Description
This is a presentation explaining on the effect of positives and negatives of power & politics on organization.
POWER AND POLITICS
Definition
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.
• Dependency: B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B requires
• Politics
– Behaviour to influence or attempt to influence the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
The Dark Side of Power and Politics
Power and politics often have negative connotations because people associate them with attempts to use organizational resources for personal advantage and to achieve personal goals at the expense of other goals.
The Bright Side
• Managers can use power to control people and other resources so that they cooperate and help to achieve an organization’s current goals. • Managers can use power to engage in politics and influence the decisionmaking process to help promote new, more appropriate organizational goals.
Measuring Bases of Power
• Coercive power
– The person can make things difficult for people, and you want to avoid getting him or her angry.
• Power that is based on fear.
• Reward power
– The person is able to give special benefits or rewards to people, and you find it advantageous to trade favors with him or her.
• Legitimate power
– The person has the right, considering his or her position and your job responsibilities, to expect you to comply with legitimate requests.
Measuring Bases of Power
• Expert power
– The person has the experience and knowledge to earn your respect, and you defer to his or her judgment in some matters.
• Referent power
– You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her.
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: 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
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 (non substitutability)
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”
Political Behaviour
• Those activities that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
– Legitimate: normal everyday behaviour – Illegitimate: extreme political behaviours that violate the implied rules of the game
Why Do We Get Politics?
• Organizations are made up of groups and individuals who have differing values, goals and interests • Resources in organizations are limited • Performance outcomes are not completely clear and objective
What Individual Factors Contribute to Politics?
• • • • • • High self-monitors Internal locus of control High mach Organizational investment Perceived job alternatives Expectations of success
What Organizational Factors Contribute to Politics?
• • • • • • • • • Reallocation of rewards Promotion opportunities Low trust Role ambiguity Unclear performance evaluation system Zero-sum reward practices Democratic decision-making High performance pressure Self-serving senior managers
Types of Political Activity
• • • • • • Attacking or blaming others Controlling information Forming coalitions Networking Creating obligations Managing impressions
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.
doc_471056881.pptx
This is a presentation explaining on the effect of positives and negatives of power & politics on organization.
POWER AND POLITICS
Definition
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.
• Dependency: B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B requires
• Politics
– Behaviour to influence or attempt to influence the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
The Dark Side of Power and Politics
Power and politics often have negative connotations because people associate them with attempts to use organizational resources for personal advantage and to achieve personal goals at the expense of other goals.
The Bright Side
• Managers can use power to control people and other resources so that they cooperate and help to achieve an organization’s current goals. • Managers can use power to engage in politics and influence the decisionmaking process to help promote new, more appropriate organizational goals.
Measuring Bases of Power
• Coercive power
– The person can make things difficult for people, and you want to avoid getting him or her angry.
• Power that is based on fear.
• Reward power
– The person is able to give special benefits or rewards to people, and you find it advantageous to trade favors with him or her.
• Legitimate power
– The person has the right, considering his or her position and your job responsibilities, to expect you to comply with legitimate requests.
Measuring Bases of Power
• Expert power
– The person has the experience and knowledge to earn your respect, and you defer to his or her judgment in some matters.
• Referent power
– You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her.
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: 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
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 (non substitutability)
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”
Political Behaviour
• Those activities that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
– Legitimate: normal everyday behaviour – Illegitimate: extreme political behaviours that violate the implied rules of the game
Why Do We Get Politics?
• Organizations are made up of groups and individuals who have differing values, goals and interests • Resources in organizations are limited • Performance outcomes are not completely clear and objective
What Individual Factors Contribute to Politics?
• • • • • • High self-monitors Internal locus of control High mach Organizational investment Perceived job alternatives Expectations of success
What Organizational Factors Contribute to Politics?
• • • • • • • • • Reallocation of rewards Promotion opportunities Low trust Role ambiguity Unclear performance evaluation system Zero-sum reward practices Democratic decision-making High performance pressure Self-serving senior managers
Types of Political Activity
• • • • • • Attacking or blaming others Controlling information Forming coalitions Networking Creating obligations Managing impressions
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.
doc_471056881.pptx