Understanding Power Dynamics in Organizations

Formal Power

• Based on a person's position in an organization
• Example: A manager at work, due to their job title, can make decisions

Personal Power

• Based on an individual's unique characteristics
• Example: A coworker skilled in specific software, others seek help from them

Using Power

• Influence: Affecting thoughts, behaviours, and feelings of others
• Example: A friend's enthusiasm for a hobby, inspiring you to try it too.
• Authority: Right to influence others
• Example: A manager directing team members, due to their higher position

Zone of Indifference

• Range where attempts to influence a person are considered legitimate
• Example: A teacher asking students to submit homework, seen as normal

Bases of Power (French Raven, 1960)

• Reward Power: Power in allocating resources
• Example: A project manager deciding tasks and allocating resources
• Coercive Power: Power in punishment
• Example: A coach benching a player for not following team rules

Legitimate Power

• Power derived from job status
• Example: A school principal setting rules for students and staff

Expert Power

• Power based on knowledge and expertise
• Example: A doctor with medical knowledge

Referent Power

• Power due to likeability and enjoyment of company
• Example: A popular team member whose ideas are followed

Intergroup Source of Power

• Control of critical resources desired by another group
• Example: A company controlling rare metals, influencing industries

Strategic Contingencies

• Activities crucial for other groups to complete tasks
• Example: Firefighters solving a critical problem

Information Power

• Access and control over important information
• Example: A student knowing all the answers to a test

Social Power

• Power used to motivate and accomplish group goals
• Example: Someone well-connected in a group, rallies support

Kanter's Symbols of Powerlessness

• Overly close supervision
• Inflexible adherence to rules
• Tendency to do the work themselves rather than training others

Korda's Symbols of Power

• Office furniture
• Time power
• Standing by

Types of Influence Tactics

• Pressure: Using demands, threats, or intimidation
• Exchange: Offering rewards for compliance
• Upward Appeal: Persuading others using higher management support
• Coalition: Persuading using support or aid from others
• Ingratiation: Getting someone in a good mood before making a request
• Rational Persuasion: Using logic and evidence to persuade
• Inspirational Appeals: Emotionally motivating to convince others
• Consultation: Including others in the decision-making process

How to Win Friends and Influence People

• Avoid harmful criticism
• Increase likeability
• Win people to your way of thinking
• Indirectly correct mistakes

Reciprocity

• Paying back a favor received
• Example: Returning a favor as a result of a prior favor

Liking/Friendship

• People like those who like them
• Example: A leader who is likeable gains followership

Authority

• Experts gain credibility due to their qualifications
• Example: Celebrities' advice being more impactful due to their status

Commitment/Consistency

• We have a tendency to be consistent with previous actions
• Example: We are likely to continue support due to previous support of similar actions

Scarcity

• Limited availability increases value
• Example: A desirable product sold out

Social Validation

• People follow others
• Example: If many people are purchasing a product, more are likely to also purchase it

Charisma

• Outgoing, energetic, and inspiring leaders
• Example: A charismatic person drawing people in

Political Skill

• Getting things done outside of formal channels
• Example: Social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking

Managerial Leadership

• Adapting to situational demands
• Example: Team experience, task knowledge

Trait Theories

• Leaders derive identifiable characteristics
• Example: Some people naturally lead and excel at leadership

Contingency Theories

• Leadership style depends on the situation
• Example: Experienced teams don't need close leadership, but rather collaboration

Behavioral Theories

• Focuses on observable leader behaviors
• Example: Directing, inspiring, being considerate

Relational Theories

• Leaders build relationships that support teams
• Example: Teachers listening to student concerns

Leader Emergence

• How people become leaders in groups
• Example: Team projects, where a member takes charge to organize

Leader Effectiveness

• The quality of leadership
• Example: How successfully a team leader drives their team

Autocratic

• Strong leader control
• Example: Authoritarian leadership styles

Democratic

• Inclusive decision-making
• Example: Collaborative leadership styles

Laissez-faire

• Minimal leadership intervention
• Example: Hands-off leadership styles

Initiating Structure

• Clearly defining tasks, goals, and responsibilities

Consideration

• Focuses on team-building
• Example: Building supportive and inclusive relationships

Production-Oriented

• Focus on task accomplishment
• Example: Getting tasks completed efficiently

Employee-Oriented

• Focuses on interpersonal relationships
• Example: Supportive and nurturing relationships

Path-Goal Theory

• Leaders support team members to achieve goals
• Example: Leaders providing guidance and support on tasks

Situational Leadership Model

• Adapting leadership style to the context
• Example: Leaders changing their approach based on team knowledge

Relational Theories of Leadership

• Leaders build relationships with specific followers
• Example: Strong leaders building relationships based on trust

In-Group

• Followers receiving greater responsibility and attention
• Example: High-performing team members

Out-Group

• Followers receiving less attention
• Example: Team members not recognized or supported as much

Transformational Leaders

• Motivating others to achieve higher goals
• Example: Inspire others to meet high performance standards

Transactional Leaders

• Clear goals and rewards for meeting them
• Example: Reward high performance, penalize low performance

###Conflict and Negotiation

• Incompatible goals, attitudes, or behaviours
• Example: Differences and disputes

Inter-organizational Conflict

• Conflict between two or more organizations.
• Example: Conflicts between two or more companies

Inter-group Conflict

• Conflict among groups or teams within an organization
• Example: A conflict between departments in a company

###Intra-group Conflict

• Conflict internally within a group or team
• Example: Internal disagreement within a committee

###Inter-role Conflict

• Conflict among multiple roles a person holds
• Example: A person struggling between roles of employee and parent

###Intra-role Conflict

• Conflict occurring within a single role
• Example: A manager having conflicting demands from stakeholders

###Person-role Conflict

• Conflict between an expected role and one's personal values
• Example: A manager expected to lay off workers even though they oppose it

Defense Mechanisms

• Strategies to cope with conflict
• Fixation: Maintaining dysfunctional behaviours
• Displacement: Redirecting conflict to inappropriate targets
• Negativism: Negative responses associated

###Compromise Mechanisms

• Ways to resolve conflict
• Compensation: Overly compensating for weaknesses
• Identification: Mimic behaviours of others
• Rationalization: Justifying actions

Withdrawal Mechanisms

• Strategies to leave a problematic situation or conflict
• Flight: Escaping the problem
• Withdrawal : Avoiding the problem

Situational Conflict Management

• Dealing effectively with conflict in various situations
• Nonaction: Ignoring the conflict
• Character assassination: Attacking the opponent
• Secrecy: Hiding conflict
• Expanding Resources: Increasing resources
• Confronting and Negotiating: Openly addressing the conflict
• Changing Personnel: Changing the people involved.

Conflict Management Styles

• Competing: Assertive and uncooperative
• Collaborating: Cooperative and assertive
• Compromising: Middle ground stance
• Avoiding: Unassertive and uncooperative
• Accommodating: Unassertive and cooperative

Negotiation

• A process of finding a solution
• Example: Both parties agreeing to a solution for an issue

Integrative Negotiation

• Maximizing goals
• Example: Finding mutually beneficial solutions

Distributive Negotiation

• Maximising resources
• Example: Achieving individual goals in a conflict

Organizational Culture

• Shared beliefs, values, and assumptions
• Artifacts: Visible, tangible elements (e.g., office design)
• Values: Importance and standards (e.g., trust, teamwork)
• Assumptions: Unseen beliefs guiding behaviour (e.g., values)

Rites of Passage

• Events marking transitions
• Example: Graduation

###Organizational Climate

• Emotional feeling associated with work
• Example: Enthusiasm, tension

###Social Undermining

• Harming someone's relationships
• Example: Deliberately excluding someone, or spreading rumors

Character Assassination

• Destroying someone's reputation
• Example: Spreading false information about someone

Career

• Patterns of work-related experiences
• Old Paradigm (e.g., loyalty, one employer)
• New Paradigm (e.g., changing roles, flexibility).

###Establishment Stage

• Newcomers to a job or role
• Balancing implicit and explicit understanding
• Example: Psychological contracts, newcomer socialization

###Career Path

• Sequence of roles
• Career Ladder: Hierarchical promotion paths
• Career Lattice: Non-linear progression

###Career Plateaus

• Unable to advance in career progression
• Example: Limited job advancement opportunities

What do we do when we see a plateau?

• Openly discuss limitations
• Improve education and training
• Seek new opportunities

###Withdrawal Stage

• Leaving the company or organization
• Example : Phased retirement, Bridge employment.

Career Anchors

• Guiding values affecting career decisions Example: Security, creativity, and managerial success.

###Mentorship

• Guidance from experienced professionals
• Examples: Role modelling, acceptance, and confirmation.

Explore the different types of power within organizational settings, including formal and personal power. This quiz examines concepts such as influence, authority, and the Zone of Indifference. Test your knowledge on the bases of power as identified by French and Raven in 1960.