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Questions and Answers
What does organisational politics primarily refer to?
What does organisational politics primarily refer to?
How is power characterized in the context of organisational studies?
How is power characterized in the context of organisational studies?
According to Max Weber, what is essential for authority?
According to Max Weber, what is essential for authority?
Which of the following types of authority is NOT recognized by Max Weber?
Which of the following types of authority is NOT recognized by Max Weber?
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What is the relationship between power, legitimacy, and uncertainty in organisations?
What is the relationship between power, legitimacy, and uncertainty in organisations?
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What aspect does 'soft domination' relate to in organisational politics?
What aspect does 'soft domination' relate to in organisational politics?
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Which type of power does NOT involve structural and positional characteristics?
Which type of power does NOT involve structural and positional characteristics?
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What is a total institution according to the context provided?
What is a total institution according to the context provided?
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What defines charismatic authority according to Weber?
What defines charismatic authority according to Weber?
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Which characteristic is NOT associated with rational-legal authority?
Which characteristic is NOT associated with rational-legal authority?
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What does legitimacy imply in the context of power?
What does legitimacy imply in the context of power?
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According to Crozier and Friedberg, what is a critical resource of power in the workplace?
According to Crozier and Friedberg, what is a critical resource of power in the workplace?
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What describes the nature of organizations according to the content?
What describes the nature of organizations according to the content?
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What is a common resistance to change within organizations?
What is a common resistance to change within organizations?
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What does the concept of a 'zone of uncertainty' refer to in the discussion on power?
What does the concept of a 'zone of uncertainty' refer to in the discussion on power?
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Which of the following statements about power is inaccurate?
Which of the following statements about power is inaccurate?
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What concept does Bentham's panopticon illustrate in the context of surveillance?
What concept does Bentham's panopticon illustrate in the context of surveillance?
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a total institution as defined by Goffman?
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a total institution as defined by Goffman?
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What percentage of participants in the original Milgram experiment continued to administer shocks?
What percentage of participants in the original Milgram experiment continued to administer shocks?
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According to Hannah Arendt, how can individuals who commit acts of evil be characterized?
According to Hannah Arendt, how can individuals who commit acts of evil be characterized?
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What is identified as a method to break obedience in authority structures?
What is identified as a method to break obedience in authority structures?
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What trend does the rise of digital panopticon suggest about privacy in the 21st century?
What trend does the rise of digital panopticon suggest about privacy in the 21st century?
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What was scientists' initial expectation regarding the Milgram experiment's outcomes?
What was scientists' initial expectation regarding the Milgram experiment's outcomes?
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Which technological tool is an example of the digital panopticon in use?
Which technological tool is an example of the digital panopticon in use?
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What is a primary factor that influences political relations within organizations?
What is a primary factor that influences political relations within organizations?
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What does the concept of salience of issues imply regarding power claims within organizations?
What does the concept of salience of issues imply regarding power claims within organizations?
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What characterizes 'soft domination' in organizations?
What characterizes 'soft domination' in organizations?
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How does governmentality differ from traditional forms of governance?
How does governmentality differ from traditional forms of governance?
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Which of the following best describes the idea of 'dominancy' within organizations?
Which of the following best describes the idea of 'dominancy' within organizations?
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What is a consequence of soft domination regarding resistance within organizations?
What is a consequence of soft domination regarding resistance within organizations?
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What type of students represents a small percentage in higher education from working-class backgrounds according to the provided content?
What type of students represents a small percentage in higher education from working-class backgrounds according to the provided content?
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What is often seen as a method of organizational control in modern domination?
What is often seen as a method of organizational control in modern domination?
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Which group is likely to face more challenges in social mobility according to the content?
Which group is likely to face more challenges in social mobility according to the content?
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What does the complexity and degree of uncertainty in organizational dilemmas impact?
What does the complexity and degree of uncertainty in organizational dilemmas impact?
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Study Notes
Power and Politics in Organizations
- Course: Organizations Management Course
- Instructor: Dr. Thierry VIALE
- Contact: [email protected]
Outline
- Learning objectives
- Introduction to organizational politics and power
- Sources of power
- Political arenas and resistance
- Domination and social structure
- Soft domination
- Total institutions
- Experiments with authority
Learning Objectives
- Understand organizational politics and power's interconnectedness
- Recognize the normalcy of politics in organizational life
- Understand surveillance, resistance, and empowerment practices
- Critically evaluate empowerment ethics
Introduction
- Organizational politics is pervasive
- Refers to social relations within and around organizations
- Power results from positional relationships within networks
- Power is structural and positional
- Authority relates to personal attributes, charisma, and power embodiment
- Legitimacy is about perception, belief, and recognition
Sources of Power
- Max Weber established foundational concepts of power in organizations (Economy and Society, 1922)
- Differentiated between authority and domination
- Authority requires consent, while domination implies lacking granted legitimacy to superiors
- Weber identified three types of authority:
- Charismatic authority: based on exceptional personal qualities
- Traditional authority: rooted in established beliefs and traditions like inheritance
- Rational-legal authority: based on codified rules and procedures (e.g., modern law, bureaucracy)
Charismatic Authority
- Exceptional personal qualities make individuals stand apart and are attributed supernatural or exceptional powers
Traditional Authority
- Power derived from a belief in time-honored traditions, traditions, and inheritance
Rational-Legal Authority
- Power based on codified rules, procedures, and modern law/bureaucracy in the modern era
Power from Legitimacy
- Legitimacy is the acceptance of power by the dominated
- Legitimacy attaches to actions and wider social structures based on widespread belief in their validation and righteousness.
Modern Theories of Power
- Actors are guided by self-interest
- Mastering and sustaining uncertainty in the workplace is a crucial source of power within organizations.
- Power is often played out in conflicts over uncertain informal games that aren't apparent in official charts and organization schemes.
- Unpredictability leads to more power.
- Knowledge can be a contested resource
Organizations as Political Arenas
- Organizations are arenas for conflict and tension
- Resistance to change is an organizational activity aiming to impede change
- Power, tensions, and conflict may be important to understand as organizational dynamics.
- Power, conflict, and tension can be present and relevant in different organization contexts.
- Spin doctors, consultants, and coaches—examine their relevance in organizational contexts.
- The importance of political factors in organizations and markets
Organizations as Political Arenas (cont.)
- Politics arises from several contributing factors
- Meaning and symbolic factors within an organization, including myths, beliefs, language, and legends shape perceptions and understandings that form the culture of an organization.
- Divisions and different roles and identities, associated values, and styles (e.g. in creative industries)
Organizations as Political Arenas (cont.)
- Complexity and Degree of Uncertainty: Control over uncertainty isn't a measure of power unless it's significant.
- Salience of Issues: Issues that concern management more directly are more likely to be power-related.
- External Pressure: Stakeholder pressure can empower individuals and groups within an organization.
Dominance as a Reflection of Social Structure
- Organizations perpetuate existing social structures related to dominance
- Traditional social structures influence and are reflected in organizations
- Examples, like those in old countries (e.g., France or UK), show significant socioeconomic disparities
Modern Domination: Soft Domination
- Soft domination appears equal but is a system of control
- Legitimate techniques of control used by management
- Tools include electronic surveillance, empowerment tactics, and mutual control
- These tactics cause resistance to feel less legitimate
Modern Domination: Soft Domination (cont.)
- Governmentality, a shift from power-using to self-governing
- Individuals become subjected to their government and are actively incentivized to engage in self-governance
- Self-policing and surveillance are common
- Subjugation, achieved through coercion, is replaced by consent
- This strategy for control is now pervasive in the digital age
Digital Surveillance/Domination
- Bentham's Panopticon concept: centralized surveillance
- Modern usage of digital surveillance and social media as tools for control and data collection
- Total institutions, like those previously discussed, characterized by strict regulations and constant surveillance of individuals
Experiments with Authority/Power
- Banality of Evil: Nazi criminals were ordinary people, and the actions were not inherently monstrous.
- Milgram Experiment: Investigating human obedience to authority in an experiment regarding delivering perceived shocks to others.
- Replication in Poland: 90% of participants did not stop administering perceived shocks in the experiment.
When it's Time to Say No
- Ethical and personal values and bravery are crucial
- Courage as a valuable way to overcome obedience-based power structures
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Description
This quiz explores the interconnections between power and politics within organizations. It covers various sources of power, political arenas, and concepts such as soft domination and total institutions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for evaluating organizational life and ethical practices in empowerment.
