure a policy against it is in place.

authority and responsibility to others.

It is the authorisation to undertake

Makes best use of managers time

Reasons for lack of

What tasks could be performed better by

Main stages in the process of

Allowing employees greater freedom,

Todays leaders understand that you have to give

The freedom and the ability of employees to

Empowerment as delegating decision making

Conditions for True

Clear definition of the values and

The decision-making process can be

Employees feel that their work is important to them;

Employees are free to choose how to do their work; They

Employees are confident about their ability to do their

Employees people believe they can have influence on