Organizational Power and Sexual Harassment Quiz

Organizational Behavior - Chapter 13: Power and Politics

• Power is the capacity of one person (A) to influence another (B), making B act according to A's desires. Power exists but may not be used. Crucially, power stems from dependence; A has power over B if B depends on A for something B desires.

• Power is a function of dependence. Dependence, in turn, is inversely related to available alternative sources.

• Leadership utilizes power to achieve group goals. Goal compatibility is not necessary, but dependence is. Leadership research focuses on leadership style, and the influence is often downward.

Learning Objectives

• Contrast leadership and power.
• Explain the three bases of formal power and two bases of personal power.
• Explain the role of dependence in power relationships.
• Identify power or influence tactics and their contingencies (situational factors that affect effectiveness).
• Identify the causes and consequences of power abuse.
• Describe how politics work in organizations.
• Identify the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior

Formal Power

• Coercive Power: Based on fear of punishment or retribution.
• Reward Power: Based on the ability to offer rewards.
• Legitimate Power: Based on formal position or authority.

Personal Power

• Expert Power: Based on knowledge or skill.
• Referent Power: Based on personal qualities or charisma.

Which Power Bases are Most Effective?

• Personal sources (expert & referent) are generally more effective than formal sources (reward & legitimate).
• Coercive power can be damaging.

The General Dependency Postulate

• Power is gained when someone (A) has something others (B) need, and A alone controls that resource. Dependence increases as alternatives decrease.

What Creates Dependence?

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

Influence Tactics

• Legitimacy
• Rational persuasion
• Inspirational appeals
• Consultation
• Exchange
• Personal appeals
• Ingratiation
• Pressure
• Coalitions

Contingency Factors for Influence Tactics

• Rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and consultation are best when the audience is interested in the outcomes.
• Pressure tends not to be effective and can backfire.
• Ingratiation and legitimacy can lessen negative reactions.

Cultural Differences in Power Tactics

• Individualistic cultures value personalized power (used to advance individual goals).
• Collectivistic cultures emphasize power used for social good (helping others).

Political Skill & Tactics

• Political skill is the ability to influence others to achieve one's objectives. Politically skilled individuals tend to be more effective.
• Organizational cultures differ in warmth, formality, and support. Individuals fitting the culture have greater influence.

Power Abuse

• Power can lead to placing one's interests ahead of others.
• Powerful people react negatively to threats to their perceived competence.
• Power can lead to overconfidence in decision-making.

Sexual Harassment

• Any unwelcome sexual act that negatively affects employment and creates a hostile work environment.
• Managers are responsible for preventing a hostile environment, and their own protection as well.

Political Behavior in Organizations

• Political behavior are activities that are not required by a formal job but influence the distribution of resources within an organization.
• These activities include influencing decision-making, withholding information, spreading rumors, and whistle-blowing.

Causes & Consequences of Political Behavior

• Individual factors (self-monitoring, locus of control, personality) and organizational factors (resource allocation, promotion opportunities, trust) influence political behavior.
• Positive outcomes are rewards and punishments avoided. Negative outcomes can include decreased job satisfaction, stress, turnover, and decreased performance.

Defensive Behaviors

• Defensive behaviors may be used by individuals to avoid or mitigate perceived threats in organizations. Common examples include overconforming, buck-passing, playing dumb, stretching, stalling, bluffing, playing safe, justifying, scapegoating, misrepresenting, prevention, and self-protection..

Impression Management

• Impression management is where individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them.
• High self-monitors are typically skilled at impression management but perceptions may be false, or have costs.

Ethics of Political Behavior

• Essential questions for ethically navigating political behavior: Utility of the action, balancing the benefits against the potential harms, and conformity to equity standards.

Implications for Managers

• To gain power, increase others' dependence on you.
• Others will also be seeking to increase your dependence on them, so you need to balance those competing influences.
• Managers should consider the political skills of their employees, and help those employees understand the importance of political savvy in organizations.
• Be aware political assessments of behavior, allowing you to better predict and influence others.