...Power and Politics An individual sets out in life, and in work, to achieve his or her own goals, and to promote his or her own interests. Therefore, in a hierarchal setting of an organization, individuals will naturally contend for their own interests. Aided by the use of personal power, politics, influence, and empowerment, many individuals achieve their goals within organizations. Through analyzing power and politics in the workplace and organization, one may understand the organizational behavior that is touched by power and politics in the workplace (Robbins & Judge, 2009). Leadership Practices that Influence Organizations A key organizational management and leadership practice that influences an organization is the exhibition of power and the resulting influence that exhibit of power has on organizational behavior. According to Schermerhorn, et. al., “Power is the ability to get someone else to do something you want done, or the ability to make things happen or get things done the way you want. The essence of power is control over the behavior of others” (p. 214, 2008). In contrast to power, which is the energy behind making people behave in a certain way, “influence is what an individual has when he or she exercises power, and it is expressed by others’ behavioral response to that exercise of power” (Schermerhorn, et. al, p. 215, 2008). Together, power and influence in an organization or workplace are fundamental behavioral practices that influence an organization...
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...Communication and Bases of Power Student Name BCOM/230 Date: September 9, 2013 Instructor Name Communication and Bases of Power Power influences our behavior and the way we communicate in the workplace. Power is defined as the affected behavior of one person from the influence of another person with higher authority. Depending on how the power is used, it may have a positive or negative effect in an organization. According to Robbins and Judge (2009), there are five bases of power that can influence individuals or groups in the workplace; they are coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, and referent power (p. 452). Coercive power is a formal kind of power that I believe is the most negative among the other forms of power. The person who uses this kind of power places fears to subordinates; therefore, I believe communication from group members to leaders is limited by electronic means, like email, because members are intimidated by the coercive power of the leader. If the individual does not comply with the company’s policies, norms or does not reach a goal desired by management, then the fear of being fired, demoted, or punished is in place. The person is intimidated by threads from management. I find that threads of been fired due to lack of compliance is a delicate approach to change the behaviors of others. In these cases, members may be displeased of the thread and may start looking for other positions outside of the company; hence the...
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...Strategies for increasing supervisors’ personal power through informal channels Who’s the boss? White paper | 4.10.12 Emily Durham Contents Executive summary Personal biography The effects of power within organisations Sources of organisational power Developing the personal power of supervisors Recruitment approaches Development approaches Minimising the drawbacks of organisational power Reference ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 9 1 Emily Durham | Strategies for increasing supervisors’ personal power through informal channels Executive summary This paper highlights the influence of power within the workplace. Different sources of power are discussed, as well as the consequences of having employees who possess more informal power than their supervisors. Recommendations are made to increase supervisors’ levels of personal power, which can be implemented at both the recruitment stage and through development of supervisors. Personal biography Emily Durham has a BA, majoring in Psychology and English, and is currently working towards gaining a BA (Hons) with a focus in Industrial, Work and Organisational Psychology. 2 Emily Durham | Strategies for increasing supervisors’ personal power through informal channels The effects of power within organisations Power can be defined as the ability to overcome adversity in the attempt to influence others’ behaviour and opinions, with the intention of obtaining...
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...This approach is influenced by Karl Marx, a German intellectual and all critical theorists. Believed that critique would reveal fundamental truths about human social condition. See theory as a force that can emancipate individuals from dominating organizations. Consider how employees resist organizational dominance. Encourage organizational transformation. Key concept * Power * Power relationships * Emancipation * Resistance Basically, individuals are always conscious of who has the power and who has control over whom. Traditional approach Considers power with control over resources or with hierarchical status Symbolical approach Views power as a product of communicative interactions and relationships * Ideology Refers to the taken-for-granted assumptions about reality that influence perception of situations and events. Shapes our understanding about what exists, what is good, and what is possible. Involves assumptions that are rarely questioned: hierarchy is necessary & useful. Can influence our behaviors. Tied to systems of power and domination * Hegemony Process in which dominant group leads another group to accept subordination as the norm * Workers support hierarchical structures because that’s the right way to go * Shapes ideology to achieve acceptance and participation of the subordinated group in the control process Process in which dominant group leads another...
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...Power and Influence: "Absolute power: All leaders should seek it" I - Introduction. - Paraphrase the question. - Your opinion: Strongly disagree with the topic. II - Mainbody. 1. Dask side: power corruption, abuse of power, power reduces empathy, abusive authority. 2. Define power, influence. The difference of power and influence. Sources of Power (French & Raven). 3. Beside the power, leader should looking for the influence. (Example). How leaders can use influence tactics (cite a few) in order to boost their influence. III - Conclusion. - Rephase the introduction. _____________________________________________________________ Introduction. Main body. Leaders shouldn't maintain too much power. Because power can have negative consequence such as corruption, workplace aggression, and abusive authority. Dask Side: - In Corruption: ‘attempts to create power by investing in outside option can lead to opportunistic behavior in the exchange relationships’ – (Malhotra & Gino). Power like a drug, some leaders who have power can probadly get drunk and want more than that, they become manipulators. Leaders will try to control their follower’s behavior to do what they want. This causes to followes feel uncomfortable and want to leave the companies. - In Workplace Aggression, ‘Efforts by individuals to harm others with whom they work’ – (Neuman & Baron). With power, leaders may abuse it in wrong way like push someone...
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...| | POWER AND CONFLICT Hello Friends! It’s a new week and I give you a new and interesting update. Power and conflict is a sensitive topic at every workplace and I would be glad if you guys can really contract few good things from my update and apply to your daily jobs. Keep up the hardwork! - Yesha Raval | 09 | | | | | “The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.” – Joseph Joubert | | do you influence your employees? | Power comes with control and differences raise conflicts. Power comes with control and differences raise conflicts. Power is privilege If you control something that has value then it makes you powerful (Borkowski, 2009). Existence of power is due to unequal relationship and dependency between people. Power can be defined as "the influence over the beliefs, emotions, and behaviors of people"(Borkowski, 2009). If you are able to influence your employees then you are said to have potential power. It depends upon how people behave, how they perceive and how they get motivated (Borkowski, 2009). Sources of power It is possible for an individual to exercise more than one source of power at a time. The four main sources of power are as follows (Borkowski, 2009): (1) Reward power - be able to offer reward, which is valuable, to others. (2) Coercive power - be able to punish others and withhold something that they need. (3) Legitimate power - having authority that is based on the position or your...
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... DISCRIMINATION AT WORKPLACE DESCRIPTION OF EVENT OR INCIDENT The workplace is a significant part of an individual’s life that affects his or her life and the well-being of the community. The average adult spends much of his or her life working, as much as a quarter or perhaps a third of his waking life in work. As much as a fifth to a quarter of the variation in adult life, satisfaction can be accounted for by satisfaction with work (Campbell, Converse, & Rodgers, 1976). The workplace diversity is increasing more than ever before. Almost all employees face some problem at their workplace. There are various kinds of problems that a person could come across in his or her workplace. The workplace event or incident that we are going to discuss here is based on discrimination at the workplace. Discrimination at the workplace means subjecting an employee, on the basis of reasons such as race, religion, gender, or nationality, to behavior or treatment that puts him or her at disadvantage as compared to other employees, or causes physical or mental discomfort (Katz & Moore, 2004). Discrimination by race, of course, is still common, though it varies for different races. Discrimination at workplace is unethical, besides being illegal in many countries. In addition, workplace discrimination is also likely to impact the employee morale, motivation and the good will of a company adversely. The awareness on discriminatory behaviors in the workplace has been increasing,...
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...Task: How much power or influence do the labor and management sides have over workplace rules and organization? In a workplace the rules have to be fair for both employees and employers. Everyone wants to make money and be treated properly. It is my opinion that labor and management have a relatively fair and equal influence. Chapter 4 case study 4.1 asks about the Landrum-Griffin Act. The Landrum-Griffin Act Title I section speaks in regards to the equal rights of every member to nominate, vote, attend meetings, and participate in deliberations. It also refers to freedom of speech and assembly that refers to every member having the right to assemble freely and express any views or arguments they may have with the union as long as it cannot be construed as impairing the rights of the labor organization. In Title IV Section 401(e) of the Landrum-Griffin Act it says “In any election… a reasonable opportunity shall be given for the nomination of candidates and every member in good standing shall be eligible to be a candidate and to hold office”. (Holley) With these excerpts from the Landrum-Griffin Act it gives the labor the rights to collectively decide what they will argue for in the workplace by voting and deliberating as a whole what the majority of the union sees as acceptable terms. Both members of management and labor can be a part of the union and both can hold member or officer positions. With the opportunity of both labor and management to hold different positions...
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...Within the present paradigm successful businesses are more profitable and productive because they implement effective human resource management strategies and leadership. They encourage employee involvement in decision making and create a fair workplace environment (Boedker, et al., 2011). The employment contract or agreement is an important element of employment relations and it determines the pay, conditions of employment and way work is performed (Loudoun, et al., 2009). This paper will define collective and individual agreements, analyse the differences between them, examine the role of employee voice, trade union involvement and the role of the State and regulation of the industrial relations system. It will consider the impact of the agreements upon both employees and outcomes achieved by businesses and will make the argument that the most efficient and productive form of workplace arrangements for business are collective agreements. Collective Agreements Collective agreements are formal contracts that are negotiated between an employer and a group of employees that stipulate the terms and conditions of employment. This type of agreement exists in a more centralised industrial relations system, and this system is based upon compulsory conciliation and arbitration, a system that has been established since the Conciliation and Arbitration Act of 1904. Collective agreements exist in a pluralist work relations environment. The pluralist theory identifies that there are different...
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...Gender Roles in the Workplace: Annotated Bibliography Karissa Roveda Oakland University Rochester, MI Adler, M. A. (1994). Male-Female power differences at work: A comparison of supervisor and policymakers. Sociological Inquiry, 64(1), 37-55. This article spoke of the positions of power between men and women, and how policymakers and supervisors distribute that power to men and women. In the work place, when considering for advancement, employers have undefined criteria such as personality characteristics and potential managerial qualities. These standards become the cause of inequality in authority and power at work place. Jobs that are available for women have low wages and also less authority. Similar research studies have shown similar points, in that inequality is found at the workplace because of such gender based characteristics. Even though women were shown to be more educated, they do not follow the same status. The researcher in this study used methodology to find these inequalities at the work place. The study consisted of four data points to test and used 531 women and 619 men for this data. The author collected data for power in wage labor, employment, sample characteristics and occupation by education. The results showed that men achieve higher positions and also showed they have a higher chance at a supervisory level and more authority than women. In the workplace, gender is a major part of determining positions of power. Also, it shows that education...
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...Going into week 4, chapter 13 is a very interesting topic for the discussion. Power is the main topic of chapter 13. As explained in the chapter, there are five base of power (formal, coercive, reward, legitimate and personal power). Formal power is based on an individual’s position in an organization. It can come from the ability to coerce or reward, or from formal authority. The coercive power base depends on fear of the negative results from failing to comply. It rests on the application, or the threat of application, of physical sanctions such as the infliction of pain, frustration through restriction of movement, or the controlling by force of basic physiological or safety needs. The opposite of coercive power is reward power, with which people comply because it produces positive benefits; someone who can distribute rewards others view as valuable will have power over them. Legitimate power is broader than the power to coerce and reward. Specifically, it includes members’ acceptance of the authority of a position. Personal power comes from an individual’s unique characteristics. There are two bases of personal power, expertise and the respect and admiration of others. Within the powers, there are also 9 power tactics or influences and their contingencies. The distinct influence tactics are : • Legitimacy-Relying on your authority position or saying a request accords with organizational policies or rules. • Rational persuasion-Presenting logical arguments and factual evidence...
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...Leadership and Power Michealah Garska LDR/300 Monday, July 20, 2015 Mari Hadely Leadership and Power Introduction What is power? How does power relate to leadership? What types of power are there, and what do they mean? What is the relationship between power and influence? These are questions that every future leader should ask and give an answer to each of them in order to succeed in a leadership role. Today all of these questions are going to be answered. Describe power and explain how it relates to leadership What does power mean? One of the dictionary definitions of power is the ability or right to control people or things. As stated by Merriam-Webster: 1. The ability or right to control people or things 2. Political control of a country or area 3. A person or organization that has a lot of control and influence over other people or organizations. How power relates to leadership is by giving the leader the tools to influence his or her team members to achieve a common goal(s). When there is any type of leadership there will be power that comes with it being the leader. Leadership is power. The way that the leader uses his or her power depends on the type of person and leadership style the leader uses. Describe the various types of power There are many types of power such as, legitimate power, coercive power, expert power, informational power, reward power, connection power, and referent power. The first type of power is legitimate this is when...
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...Authority and obedience in the workplace May 3, 15 Authority and obedience in the workplace Obedience represents the order in human nature; it reflects the positive outcomes of our life. No organization can function without some measure of obedience to authority. A degree of power in certain individuals or groups is desirable for the proper functioning of society. Authority and obedience are two terms that often come associated to each other. The Oxford Dictionary defines authority as “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience” or “the power to influence others, especially because of one’s commanding manner or one’s recognized knowledge about something”. While obedience, is defined as, “compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority”. The following is from a website that easily shows how authority, obedience, and respect get confused in the workplace, “In the workplace, power over others is often mistaken for authority. (Bier, D 2001). Often times those in an authority position in the workplace confuse their position with control and power, which is not the case. When this happens those who work within the organization tend to feel some type of resentment for that individual in the leadership position. To respect someone is to show them consideration because of their position or place in your life. The Bible tells children to respect their parents, church members to respect their pastors, citizens to respect...
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...Politics and Power in the Workplace Shari Murphree Oklahoma Wesleyan University POLITICS AND POWER IN THE WORKPLACE Politics and power in my workplace has gone through a transition in the last year. I will attempt to explain this transition and what it has meant to our organization. Political behavior is defined by Nelson and Quick (2013) as actions that are not officially authorized by an organization that are taken to influence others in order to meet one’s personal goals. Political behavior can be negative as well as positive, which I will show that our organization has experienced in the past year. A person must have the political skill in order to get things done through positive interpersonal relationships outside the formal organization (Nelson & Quick, 2013). Nelson and Quick (2013) describe power and empowerment, power being the ability to influence another person. Empowerment is sharing power within an organization. I will show how our organization has transitioned from a company with a few people thinking they had the power to a company of people with empowerment. It has been a good year for my organization; we are healthier than we have been in a very long time. POLITICS IN THE WORKPLACE Political power can have negative consequences in an organization when behaviors are tactically undertaken to capitalize on self-interest (Nelson & Quick, 2013). This was happening in our organization a year ago. We had two leaders in our organization who were...
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...has a desire for power believes he or she has little influence is a social nonconformist Correct 2 A primary goal of politics in the workplace is to promote organizational goals form alliances exclude undesirable peers secure limited resources Correct 3 In convergent periods, the role of executive management is to develop new strategies for the problems at hand shift middle managers to promote new views reemphasize the mission and core values challenge middle managers to reinvent their departments Correct 4 Political behavior in the workplace works only in an upward or lateral influence direction https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom/#/contextid/OSIRIS:47954803/context/co/view/activityDetails/activity/36bbc35d50034c108c6793bfffe303e7/ex… 2/5 3/15/2015 attempts to influence decision making works only in a lateral influence direction is unlikely in a wellrun organization Week 6 Quiz Assessment Activity Week6 LDR/531 eCampus Correct 5 Organizational momentum relates to patterns of behavior, norms, and values growth in sales, profits, and so forth willingness to move beyond incremental change the rate of change to make improvements Correct 6 Organizational change relies on a balance of change and strategy vision continuity planning Correct 7 Central to managing a successful organizational strategy implementation are/is tracking progress formal models of implementation competitive teams coalition management Correct 8 Hard power tact...
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