Chapter Ten: Power and Influence at Work PDF

Chapter Ten Power and In0uence at Work Learning Objec;ve The nature of power Types of power The power of social networks Consequences of power In0uencing others Organiza;onal poli;cs The Meaning of Power The capacity of a person, team, or organiza;on to in0uence others Poten;al to c...

Chapter Ten Power and In0uence at Work Learning Objec;ve The nature of power Types of power The power of social networks Consequences of power In0uencing others Organiza;onal poli;cs The Meaning of Power The capacity of a person, team, or organiza;on to in0uence others Poten;al to change aFtudes and behavior (not actual change) People may be unaware of their power Percep;on – target perceives powerholder controls a valuable resource Power involves unequal dependence Power and Dependence Person B’s countervailing Person A Person A is power over (powerholder) perceived as Person A controlling resources that help or hinder Person B’s goal achievement. Person B’s Person B Goal Person A’s power over Person B The Meaning of Power Countervailing Power: The capacity of a person, team or organiza;on to keep a more powerful person or group in the exchange rela;onship Model of Power in Organiza;ons Sources Power of Power over others Legitimate Reward Coercive Contingencies Expert of Power Referent Legi;mate Power Legi;mate Power : Power that a person receives which is compliance based; on the ability having speciNc roles which allows them to request certain behavior of others. Zone of indi3erence -- range of behaviors for deference to authority Norm of reciprocity -- felt obliga;on to help someone who has helped you Informa;on control -- right to distribute informa;on to others Creates dependence Frames situa;on Other Sources of Power Reward power Control rewards valued by others, remove nega;ve sanc;ons Coercive power Ability to apply punishment Referent power Capacity to in0uence others through iden;Nca;on with and respect for the power holder Associated with charisma Expert Power Capacity to in0uence others by possessing knowledge or skills that they value Coping with uncertainty Organiza;ons operate beUer in predictable environments People gain power by using their exper;se to: - Prevent environmental changes - Forecast environmental changes - Absorb environmental changes Mini Case A bread products manufacturer relies on maintenance employees to keep its rather old production equipment operating. Whenever the equipment breaks down, the maintenance team is able to repair the equipment quickly. However, they are less effective at avoiding these breakdowns and cannot predict when the equipment will break down. The maintenance group has modified the equipment over the years and, in any event, the manufacturer of the production equipment is no longer in business. The maintenance employees teach each other how to repair the equipment,but have refused to document any of this information (saying that it is too difficult to document these details). The company owner has thought about firing the maintenance staff unless they document the maintenance procedures, but realizes that there is no one else who can repair the equipment. Discuss the sources of power among the maintenance employees in this situation. Con;ngencies of Power Sources Power of Power over others Contingencies of Power Substitutability Centrality Discretion Visibility Increasing Non-subs;tutability Subs;tutability – availability of alterna;ves More power when few/no alterna;ves Reduce subs;tutability through: Monopoly over resource Controlling access to the resource DiYeren;a;ng the resource Other Con;ngencies of Power Centrality Degree and nature of interdependence with power-holder Higher centrality when (a) many people aYected and (b) quickly aYected Visibility You are known as holder of valued resource Increases with face ;me, display of power symbols Discre;on The freedom to exercise judgment Rules limit discre;on Power of Social Networks Social networks – people connected to each other through forms of interdependence Generate power through social capital -- goodwill and resul;ng resources shared among members in a social network Three power resources through networks Informa;on Visibility Referent power Social Network Ties Strong ;es: Close-knit rela;onships (frequent interac;on, high sharing, mul;ple roles) OYer resources more quickly/plen;fully, but less unique Weak ;es Acquaintances OYer unique resources not held by us or people in other networks Social Network Centrality Person’s importance in a network Three factors in centrality: Betweenness – extent you are located between others in the network Degree centrality -- Number of people connected to you Closeness – stronger rela;onships A Example: “A” has highest centrality due to all three factors; “B” has lowest centrality B Consequences of Power How does power aYect the power holder? It depends on the type of power. Individual power like expert power and referent power increases empowerment. Empowerments tends to increase: Mo;va;on, Job sa;sfac;on , Organiza;onal commitment Job performance When an individual has power over others through legi;mate and reward power It produces a sense of duty or responsibility for the people over whom she/he has the power. These individuals tend to be more mindful of their ac;ons and engage in less stereotyping In0uencing Others In0uence is any behavior that aUempts to alter someone’s aFtudes or behavior Applies one or more power bases Essen;al ac;vity in organiza;ons Coordinate with others Part of leadership deNni;on Everyone engages in in0uence Types of In0uence Silent Following requests without overt influence Authority Based on legitimate power, role modeling Common in high power distance cultures Assertiveness Actively applying legitimate and coercive power (“vocal authority”) Reminding, confronting, checking, threatening Types of In0uence Information Manipulating others’ access to information Control Withholding, filtering, re-arranging information Coalition Group forms to gain more power than Formation individuals alone 1. Pools resources/power 2. Legitimizes the issue 3. Power through social identity Types of In0uence Upward Appealing to higher authority Appeal Includes appealing to firm’s goals Alliance or perceived alliance with higher status person Logic, facts, emotional appeals Persuasion Depends on persuader, message content, message medium, audience Inoculation Effect: A persuasive communication strategy of warning listeners that others will try to influence them Types of In0uence Impression Actively shaping or public image Management Self-presentation Ingratiation Promising or reminding of past benefits in Exchange exchange for compliance Negotiation, reciprocity, networking Consequences of In0uence people oppose the behavior desired by the in4uencer motivated by external sources (rewards) to implement request identify with and highly motivated to implement request Resistance Compliance Commitment Consequences of In0uence Hard Influence Soft Influence Tactics Tactics Silent authority Persuasion Upward appeal Impression mgt Coalition formation Exchange Information control Assertiveness Resistance Compliance Commitment Consequences of In0uence “Sod” tac;cs generally more acceptable than “hard” tac;cs Appropriate in0uence tac;c depends on: In0uencer’s power base Organiza;onal posi;on Cultural values and expecta;ons Organiza;onal Poli;cs Behaviors that others perceive as self-serving tac;cs for personal gain at the expense of other people and possibly the organiza;on Employees who experience organiza;onal poli;cs have lower job sa;sfac;on organiza;onal commitment organiza;onal ci;zenship task performance Types of Poli;cal Ac;vity AUacking or blaming others Using informa;on Managing impressions Building support for ideas Praising others Building coali;ons Associa;ng with in0uen;al people Crea;ng obliga;ons Je@rey Pfe@er: Why Cultivating Power is the Secret to Success https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao zJ4AkgAMw Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees The freedom and the ability of employees to make decisions and commitments Empowerment as delegating decision making within a set of clear boundaries versus Empowerment as “a process of risk taking and personal growth” Stages of empowerment No Discre;on The employee is assigned the task, given no discre;on, and most likely monitored by a supervisor. - Typical assembly-line job—highly rou;ne and repe;;ve. - Can lead to lowered sa;sfac;on and produc;vity Par;cipatory Empowerment Autonomous work groups that are given some decision-making authority over both job content and job context. - Some evidence of higher job sa;sfac;on and produc;vity in such groups. Self-Management Employees have total decision-making power for both job content and job context. - Generally reserved for those in top management, although it is also some;mes granted to high-level salespeople. - Very rewarding to those who hold it. The Abuse of Power: Workplace Bullying Bullying can happen across levels of the organiza;on, or among co-workers A study looking at harassment and violence in Canadian workplaces has found that 71.4 per cent of workers have experienced at least one form of harassment and abuse in their workplace last year Over 4,800 par;cipants were surveyed from October 2020 to April 2021, and 34 people were interviewed. The majority of respondents were between 30 and 59 years old Reference: Workplace harassment and violence impacts over 70% of employees in Canada, study shows | CBC News The Abuse of Power: Sexual harassment The Supreme Court of Canada deNnes sexual harassment as Unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature in the workplace that nega;vely aYects the work environment or leads to adverse job-related consequences for the employee