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CHAPTER 8
Power and Politics
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Power and Politics
Power
A capacity that A has to influence the behaviour of B, so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.
Dependence
B’s relationship to A when A possesses something that B needs.
LO1; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “A Definition of Power.”
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Bases of Power
Formal 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.
Personal 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.
LO2; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”
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4. Responses to Power
People will respond to the use of power 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.
LO2; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.” 4

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Leaders’ Use of Power
The least effective power bases are: 1) the ones most likely to be used by managers, and 2) the easiest to implement
Coercive, legitimate, and reward
Effective leaders use referent and/or expert power.
However, beware of deadline pressures in group work as they increae member reliance on individuals with expert power.
LO2; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Bases of Power.”
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6. 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.
dependency
LO3; 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. 6

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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.
LO4; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Influence Tactics.”
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Influence Tactics
Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Ingratiation
Personal appeals
Exchange
Coalitions
Pressure
Legitimacy
LO4; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Influence Tactics.”
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9. How Power Affects People
Does power corrupt?
Power can lead people to place their own interests ahead of others
Powerful people react (more negatively) to any threats to their competence
More willing to denigrate others
Power also leads to overconfident decision making
LO4; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “How Power Affects People.”
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10. Empowerment: Giving Power to Employees
The freedom and the ability of employees to make decisions and commitments.
Conditions for 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.
LO5; 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. 10

11. Characteristics of Empowered People
LO5; 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.
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12. 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.
LO6; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”
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13. 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.
LO6; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”
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14. 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
LO6; 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.
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15. 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
LO6; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”
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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.
LO6; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “The Abuse of Power: Harassment in the Workplace.”
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17. Politics: Power in Action
Political behaviour: those activities that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
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.
LO7; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”
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18. 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
Lo7; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”
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19. 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
LO8; Material pertinent to this discussion is found under “Politics: Power in Action.”
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20. The Ethics of Behaving Politically
No clear-cut ways to differentiate ethical from unethical politicking
Outright lies may be an attempt at impression management. Is it worth the risk?
Often difficult to weigh the costs and benefits of political action - Need to consider equity and fairness
Powerful people can persuasively argue that unfair actions are really fair and just, or in the best interests of the organization
LO8; 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.
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Summary
Effective leaders use expert and/or referent power.
To maximize your power, increase others’ dependence on you.
Politics is inevitable; managing politics well is a skill.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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OB at Work: For Review
1. What is power?
2. What are the five bases of power?
3. What is the role of dependence in power relationships?
4. What are the nine most often identified power or influence tactics and their contingencies?
5. What does it mean to be empowered? What factors lead to empowerment?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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23. Copyright © 2016 Pearson Canada Inc.
OB at Work: For Review
6. What is the connection between harassment and the abuse of power?
7. What are the causes and consequences of political behaviour?
8. What are some examples of impression management techniques?
9. What standards can you use to determine whether a political action is ethical?
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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24. OB at Work: For Managers
■ As a manager who wants to maximize your power, you will want to increase others’ dependence on you. You can, for instance, increase your power in relation to your boss by developing knowledge or a skill she needs and for which she perceives no ready substitute.
■ You will not be alone in attempting to build your power bases. Others, particularly employees and peers, will be seeking to increase your dependence on them, while you are trying to minimize it and increase their dependence on you. This push and pull is continual.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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25. OB at Work: For Managers
■ Try to avoid putting others in a position where they feel they have no power.
■ An effective manager accepts the political nature of organizations. By assessing behaviour in a political framework, you can better predict the actions of others and use that information to formulate political strategies that will gain advantages for you and your work unit.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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26. OB at Work: For Managers
■ Consider that employees who have poor political skills or are unwilling to play the politics game generally relate perceived organizational politics to lower job satisfaction and self-reported performance, increased anxiety, and higher turnover. Therefore, if you are good at organizational politics, help your employees understand the importance of becoming politically savvy.
Material pertinent to this discussion is found at the end of the chapter.
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27. 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.
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