1. 8
Power and Politics

2. Chapter Outline A Definition of Power Bases of Power
Coercive Power
Reward Power
Legitimate Power
Expert Power
Referent Power
Information Power
Evaluating the Bases of Power
Dependency: The Key to Power
The General Dependency Postulate
What Creates Dependency?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “SnapShot Summary” at the end of the chapter.

3. Chapter Outline Influence Tactics
Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees
Definition of Empowerment
The Abuse of Power
Harassment in the Workplace
Politics: Power in Action
Definition of Political Behaviour
The Reality of Politics
Types of Political Activity
Impression Management
Making Office Politics Work
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “SnapShot Summary” at the end of the chapter.

4. Learning Outcomes What is power? How does one get power?
How does dependency affect power?
What tactics can be used to increase power?
What does it mean to be empowered?
How are power and harassment related?
Why do people engage in politics?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the beginning of the chapter.

5. Power and Politics Power Dependency
A capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.
Dependency
B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B needs.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “A Definition of Power.”

6. Bases of Power Coercive Power Power that is based on fear.
Reward Power
Power based on the ability to provide benefits or rewards to people.
Legitimate Power
Power based on relative position in the organizational hierarchy.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”

7. Bases of Power Expert Power
Power based on a person’s experience and knowledge.
Referent Power
You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her.
Information Power
The person has data or knowledge that you need.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”

8. Exhibit 8-1 Measuring Bases of Power
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”

9. Evaluating the Bases of Power
People will respond in one of three ways:
Commitment – The person is enthusiastic about the request and carries the task out.
Compliance – The person goes along with the request grudgingly, putting in minimal effort.
Resistance – The person is opposed to the request and tries to avoid it.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”

10. Exhibit 8-3 Continuum of Responses to Power
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”

11. Leaders’ Use of Power
The least effective power bases are the ones most likely to be used by managers.
Coercive, legitimate, and reward
Easiest to implement
Effective leaders use referent and/or expert power.
Deadline pressures increase group member reliance on individuals with expert and information power.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”

12. Dependency: The Key to Power
Importance
The things you control must be important.
Scarcity
A resource must be perceived as scarce.
Non-substitutability
The resource cannot be substituted with something else.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Dependency: The Key to Power.”
When you possess anything that others require but that you alone control, you make them dependant upon you and you gain power over them. Dependency is inversely proportional to the alternative sources of supply. If something is plentiful, possession of it will not increase your power.

13. Increasing Dependency
How to increase the dependency of others on you:
Control things viewed as important.
The resources must be viewed as scarce.
The resource must have few or no substitutes (non-substitutability).
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Dependency: The Key to Power.”
Dependency is increased when the resource you control is:
(1) Important: If nobody wants what you've got, it is not going to create dependence
(2) Scarce: Perception is important, it must be perceived as scarce to create dependency
(3) Non-Substitutable: The more that a resource has no viable substitutes, the more power that control over that resource provides.

14. Influence Tactics Rational persuasion Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Ingratiation
Personal appeals
Exchange
Coalition tactics
Pressure
Legitimating tactics
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Influence Tactics.”

15. Political Skill
The ability to influence others in such a way as to enhance their own objectives.
Research indicates that:
Politically skilled individuals use influence tactics more effectively.
Political skills appear to be more effective when stakes are high.
Politically skilled people are able to exert influence without others detecting it.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Influence Tactics.”

16. Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees
The freedom and the ability of employees to make decisions and commitments.
Managers disagree over definition of empowerment.
Empowerment as delegating decision making within a set of clear boundaries
versus
Empowerment as “a process of risk taking and personal growth”
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees.”
View 1: Empowerment starts at the top, with specific goals and task assigned, responsibility delegated, and people be held accountable for their results.
View 2: Empowerment starts at the bottom, considering the employees needs, showing them what empowered behaviour looks like, building teams, encouraging risk-taking, and demonstrating trust in employee’s ability to perform.
The concept of empowerment has caused much cynicism in many workplaces. Employees are told that they are empowered, and yet they do not feel that they have the authority to act, or feel that their manager still micromanages their performance.

17. Conditions for True Empowerment
There must be a clear definition of the values and mission of the company.
Company must help employees acquire the relevant skills.
Employees need to be supported in their decision making, and not criticized when they try to do something extraordinary.
Employees need to be recognized for their efforts.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees.”

18. Characteristics of Empowered People
Sense of self-determination
Employees are free to choose how to do their work; they are not micromanaged.
Sense of meaning
Employees feel that their work is important to them; they care about what they are doing.
Sense of competence
Employees are confident about their ability to do their work well; they know they can perform.
Sense of impact
Employees believe they can have influence on their work unit; others listen to their ideas.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees.”

19. Exhibit 8-4 Characteristics of Empowered People
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees.”
a) No Discretion (Point A) is the typical assembly line job, highly routine and repetitive.
b) Task Setting (Point B) is typical of most workers who have been empowered today. The worker can determine how the job gets done, but has no discretion in determining what jobs get done.
c) Participatory Empowerment (Point C) represents the situation of autonomous work groups that are given some decision-making authority over both job content and job context.
d) Mission Defining (Point D) in one in which a design team, for instance, sets out the broad goals of a project, but is not be responsible for carrying out the tasks of that project.
e) Self-Management (Point E) represents employees who have total decision-making power for both job content and job context.

20. The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace
People who engage in harassment in the workplace are typically abusing their power position.
Manager-employee
Where position power gives the manager the capacity to reward and coerce.
Co-workers
Although co-workers appear to engage in somewhat less severe forms of harassment than do managers, co-workers are the most frequent perpetrators of harassment, particularly sexual harassment, in organizations.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”

21. The Abuse of Power: Workplace Bullying
Bullying can happen across levels of the organization, or among co-workers.
Recent research found that:
40 percent of the respondents noted that they had experienced one or more forms of bullying weekly in the past six months.
10 percent experienced bullying at a much greater level: five or more incidents a week.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”

22. The Abuse of Power: Sexual Harassment
The Supreme Court of Canada definition
Unwelcome behaviour of a sexual nature in the workplace that negatively affects the work environment or leads to adverse job-related consequences for the employee.
There is disagreement as to what specifically constitutes sexual harassment.
Unwanted physical touching.
Recurring requests for dates when the person is clearly uninterested.
Coercive threats that a person will lose her or his job if she or he refuses a sexual proposition
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”
People who engage in sexual harassment in the workplace are typically abusing their power position. The issue of sexual harassment has received increasing attention by corporations and the media because of the growing ranks of female employees, especially in non-traditional work environments, and a number of high-profile cases.
You might ask students their reaction to the following: In 2003, the University of California, which includes Berkeley, implemented a policy that forbids romantic relationships between professors and their students.

23. Additional Examples of Sexual Harassment
More subtle forms (harder to interpret):
Unwanted looks or comments
Off-colour jokes
Sexual artifacts such as nude calendars in the workplace
Sexual innuendo
Misinterpretations of where the line between “being friendly” ends and “harassment” begins
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”

24. Make sure an active policy is in place.
Sexual Harassment: How Managers Can Protect Themselves and their Employees.
Make sure an active policy is in place.
Ensure employees that they will not face retaliation if a complaint is filed.
Investigate every complaint.
Make sure that offenders are disciplined or terminated.
Set up in house seminars to raise employee awareness.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”

25. Politics: Power in Action
Political behaviour is those activities that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”

26. Why Do Politics in an Organization Exist?
Organizations are made up of groups and individuals who have differing values, goals and interests.
Resources in organizations are limited.
Performance outcomes are not completely clear and objective.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”
Organizations are made up of individuals and groups with different values, goals, and interests. This creates the potential for conflict over resources, which are limited, and this turns potential conflict into real conflict. Gains by one individual or group are often perceived as being at the expense of others within the organization. These forces create competition among members for the organization's limited resources.

27. Exhibit 8-5 A Quick Measure of How Political Your Workplace Is
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”

28. Types of Political Activity
Attacking or blaming others
Using information
Managing impressions
Building support for ideas
Praising others
Building coalitions
Associating with influential people
Creating obligations
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”

29. Impression Management
The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them.
Researchers have compared applicants who use two distinct approaches in job interviews
Self promotion: promoting one’s accomplishments
Ingratiation: complimenting the interviewer and finding areas of agreement
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”

30. Making Office Politics Work
Nobody wins unless everybody wins.
Don’t just ask for opinions—change them.
Everyone expects to be paid back.
Success can create opposition.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”
Is there an effective way to engage in office politics that is less likely to be disruptive or negative? Fast Company, an online business magazine, identifies several rules that may help to improve the climate of the organization, while negotiating through the office politics maze:
(1) Nobody wins unless everybody wins.
(2) Don’t just ask for opinions.
(3) Everyone expects to be paid back.
(4) Success can create opposition.

31. Global Implications Views on Empowerment Perceptions of Politics
Preference for Influence tactics
Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”

32. Summary and Implications
What is power?
The capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B, so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.
How does one get power?
There are six bases for power: coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, referent, and information.
How does dependency affect power?
To maximize your power, you will want to increase others’ dependence on you.
What tactics can be used to increase power?
One study identified nine strategies: rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation, ingratiation, personal appeals, exchange, coalition tactics, pressure, and legitimating tactics.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

33. Summary and Implications
5. What does it mean to be empowered?
Empowerment refers to the freedom and the ability of employees to make decisions and commitments.
How are power and harassment related?
People who engage in harassment in the workplace are typically abusing their power position.
Why do people engage in politics?
People use politics to influence others to help them achieve their personal objectives
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

34. OB at Work: For Review What is power? How do you get it?
Contrast the bases of power with influence tactics.
How might people respond to the different bases of power that someone might use?
Which of the six power bases lie with the individual? Which are derived from the organization?
Define the general dependency postulate.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

35. OB at Work: For Review
What creates dependency? Give an applied example.
Identify the range of empowerment that might be available to employees.
Define sexual harassment. Who is most likely to harass an employee: a boss, a co-worker, or a subordinate? Explain.
How are power and politics related?
Define political behaviour. Why is politics a fact of life in organizations?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

36. OB at Work: For Critical Thinking
1. Based on the information presented in this chapter, what would you do as a recent graduate entering a new job to maximize your power and accelerate your career progress?
2. “Politics isn’t inherently bad. It’s merely a way to get things accomplished within organizations.” Do you agree or disagree? Defend your position.
You are a sales representative for an international software company. After four excellent years, sales in your territory are off 30 percent this year. Describe three impression management techniques you might use to convince your manager that your sales record is better than should be expected under the circumstances.
Which impression management techniques have you used? What ethical implications, if any, are there in using impression management?
“Sexual harassment should not be tolerated at the workplace.” “Workplace romances are a natural occurrence in organizations.” Are both of these statements true? Can they be reconciled?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

37. Breakout Group Exercises
Form small groups to discuss the following topics
1. Describe an incident where you tried to use political behaviour in order to get something you wanted. What tactics did you use?
2. In thinking about the incident described above, were your tactics effective? Why?
3. Describe an incident where you saw someone engaging in politics. What was your reaction to observing the political behaviour? Under what circumstances do you think political behaviour is appropriate?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

38. Working With Others Exercise: Understanding Bases of Power
Instructions for Role Play
Working in your group, read the instructions for the assignment.
You have 10 minutes to develop a 3-minute role play, using the source of power assigned to your group.
You MUST stick to the time limit.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

39. Role Play Scenario
You are the leader of a group that is trying to develop a website for a new client. One of your group members, who was assigned the task of researching and analyzing the websites of your client’s competition, has failed twice to bring the analysis to scheduled meetings, even though the member knew the assignment was due. Consequently, your group is falling behind in getting the website developed. As leader of the group, you have decided to speak with this team member, and use your specific brand of power to influence the individual’s behaviour.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.

40. Concepts to Skills: Politicking
Frame arguments in terms of organizational goals.
Develop the right image.
Gain control of organizational resources.
Make yourself appear indispensable.
Be visible.
Develop powerful allies.
Avoid “tainted” members.
Support your manager.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.