Power and Political Behavior

POWER AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

Power and the accompanying political behavior are inevitable in all organizations. French and Raven categorized power as having five forms: reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, referent power, and expert power. Power can be used for personal gain, or for social purposes. Etzioni identified three types of power and three types of organizational involvement that lead to either congruent or incongruent use of power. Symbols of power are discussed. A final section addresses managing the boss and sharing power through empowering organizational members.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

1. Distinguish between power, influence, and authority.

2. Describe the interpersonal and intergroup sources of power.

3. Understand the ethical use of power.

4. Explain power analysis, an organizational-level theory of power.

5. Identify symbols of power and powerlessness in organizations.

6. Define organizational politics and understand the major influence tactics.

7. Develop a plan for managing employee-boss relationships.

8. Discuss how managers can empower others.

KEY TERMS

Chapter 11 introduces the following key terms:

power

influence

authority

zone of indifference

reward power

coercive power

legitimate power

referent power

expert power

information power

personal power

social power

strategic contingencies

powerlessness

organizational politics

political behavior

empowerment

THE CHAPTER SUMMARIZED

I. LOOKING AHEAD: Carly Fiorina: Fortune's Most Powerful Woman

II. THE CONCEPT OF POWER

Power is the ability to influence another person. The process by which we affect the thoughts, behavior, and feelings of another person is called influence. Authority is the right to influence another person. Most individuals prefer to use influence rather than authority to get things done.

When we attempt to influence an individual, our approaches may or may not fall within the employee's zone of indifference. The zone of indifference is the range in which attempts to influence are perceived as legitimate, and the receiver responds to the influence willingly.

III. FORMS AND SOURCES OF POWER IN ORGANIZATIONS

A. Interpersonal Forms of Power

French and Raven identified the five most common bases of power in an organization as reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert power.

1. Reward Power

Reward power is the control over rewards that are valued by another. Typical examples of rewards are salary increases, bonuses, and promotions. In addition, praise can be used as a reward.

2. Coercive Power

Coercive Power is the ability to administer unpleasant consequences. The implied force relates to threats and punishments. Some forms of coercive power include verbal abuse, lack of support, and disciplinary actions.

3. Legitimate Power

Legitimate power is similar to authority, and is based on position and mutual agreement. This form of power is provided to individuals by the organization. Some managers resort to legitimate power if they are insecure with their ability to influence employees using other forms of power.

4. Referent Power

Referent power is based on interpersonal attraction. Followers identify with the leader and willing follow out of admiration and respect.

5. Expert Power

Expert power is based on knowledge and/or skills. Followers must perceive the agent as an expert, and trust that the expertise is valid and that the knowledge or skills are relevant and useful to them.

B. Using Power Ethically

The following three questions can help managers determine whether they are using power ethically: (1) Does the behavior produce a good outcome for people inside and outside the organization? (2) Does the behavior respect the rights of all parties? (3) Does the behavior treat all parties equitably and fairly?

C. Two Faces of Power: One Positive, One Negative

McClelland takes a stand for the use of power in a right or wrong fashion. Personal power is used for personal gain, and results in a win-lose approach. Conversely, social power involves the use of power to create motivation or to accomplish group goals.

D. Intergroup Sources of Power

Groups also use multiple sources of power. When groups control activities that other groups depend on in order to complete their tasks, they control strategic contingencies. In order to exercise this control, a group must have the ability to cope with uncertainty, its function must be central to the organization's success, and it must perform an indispensable function for the organization.

IV. POWER ANALYSIS: A BROADER VIEW

Etzioni's approach to power measures the involvement of members that will lead to either congruent or incongruent uses of power. He also proposed the classification of organizations by the type