Understanding Power Dynamics in Organizations

• Power represents the ability of an individual, team, or organization to influence others.
• Power is the potential to change attitudes or behaviors, not necessarily the act itself.
• A power holder controls a valuable resource that the target perceives as crucial for achieving their goals.
• Power is not always tied to authority or adherence to norms.
• Power dynamics involve unequal dependence, where one party controls resources or expertise valued by the other.
• Countervailing power exists when the dependent party possesses skills or knowledge the dominant party lacks.
• Trust in the power holder is essential for maintaining dependence.
• Lack of trust can lead individuals to reject even highly dependent situations.

Sources of Power

• Legitimate power stems from an agreement among organizational members that certain roles can request specific behaviors from others.
• Legitimate power originates from formal job descriptions.
• Individuals are only obligated to comply with requests within a limited "zone of indifference."
• The zone of indifference expands with increased trust in the power holder.
• The norm of reciprocity creates an obligation to assist those who have helped you.
• Information control involves selectively distributing information to influence others' perceptions.
• Reward power is the ability to allocate valued rewards or remove negative sanctions.
• Coercive power entails the ability to apply punishments.
• Expert power originates from possessing valued knowledge or skills.
• Expert power involves the perceived ability to manage uncertainties.
• Prevention of environmental changes increases power.
• Forecasting environmental changes or variations enhances power.
• Absorption, or neutralizing the impact of environmental shifts, leads to increased power.
• Referent power arises when others identify with or like an individual, often associated with charisma.
• Charisma inspires trust, respect, and devotion in others.

Contingencies of Power

• Substitutability: Power is strongest when an individual has a monopoly over a valued resource (e.g., expertise).
• Power decreases as the number of alternative sources for a resource increases.
• Controlling access to a resource enhances nonsubstitutability.
• Centrality: Importance of the power holder is determined by the degree and nature of interdependence with others.
• Power increases when numerous individuals are significantly and quickly affected by the power holder's actions.
• Visibility: Being noticed by superiors and colleagues increases power.
• Increased face time and displays of power symbols enhance visibility.
• Discretion is the freedom to exercise judgment.

Power of Social Networks

• Social networks are structures of interconnected individuals linked by interdependence.
• Shared interests maintain social networks.
• Social capital is the goodwill and resources shared among network members.
• Social capital stems from trust, support, and empathy.

Influence Tactics

• Influence is any behavior that attempts to alter someone's attitudes or behavior.
• Influence utilizes power sources to change beliefs, feelings, and activities.
• Influence is crucial for coordinating efforts and achieving organizational objectives.
• Silent Authority: Compliance due to requester's legitimate power and target's role expectations.
• Assertiveness: Using legitimate and coercive power to influence others.
• Information Control: Withholding or reframing information to alter attitudes and behaviors.
• Coalition Formation: Creating a group that supports a proposed change, pooling resources and legitimizing the issue.
• Upward Appeal: Seeking assistance from higher authority or expertise.
• Persuasion: Using facts, logic, and emotional appeals to change beliefs and attitudes.
• Persuasion is more effective when listeners perceive expertise and credibility.
• Acknowledging multiple viewpoints enhances message persuasiveness.
• The inoculation effect involves generating counterarguments to anticipated persuasion attempts, reducing their effectiveness.
• Persuasion is most effective face-to-face or through media-rich channels.
• Individuals with high self-esteem and intelligence are more difficult to persuade.
• Impression Management: Actively shaping others' perceptions and attitudes of oneself through self-presentation.
• Ingratiation: Attempting to increase likability or perceived similarity to a target person which can backfire leading to being labeled a "suckup".
• Exchange: Promising benefits in exchange for compliance, or reminding the target of past favors.

Consequences and Contingencies of Influence Tactics

• Resistance: Opposing the influencer's desired behavior.
• Compliance: Implementing the influencer's request for instrumental reasons only.
• Commitment: Identifying with the request and being highly motivated to implement it, even without external motivation.
• Soft Influence Tactics: Relying on personal power sources (expert and referent) to build commitment.
• Hard Influence Tactics: Relying on position power (legitimate, reward, coercion) to produce compliance or resistance.

Contingencies of Influence Tactics

• The influencer's strongest power sources.
• The position of the person being influenced (higher, lower, or same level).
• Cultural, personal, and organizational values.

Organizational Politics

• Influence tactics are perceived as organizational politics when they appear self-serving and potentially harm the organization's interests.
• Organizational politics can lead to lower job satisfaction, commitment, and citizenship, as well as higher stress and turnover.
• Minimizing organizational politics involves addressing scarce resources, ambiguous rules, organizational change, and tolerated behaviors.
• A strong need for personal power can drive individuals to seek influence for its own sake.