Chapter 13

Formal Bases of Power: Coercive Power

- Ability to cause an unpleasant experience - Influence through negative sanctions or removal of positive event

Formal Bases of Power: Reward Power

- Based on control over desired resources - Complies due to desire for positive benefits - Overemphasis on rewards decreases their effectiveness to influence behavior

Moderators of Effectiveness

- Direction - Sequencing - Individual skill - Organizational culture

Coercive Power: Followers

- Has inherent limitations and drawbacks - A common form is temperamental outbursts - Followers can also use coercive power to influence leader's behavior

Dependency Creators

- Importance of the resource - Scarcity of the resource - Non-substitutability of the resource

Rewards and Behavior

- Most effective during early learning phases - Pay attention to reinforcement schedules - Extrinsic rewards may not have the same effects on behavior as intrinsic

Guidelines for Empowering

- Power: the more you give away to employees, the more you have - Express confidence in employees and set high performance expectations (delegate don't abandon) - Create opportunities for participative decision making - Remove bureaucratic constraints that stifle autonomy - Set inspirational and meaningful goals

People with Power

- Put their interests ahead of others - Objectify others - React to threats against their competence - Tend to be overconfident

Preferred Power Tactics by Influence Direction: Lateral Influence

- Rational Persuasion - Consultation - Ingratiation - Exchange - Legitimacy - Personal Appeals - Coalitions

Preferred Power Tactics by Influence Direction: Downward Influence

- Rational Persuasion - Inspirational Appeals - Pressure - Consultation - Ingratiation - Exchange - Legitimacy

Building Power Requirements

- Resource control - Social networks - Communication skills - Reputation

Politically Skilled

- more effective users of all the influence tactics - can exert their influence without others detecting it

Power

- potential to influence others' behaviors and attitudes - capacity to produce effects on others

Nine Influence Tactics

1. Legitimacy (Most Effective) 2. Rational persuasion (Most Effective) 3. Inspirational appeals (Most Effective) 4. Consultation (Most Effective) 5. Exchange 6. Personal appeals 7. Ingratiation 8. Pressure (Least Effective) 9. Coalitions

Political skill

Ability to influence others to enhance one's own objectives

Formal Bases of Power: Legitimate Power

Based on person's organizational role - power derives from the formal authority to control and use organizational resources

Positive effects of Power

Depends on personality

Referent Power: Followers

Followers with relatively more of this power than their peers: - often spokespersons or informal leaders - generally have more latitude to deviate from work-unit norms

Personal Bases of Power: Expert Power

Influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge

Leadership vs. Power Differences: Research Emphasis

Leadership: Emphasizes leadership style Power: Broader topic: focuses on tactics used by individuals and groups

Leadership vs. Power Differences: Direction of Influence

Leadership: Focuses on downward influence Power: Concerned with influence in all directions

Leadership vs. Power Differences: Goal Compatibility

Leadership: Requires goal congruence Power: Only needs dependence

Four Dimensions of Empowerment

Meaning (purpose) - Competence (mastery) Self-Determination (autonomy) - Impact (significance)

Manager's Power

Possession/control of scarce resources that others need makes a manager powerful

Personal Bases of Power: Referent Power

Potential influence due to strength of relationship, charisma Takes time to develop

Preferred Power Tactics by Influence Direction: Upward Influence

Rational Persuasion

Empowerment

Sharing power in such a way that individuals learn to believe in their ability to do the job

The General Dependency Postulate

The greater B's dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B

Power Tactics

Used to translate power bases into specific actions that influence others - Combining tactics increases effectiveness

Expert Power: Followers

When followers have greater amounts of expert power, leader can't influence work unit on basis of expert power alone

Effective Power Bases: Expert and Referent Power

are positively related to performance and commitment

Effective Power Bases: Reward and Legitimate Power

are unrelated to organizational outcomes

Effective Power Bases: Coercive Power

is negatively related to employee satisfaction and commitment

Most Important Aspect of Power

it is a function of dependence