Ch. 12: Power, Influence, and Politics(power points)

bad impressions

Doing only the minimum Having a negative mind-set Overcommitting Taking no initiative Waiting until the last minute to deliver bad news

six principles of persuasion

Liking: people tend to like those who like them. Reciprocity: the belief that good and bad deeds should be repaid in kind. Social proof: people tend to follow the lead of those most like themselves. Consistency: people tend to do what they are personally committed to do. Authority: people tend to defer to and respect credible experts. Scarcity: people want items, information, and opportunities that have limited availability.

remedying bad impressions

One way to remedy or at least reduce the impact of bad impressions, negative uses of power, or poor performance is with an apology. Apologies are a form of trust repair in which we acknowledge an offense and usually offer to make amends for perceived or actual harm. Apologies are considered effective to the extent they restore trust and positively affect your ability to influence the offended party in the future. Effective apologies acknowledge wrongdoing, accept responsibility, express regret, and promise that the offense will not be repeated. Table 12.4 describes reasons why leaders should apologize and the desired outcomes of the apologies. A failure to apologize, or to do so in a timely manner, can turn a bad situation worse.

commitment

People who display commitment believe in the cause and often go above and beyond to assure its success.

compliance

People who display compliance do only what is expected and exert no extra effort and provide no extra input.

individuals who are highly political

Run the risk of being called self-serving May lose credibility May be considered poor team players

resistance

There are many forms and degrees of resistance, ranging from being passive-aggressive to sabotaging.

uncertainty and political behavior

Uncertainty as a result of unclear objectives, vague performance measures, ill-defined decision processes, strong individual or group competition, or any type of change, is often a cause of political actions.

impression management

any attempt to control or manipulate the images related to a person, organization, or idea. Impression management encompasses things such as speech, behavior, and appearance.

bases of power and effectiveness

expert and referent power = + reward and legitimate power = slightly + coercive power = slightly -

organizational politics

intentional acts in pursuit of self-interests that conflict with organizational interests. Organizational politics focus on self-interests, which may or may not serve the organization's interests. Organizational politics are positive if political action helps an organization adapt or if they counter when bad actors create organizational goals and objectives to suit their own interests. Organizational politics can negatively affect outcomes across all three levels in the Organizing Framework.

referent power

when one's personal characteristics and social relationships become the reason for compliance. One's network of relationships can be a source of referent power, as can one's reputation. Referent power can be used in marketing programs or to target new sales.

coalition

an informal group bound together by the active pursuit of a single issue Coalitions may or may not coincide with formal group membership and will disband when the target issue is resolved. Political coalitions have "fuzzy boundaries," meaning they are fluid in membership, flexible in structure, and temporary in duration. Networks are loose associations of individuals seeking social support for their general self-interests. Networks are people-oriented, while coalitions are issue-oriented, and networks have broader and longer-term agendas than do coalitions.

influence tactics: soft

are friendlier than, and not as coercive as some influence tactics. Rational persuasion: trying to convince someone with reason, logic, or facts. Inspirational appeals: trying to build enthusiasm by appealing to others' emotions, ideals, or values. Consultation: getting others to participate in planning, making decisions, and changes. Ingratiation: getting someone in a good mood before making a request; being friendly, helpful, and using praise, flattery, or humor. Personal appeals: referring to friendship and loyalty when making a request.

empowerment

efforts to enhance employee performance, well-being, and positive attitudes. Empowerment has been shown to favorably influence many outcomes in the Organizing Framework, such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, performance, turnover, and employee stress. Empowerment is becoming a necessity because of the time constraints placed on managers. empowerment means: -structural --> job redesign to transfer of power to employees -psychological --> through enhancing self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation

influence tactics: hard

involve more overt pressure than some influence tactics. Exchange: making express or implied promises and trading favors. Coalition tactics: getting others to support your effort to persuade someone. Pressure: demanding compliance or using intimidation or threats. Legitimating tactics: basing a request on one's authority or right, organizational rules or policies, or express or implied support from superiors.

five bases of power

legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, referent

individuals have three primary responses to power

resistance, compliance, and commitment Reward, coercive, and negative legitimate power tend to produce compliance and sometimes resistance. Positive legitimate power, expert power, and referent power tend to foster commitment. Commitment is superior to compliance because it is driven by internal or intrinsic motivation. Employees who merely comply require frequent "jolts" of power from the boss to keep them going.

frequently used political tactics

Building a network of useful contacts Using key players to support initiatives Making friends with power brokers Bending the rules to fit the situation Self-promotion Creating a favorable image Praising others Attacking or blaming others Using information as a political tool Using networks is a positive use of politics, while blaming others is a less-than-positive tactic. People tend to assign blame for failures by blaming others, blaming oneself, or denying blame. Assigning blame correctly is important not only to preserve your influence, but also to help guide your future behavior.

impression management tactics

Favorable upward impression management techniques include job-focused, supervisor-focused, and self-focused techniques. A moderate amount of upward impression management is a necessity to make sure your valuable contributions are not overlooked, but people run the risk of being branded a "schmoozer" or a "phony" with too much impression management.

individuals who are strictly nonpolitical

May experience slower promotions May feel left out May be considered poor team players

to make a good first impression

Set goals for networking events. Consider the message that your jewelry, makeup, and clothes send. Pay attention to your nonverbal communication. Manage your emotions and mood. Be interested to be interesting.

empowering individuals, teams, and organizations

Structural empowerment is an input to psychological empowerment since job characteristics, policies, and practices can either facilitate or impede the feelings of empowerment. Individual differences, such as the extent to which employees have positive self-evaluations, psychological capital, and a need for achievement, likely enhance the sense of empowerment. Managerial support, leadership, and organizational support through resource availability foster psychological empowerment. Outcomes of empowerment include performance, organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, creativity, and stress.

structural empowerment

based on transferring authority and responsibilities from management to employees. Managers can boost employee empowerment by changing policies, procedures, job responsibilities, and team designs. Decision-making authority and other broader responsibilities should only be shared with those who are competent to do what is necessary. Empowerment is not a zero-sum game where one person's gain is another's loss—sharing power is a means for increasing your own power. Empowerment is a matter of degree, not an either-or proposition. Figure 12.6 illustrates how power can be shifted to the hands of non-managers step by step. A common element of empowerment involves pushing decision-making authority down to lower levels. The degree of power-sharing should match the needs of the situation and the capabilities of the individuals or teams involved.

Failure, Blame, and Politics

how one responds to underperformance-failure- is very important if you are to preserve your influence

legitimate power

obtaining compliance through formal authority. Legitimate power may be expressed either positively or negatively. Positive legitimate power focuses constructively on job performance. Negative legitimate power tends to be threatening and demeaning to those being influenced.

expert power

obtaining compliance through one's valued knowledge or information.

coercive power

obtaining compliance through threatened or actual punishment

reward power

obtaining compliance with promised or actual rewards.

power

the discretion and the means to enforce your will over others. Power is all about influencing others. The more influence you have, the more powerful you are, and vice versa. Power should be accepted as a natural part of any organization.

psychological empowerment

when employees feel a sense of meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact at work. Meaning: belief that your work values and goals align with those of your manager, team, or employer. Competence: personal evaluation of your ability to do your job. Self-determination: sense that you have control over your work and its outcomes. Impact at work: feeling that your efforts make a difference and affect the organization. While structural empowerment draws on job design and characteristics, psychological empowerment is related to self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Psychological empowerment deals with employees' perceptions or cognitive states regarding empowerment. Recent research and practice have shown that the same four elements that foster psychological empowerment for individuals apply to teams and organizations.