Premium Essay

Examples Of Power Conflict

Submitted By
Words 1334
Pages 6
Power Conflict:
It is human nature for an individual to crave power and with it, he is more likely to get what he wants. Conflict between people usually arises from power struggle. This battle for influence and superiority is called power conflict. It occurs when each one wishes to maintain or maximize the amount of influence that it exerts in the relationship and the social setting such as in a decision making process.
Situational Example:
In the matrix type of organization in which I am currently in, there were circumstances that lead to conflicts.
As a manager I am responsible for overall India site, engineering samples orders, to be placed to third party vendor in US, which has high cost attached to it being prototypes. Each individual …show more content…
May be I can understand his points rationally when speaking directly instead of just mail exchanges. What we found when we met that we both were trying to achieve the same goal but in different way with differences in calculations. Then we found a quick middle ground through collaboration by sharing each other samples as and when needed through time slicing thereby reducing the overall cost to the company. It not only fixed the issue quickly but also a new methodology surfaced through effective sharing. It satisfied both the team requirements in return. And also the personal relationship remained intact as we both work on the same floor, perhaps for same org goals and are a part of same team. I think the work relationship got deeper and better.
Lessons drawn about effective and ineffective leadership in managing power, politics and conflicts:
Power:
Effective leaders have power in situations not over people. Power is simply the right to provide leadership. Effective leadership involves influence over the people, power is usually given by the group to the leader. In case of ineffective leadership the group takes away the power and doesn’t veto him/her.
Effective leaders use of power appropriately and know when and how to be directive and when to delegate. Ineffective leaders misses these windows and messes up the situations.
Effective leaders know when to be providing guidance instead of being directive. …show more content…
All the above techniques of gaining power can backfire if practised in extreme. Too much of relationship could lead to leaks of vital information’s that is dangerous for an org. It leads to lower moral, increase of attrition, lower commitment of the team members.
Effective leader step in case of excessive and dysfunctional political behaviour. To control politics, effective leaders must be aware of its causes and techniques.
Open communication is the best possible method applied by effective leaders to constrain the political behaviour.
Favouritism is avoided.
Setting up good examples up the ladder by leaders can help reduce the frequency and tendency of political behaviour.
Reduce system uncertainty, reduce competition.
Break existing political fiefdom and prevent future ones.
So an effective leader accepts the political nature of org. by assessing behaviour in a political framework, predicts the action of others and use this info to formulate strategies that will gain advantages for oneself and work

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Business Ogranization

...Organization conflict resolution Lecture 6 Date: 2 December 2013 1 Learning Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. Understand the nature and sources of organizational conflict Know the mechanisms to obtain power, influence decision making and resolve conflict Identify sources of organizational power and tactics for playing politics Evaluate the costs and benefits of organizational politics 2 What is Organizational Conflict? • • • • Stakeholders compete for the resources that an organization produces. Shareholders want dividends, employees want raises. An organization must manage both cooperation and competition among stakeholders to grow and survive. All stakeholders have a common goal of organizational survival, but not all goals are identical. 3 What is Organizational Conflict? • The clash that occurs when the goaldirected behavior of one group blocks or hinders the goals of another Some conflict can actually improve organizational effectiveness – Can overcome inertia and lead to learning and change • 4 Cooperation and Competition Among Stakeholders 5 What is Organizational Conflict? • Beyond a certain point, conflict becomes a cause for organizational decline – Conflict leads to inability to reach consensus and indecision – Too much time spent on bargaining rather than acting rapidly to resolve problems • On balance, organizations should be open to conflict and recognize its value 6 Relationship Between Conflict and Organizational Effectiveness ...

Words: 1934 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Organizational Behaviour and Leadership

...1. Power and difference b/w power and influence. Ans. According to Robbins and Judge, “Power is a capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes.”(2015).The most important aspect of the power is that is a function of dependency. The greater the B’s dependence on A, the greater is A’s power in relationship. For example, if you want a college degree and have to pass a certain course to get it, and your current instructor is the only faculty member in the college who teaches that course, he or she has a power over you. Influence: the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others (dictionary.com). 2. What is leadership and how does it differ from management? Ans. Leadership: According to Robbins and Judge,” Leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals.”(2014) the source of this influence may be formal, such as that provided by managerial rank in an organization. But not all leaders are managers, nor are all managers leaders. On the other hand, management is defined as the act or skill of controlling and making decisions about a business, department, sports team, etc.(Robbins &Judge,2014) Difference between leadership and management are: All organizations need strong leadership and strong management for optimal effectiveness. We need leaders to challenge the status...

Words: 3281 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Conflict Management

...Assignment Employment Conflict Management Concepts Worksheet Concept | Application of Concept in Scenario | Citation of Concept in Reading | Personal Experience in your Organization | ConflictI know this may seem like an elementary concept, but it is the reason for the scenario and for the class. It is not just another concept; it is “the concept”. | There are many conflicts that we can see in the scenario of Coastal County Clerk of Court. We see the conflict between the management styles of the former Clerk, Art Brewer, Stan Accord, the new Clerk, and Dennis Munger, the aspiring Clerk. Through the scenario there is a difference in how elderly employees should be treated, and if employees should work full days or be allowed to be out in the community. The major conflict arose when Accord laid off 15 employees including Munger and Mr. Bodkin. | “The study of conflict is a basic human requirement and the practice of constructive conflict is an essential set of interpersonal skills.”(Wilmot & Hacker, 2007, ch. 1.) | I have experienced many conflicts while in working environments. I remember one time in particular when I had a conflict with a superior of mine who wanted to fire me because I said I couldn’t work on Sundays due to my participation in the local church. He would not work with my schedule and had it out for me. With help from management we worked out our differences. This is one of many examples of conflict in the workplace. | Types of Goals:...

Words: 1257 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Negotiation Checklist

...– 7 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | Figures | 8 – 9 | Conclusion | 10 | References | 10 | Introduction Conflict in OSH arises in the workplace. Dealing with conflict its refer to the struggles that result from incompatible needs, feeling, thought or demands within person or between two or more people. There are 3 types of conflict at workplace: 1. Interpersonal conflict 2. Individual-group conflict 3. Group-group conflict Conflicts can arise between people because of differences in educational backgrounds, personal experiences, ethnic heritage, gender and political preferences. In this task given, the issue that will be discussing in strategies to deal with conflict is a gender issues. This issue is importance because in every organization they have male and female worker. This conflict will be occurring when there are some misunderstandings between the different genders. There are many situation can be describe to this conflict. There is the process to solve the problem and conflict resolution. Main contents Conflict resolution process Step 1: Create An Effective Atmosphere Creating an effective atmosphere is a very importance step in the conflict resolution process. Example: Try avoiding sensitive issues for the example about the culture, gender, family and religion. There are many kind of cause that can occurring a conflict in these are the sensitive issues. Try not to talk about it and...

Words: 1431 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Power & the Balance of Power

...Power and the Balance of Power The first concept that we will discuss is power, and its related concept, the balance of power. Power is an important concept in global relations, and a fundamental idea within the school of thought known as Realism. Realism is based on the assumption of anarchy, or the absence of a central order, as the key description of global relations. This is supposedly a self-help system, in which states compete with each other for power. Power is defined as the ability to get someone to change their behaviour in a direction desired by a stronger actor. The idea of power and the balance of power go back only 300 years, but there is evidence, according to Realists, that the Ancient Greeks and Romans pursued power politics. The idea of the balance of power is that interstate interaction will be stable if states, operating under Realist principles, seek to balance each other in their relations. By acting prudently, "carefully, with foresight, avoiding rash acts," no state will seek to upset the system. Each state will check the others, and no state will grow powerful enough to overthrow the others. A state that seeks domination will be defeated, so no state will attempt this. The classical balance of power operated only under a certain number of conditions: 1. There were a large number of states for alliance formation. 2. There were clear geographic confines in the system e.g. the European continent. 3. There must be flexibility/freedom...

Words: 2662 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Conflicts How to Solve Conflicts in a Work Place

...Managing conflict Name Institution Thesis Management of conflicts, power, and politics focuses majorly on the interpersonal processes the affect the decision-making by the managers. It may also entail the organizational way of change and adaptation of their immediate environment. It includes the capacity to influence the behavior of others in a relationship involving two parties like groups, organization, or even countries. Organizational politics is the process of one person exerting more influence over another in the relationship acted on daily forum of an organization. Conflict management is a common phenomenon in organizations (Rainey, 2009). Managing conflict aims at lessening the interdependent between the conflicting groups. It can involve physical separation of the conflicting parties. Physical separation buffers the creation of the inventory between the units of workflow making it less independent and reduces conflict. Generally, conflict is unending in any society where people live together. Introduction Many people and organization wish to compete peacefully with their market competitors, family members, and organizational departments. However, conflicts are inseparable from persons they form part of our daily living. Conflicts are the long live Methuselah and were present even in the beginning between the two brothers that is Cain and Abel. The term conflict has no definite meaning but scholars who are interested in studying it...

Words: 2936 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Conflict Theory

...Conflict Theory Conflict theory originated with the work of Karl Marx in the mid 1800. Marx understood human society in terms of conflict between social classes, most notably the conflict in capitalist societies between the Bourgeois; those who owned the means, such as factories or farms, and the proletariat; those who did the work on the factories and on the farms. Even though there are now different versions of conflict theory that has been described, the most common version is that the different social groups or classes have unequal power, though all of them are struggling for the same limited resources. Conflict Theorists assume that social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between the competing groups or classes. These groups are engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of much needed resources. Marxism is the social theory that emphasizes on the on the notion that society is based on the unequal distribution of power and resources, and by a conflict of interests between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy using their resources and roles of power to manipulate and maintain the social order. This is best explained a pyramid structure, where the few elite dictate to the large masses of society. Laws and traditions are made or designed to support those in society that have been in power, or the groups that are recognized as superior. Conflict theorists argue that all groups are born from conflict. For example, labor unions, which...

Words: 781 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Social Values

...ARTICLE Celina Del Felice and Andria Wisler The Unexplored Power and Potential of Youth as Peace-builders Journal of Peace Conflict & Development Issue 11, November 2007 available from www.peacestudiesjournal.org.uk ARTICLE The Unexplored Power and Potential of Youth as Peace-builders By Celina Del Felice and Andria Wisler1 1 Celina Del Felice is a PhD student at CIDIN (Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen), University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands (www.ru.nl/cidin). She has experience working with local governments, national and international NGOs, especially on youth and participation issues. Celina is also associated with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (www.unoy.org) as a policy advisor. Andria Wisler is a PhD candidate in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. She is currently a lecturer in the Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies at the University of Nevada as well as at the European University Center for Peace Studies in Austria. 1 ARTICLE Celina Del Felice and Andria Wisler The Unexplored Power and Potential of Youth as Peace-builders Journal of Peace Conflict & Development Issue 11, November 2007 available from www.peacestudiesjournal.org.uk ABSTRACT Around the world many young people are victims of cultural, direct, and structural violence and become carriers of that violence or perpetration. There is a strong tendency among politicians...

Words: 11070 - Pages: 45

Free Essay

Conflict Analysis and Resolution

...Subject: Conflict Analysis and Resolution Assignment: Based on conflict theory, discuss why intra and inter party unity in Kenya seems elusive Discussion: Conflict within and between Rural and Urban populations in Kenya. There is no peace within (intra) and between (inter) rural and urban populations in Kenyan. Within the discussions of this paper, rural populations will refer to persons living in geographic areas away from towns and cities with their characteristic lack of social amenities and infrastructural development. The urban population on the contrary refers to persons inhabiting towns and cities with benefits of improved social amenities and developed infrastructure. Conflict refers to a “peaceless” coexistence within a society. Lewis Coser (1913-2003) defines conflict as “a struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power and resources in which the aims of the opponents are to neutralize, injure, or eliminate their rivals.” He argued that intergroups and intragroups conflicts are part of social life defining relationships but not necessarily resulting in instability. Through conflict society can attain social change, come up with outstanding innovations and strengthen central powers in times of war. The conflict theory explains causes of conflict; its containment and potential modes of resolving these conflicts. The human race has experienced different forms of conflict that manifest in both physical and psycho-emotional forms. The conceptual...

Words: 3906 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Do You Agree with Conflict Theory

...Have you ever noticed a divide in society between the privileged and who's who are not? Such as someone who is rich versus someone who is poor. This is what we call Conflict theory. How conflict theory is applied to our everyday lives can be seen through many different ideas brought about by these conflict theorists. Whether or not I agree or disagree with this theory, will be determined by the factors and situations that conflict theory has to show. Karl Marx, a philosopher, journalist, and revolutionary socialist, is considered the father of conflict theory. He pointed out the continuous competition for power between different classes in society and how the powerful groups exploit those with less. He suggested social order is maintained by domination. So power lies in the hands of those with political, economic or social resources. Conflict theorists stated that "Societies are more appropriately characterized by conflict rather than consensus"(McShane, Williams 127). This often leads to power struggles for those with less. This inequality still exists because those who are in a better position in society actively try to defend this standing. Consider the following, let's say an individual named Zack has a minimum wage income and is paying rent for a house. A conflict theorist might say the relationship between Zack and the owner would be strongly unequal. Zack could pay rent for decades and still gain no rights or economic interest with the property. Zack doesn't advance...

Words: 1111 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Genocide and Human Rights

... Civil society actors have taken steps to act where the nation-state has failed to do so out of what Ayers identifies as labeling the conflict as internal or a civil war. Ultimately, both Ayers and Power agree that labeling genocide as what it is, and taking other steps outside of raw military force can go a long way in preventing the atrocities of the 20th century. More specifically, since the nation-state alone cannot be trusted to handle these situations, civil society must take steps to better the diplomacy of the nation-state, along with creating an international community that can work together to remedy the problems of human and inalienable rights violations. In her article “Raising the Cost of Genocide,” Samantha Power examines the historical response to genocide by discussing the ways in which western powers have avoided responsibility for 20th century atrocities. She begins her article by explaining the invention of the word genocide as a word meant to “send shudders down the spines of those who heard it and oblige them to prevent, punish, and even suppress the carnage” . This notion opens up the main point of the article which is that western powers have not been reacting in this way when genocide comes up. The first case that Power points out is the Armenia genocide in the early 20th century. According to Power, the Western powers had knowledge of what Turkey was doing to the Armenian...

Words: 6387 - Pages: 26

Free Essay

Power

...you agree that power, unlike authority, should apply only to relationships where there is a conflict of interests?It could be said, that politics is the studyof the locus of power - where power lies, or should lie. This encompasses all the main questions of political theory: Liberty, in to what extent the state should have power over the individual; justice, in looking at in what circumstances power has been used illegitimately; democracy, inthe mechanisms of how state power should be rightly yielded. Even topics such as the communitarian/liberal debate can be seen to boil down to a question of power, in this case, similar to the study of liberty, the balance between individual andcommunity power is at the core of this question.The question above raises a specific point about the actual definition of power, to what extent is the concept of power inherently linked to a 'conflict of interests'. This question requires a close examination of power itself, and the first step in doing this is to look at Steven Lukes' distinction between one-, two-, and three-dimensionalviews of power.In his seminal work, Power: A Radical View, Lukes goes about deriving a definition of power in three stages. The first is the 'one-dimensional' definition of power. This is based on attempts by political scientists such as Dahl to define power in such a way so that it is possible toobserve how power operates in empirical examples. The core of this view of power isthe statement 'A has power over B to the...

Words: 1827 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Maximus Minions

...The Gladiator, is a film which revolves around two main characters, protagonist Maximus Meridius and antagonist Commodus. Through the film, we are able to see the struggles and accomplishments of both these characters. We are also able to differentiate each of their own unique personalities, how they are motivated in achieving their goals and how they leave an impact on others around them. Need-Based Theories Both Maximus and Commodus are motivated differently through the many need-based theories described by Sniderman, Bulmash, Nelson, and Quick (2010). The theories as explained in the textbook, includes Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Alderfer’s ERG theory, McClelland’s theory of learned needs, and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. According to Sniderman et al. (2010), Maslow’s theory suggests that people start from the bottom of needs and move up in the hierarchy and that as each need is achieved, they will no longer motivate the person. He or she would then need to move up to the next level of the hierarchy in order to be motivated, which is also known as the progression hypothesis. From the beginning of the film, Maximus was already seen at the highest level of needs, which is self-actualization (Sniderman et al., 2010). The audience never gets to see Maximus go through the different stages of needs, because the first scene of the film is already showing his victory on the battlefield. However we can see just by his character that he has already fulfilled the lower level...

Words: 4170 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

The Concept of Power

...The Concept of Power The concept of power is present within various realms of all organizations. Power, however, is not something that should necessarily be looked at negatively. There are justifiable types of power that may be important to criminal justice organizations. The main role of power in criminal justice administration should be to gain compliance from subordinates of all types, and turn that power over time into acceptable forms of authority (Stojkovic et al., 2008). It is for this reason that power is an important attribute in criminal justice agencies. It is important as a criminal justice manager, and agency as a whole, to have legitimate power. Power that is not coercive and works for the good of the organization is beneficial in gathering information, resources, and compliance. Legitimate, expert, and referent power can be effective in the attainment of goals (Stojkovic et al., 2008). Legitimate power operates on the assumption that those in traditional authority positions are the power holder and wield their authority over the power recipient because their internalized norms justify the amount of compliance needed (Stojkovic et al., 2008). Legitimate power is most useful within criminal justice agencies because it takes into account the culture, and social structure, and operates within a hierarchy to promote successful delegation of duties. While political power does have some benefits within a criminal justice agency, it is easily corruptible and...

Words: 1161 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Pattypols

...According to Conflict Theory, society is: • A struggle for dominance among competing social groups (classes, genders, races, religions, etc.). When conflict theorists look at society, they see the social domination of subordinate groups through the power, authority, and coercion of dominant groups. In the conflict view, the most powerful members of dominant groups create the rules for success and opportunity in society, often denying subordinate groups such success and opportunities; this ensures that the powerful continue to monopolize power, privilege, and authority. You should note that most conflict theorists oppose this sort of coercion and favor a more equal social order. Some support a complete socioeconomic revolution to socialism (Marx), while others are more reformist, or perhaps do not see all social inequalities stemming from the capitalist system (they believe we could solve racial, gender, and class inequality without turning to socialism). However, many conflict theorists focus on capitalism as the source of social inequalities. The primary cause of social problems, according to the conflict perspective, is the exploitation and oppression of subordinate groups by dominants. Conflict theorists generally view oppression and inequality as wrong, whereas Structural-Functionalists may see it as necessary for the smooth running and integration of society. Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory therefore have different VALUE-ORIENTATIONS but can...

Words: 1225 - Pages: 5