Busi 280 Chapter 8 Power and Politics

Influence Tactics

1.Rational persuasion: Using facts & data to make a logical presentation of ideas. 2.Inspirational appeals: Appeals to values, ideals, and goals when making requests. 3.Consultation: Getting others involved to support one's objectives. 4.Ingratiation: Using flattery, creating goodwill, and being friendly prior to making a request. 5.Personal appeals: Appealing to loyalty & friendship when asking for something. 6.Exchange: Offering favours or benefits in exchange for support. 7.Coalitions: Getting the support of other people to provide backing when making a request. 8.Pressure: Using demands, threats, and reminders to get someone to do something. 9.Legitimacy: Claiming the authority or right to make a request or showing that it supports organizational goals and/or policies.

Conditions for True Empowerment

1.There must be a clear definition of the values and mission of the company. 2.Company must help employees acquire the relevant skills. 3.Employees need to be supported in their decision making, and not criticized when they try to do something extraordinary. 4.Employees need to be recognized for their efforts.

How Power Affects People

Does power corrupt? ´Power can lead people to place their own interests ahead of others ´Powerful people react (more negatively) to any threats to their competence ´More willing to denigrate others ´Power also leads to overconfident decision making What are the positive effects of power? ´Power can energize and lead to motivation to achieve goals. ´It can enhance people's motivation to help others. ´Power leads to self-interested behaviour only for those with weak moral identities. ´For those with strong moral identities, power can actually enhance their moral awareness.

Bases of Power (French & Raven, 1959)

Formal Power ´Coercive Power ´Power that is based on fear ´Reward Power ´Power based on the ability to provide benefits or rewards to people ´Legitimate Power ´Power based on relative position in the organizational hierarchy

Evaluating the Bases of Power

People will respond in one of three ways: 1.Commitment - The person is enthusiastic about the request and carries the task out 2.Compliance - The person goes along with the request grudgingly, putting in minimal effort 3.Resistance - The person is opposed to the request and tries to avoid it

Bases of Power

Personal Power ´Expert Power ´Power based on a person's experience and knowledge ´Referent Power ´You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her

Interpersonal Influence

´A convincing and persuasive interpersonal style that is employed flexibly to meet the needs of the situation. ´They put others at ease.

Apparent Sincerity

´A good politician comes across as genuine and exhibits high integrity.

Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees

´Empowerment: The freedom and 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"

Not-Sanctioned Means/Sanctioned Ends

´Ends that are useful for the organization are pursued through questionable means. ´This is political behaviour that is potentially functional to the organization. ´The most flagrant abuse of power. ´Disapproved tactics are used to pursue disapproved outcomes. ´Dysfunctional political behaviour.

Social Astuteness

´Good politicians are careful observers who are tuned in to others' needs and motives. ´They can "read" people and know how to present themselves to others.

Increasing Dependency

´How to increase the dependency of others on you: ´Control things viewed as important ´The resources must be viewed as scarce ´The resource must have few or no substitutes (non-substitutability) LO3; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under "Dependency: The Key to Power."

Dependency: The Key to Power

´Importance ´The things you control must be important. ´Scarcity ´A resource must be perceived as scarce. ´Non-substitutability ´The resource cannot be substituted with something else.

Political Skill

´LO4; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under "Influence Tactics."Research indicates that: ´Politically skilled individuals use influence tactics more effectively ´Political skills appear to be more effective when stakes are high ´Politically skilled people are able to exert influence without others detecting it ´Political skill is positively related to job performance, job satisfaction, and career success. ´Teams that have members with elevated political skill tend to be more cohesive and perform better. ´Networking is a critical aspect of power acquisition and political success.

Networking Ability

´Networking involves establishing good relations with key organizational members or outsiders to accomplish one's goals. ´An effective network enhances one's organizational reputation, thus aiding influence attempts.

Basics of Organizational Politics

´Political activities are more likely to occur: ´At middle and upper management levels. ´In subunits with vague goals and complex tasks. ´For certain issues including budget allocation, reorganization, & personnel changes. ´Scarce resources, uncertainty, and important issues provoke political behaviour. ´Highly political climates result in lowered job satisfaction, commitment, and organizational citizenship, and increased stress and turnover intentions. ´Politics takes a toll on the performance of older workers but not younger workers, perhaps due to stress factors.

Power and Politics

´Power ´A capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B, so that B acts in accordance with A's wishes. ´Dependence ´Information Dependence: Reliance on others for information about how to think, feel and act. ´Effect Dependence: Reliance on others due to their capacity to provide rewards and punishments.

Sanctioned Means/Sanctioned Ends

´Power is used routinely to pursue agreed-on goals. ´Familiar, accepted means of influence are employed to achieve sanctioned outcomes. ´There is nothing political about this. ´Acceptable means of influence are abused to pursue goals that the organization does not approve of. ´This is dysfunctional political behaviour.

Facets of Political Skill

´The ability to influence others in such a way as to enhance their own objectives. ´There are four facets to political skill: ´Social astuteness ´Interpersonal influence ´Apparent sincerity ´Networking ability

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 ´Deadline pressures increase group member reliance on individuals with expert power

Organizational Politics

´The pursuit of self-interest within an organization, whether or not this self-interest corresponds to organizational goals. ´It can be self-conscious and intentional. ´It can be an individual or subunit activity. ´Political activity can have beneficial outcomes for an organization even though the outcomes are achieved by questionable tactics.

Basics of Organizational Politics

´We can explore organizational politics using the means/ends matrix. ´It is the association between influence means and influence ends that determines whether activities are political and whether these activities benefit the organization.