Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Power
1. Used as a means for achieving
goals.
2. Requires follower dependency.
3. Used to gain lateral and upward
influence.
4. Research Focus: Power tactics for
gaining compliance.
Formal Power
Personal Power
I.
Formal Power
Formal Power is established by an individuals position in an organization.
Conveys the ability to coerce (force or compel) or reward, from formal
authority, or from control of information.
A person with formal power can utilize following different power bases to
accomplish their tasks.
a) Coercive Power (Forced)
b) Reward Power
c) Legitimate Power
a) Coercive Power (Forced)
Coercive power is the fear-based power to punish for noncompliance.
b) Reward Power
Reward power is the authority to give employees rewards for compliance,
such as cash bonuses or time off etc.
c) Legitimate Power
The power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal
hierarchy of an organization such as CEO, CFO, or CBO.
Legitimate power is the lawful right to make decisions and expect
compliance.
II.
Personal Power
Personal power which comes through the individuals personality and
characteristics.
This is often more effective than formal power.
Personal power can be based on:
a) Expert Power
b) Referent Power
a) Expert Power
Expert power is power stemming from specialized knowledge, skills, or
abilities of individual to influence other people.
This power contributes to ones charisma.
b) Referent Power
Referent power is power stemming from desirable traits and characteristics
of individual to influence other people.
This power also contributes to ones charisma.
6. Dependency
Central to the concept of power is dependency.
The greater a persons dependency on another, the more power they hold
over that person.
When resources are very important, scarce, or there is no easy substitute,
then the use and amount of power will rise in an organization.
Legitimacy
Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Exchange
Personal appeals
Ingratiation
Pressure
Coalitions
Legitimacy
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion is presenting logical arguments and factual evidence to
demonstrate a request is reasonable.
III.
Inspirational appeals
Inspirational appeals are developing emotional commitment by appealing
to a targets values, needs, hopes, and aspirations.
IV.
Consultation
Consultation is increasing the targets support by involving in deciding how
will accomplish the plan.
V.
Exchange
Exchange is rewarding the target with benefits or favors in exchange for
following a request.
VI.
Personal appeals
Personal appeals are asking for compliance based on friendship or loyalty.
VII.
Ingratiation
Ingratiation is using flattery, praise, or friendly behavior prior to making a
request.
VIII.
Pressure
Pressure is using warnings, repeated demands, and threats for following a
request
IX.
Coalitions
Coalitions are enlisting the aid or support of others to persuade the target
to agree.
Some tactics are more effective than others.
Rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and consultation tend to be the
most effective, especially when the audience is highly interested in the
outcomes of a decision process.
Pressure tends to backfire and is typically the least effective of the nine
tactics
Upward Influence
Downward Influence
Lateral Influence
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
Legitimacy
Legitimacy
Inspirational appeals
Personal appeals
Consultation
Consultation
Exchange
Exchange
Ingratiation
Ingratiation
Pressure
Coalitions
Even though the given outcome for the individual employee who engages
in politics may be favorable, it is often a negative impact for the group as a
whole.
c) Defensive Behaviors
Politics often put employees on the defense.
When employees are acting defensively, they will behave in ways that hurt
the team and organization in the long run.
Some defensive behaviors include avoiding action by over conforming and
stalling; avoiding blame by playing it safe or blaming it on someone else;
and avoiding change by preventing action or protecting themselves.
IM Techniques
Some techniques used to manage this impression are:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Conformity
Favors
Excuses
Apologies
Self-Promotion
Enhancement
Flattery
Exemplification
I.
Conformity
Agreeing with someone elses opinion to gain his or her approval is a form
of ingratiation (Seek to please somebody).
Example: A manager tells his boss, Youre absolutely right on your
reorganization plan for the western regional office. I couldnt agree with
you more.
II.
Favors
Doing something nice for someone to gain that persons approval is a form
of ingratiation.
Example: A salesperson says to a prospective client, Ive got two tickets to
the theater tonight that I cant use. Take them. Consider it a thank-you for
taking the time to talk with me.
III.
Excuses
Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at minimizing the
apparent severity of the predicament (difficulty) is a defensive IM
technique.
Example: A sales manager says to her boss, We failed to get the ad in the
paper on time, but no one responds to those ads anyway.
IV.
Apologies
Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and simultaneously
seeking to get a pardon for the action is a defensive IM technique.
Example: An employee says to his boss, Im sorry I made a mistake on the
report. Please forgive me.
V.
Self-Promotion
Highlighting ones best qualities, downplaying ones deficits, and calling
attention to ones achievements is a self-focused IM technique.
Example: A salesperson tells his boss, Matt worked unsuccessfully for
three years to try to get that account. I sewed it up in six weeks. Im the
best closer this company has.
VI.
Enhancement
Claiming that something you did is more valuable than most other
members of the organizations would think is a self-focused IM technique.
Example: A journalist tells his editor, My work on this celebrity divorce
story was really a major boost to our sales (even though the story only
made it to page 3 in the entertainment section).
VII.
Flattery
Complimenting others about their virtues in an effort to make one-self
appear perceptive and likeable is an assertive IM technique.
Example: A new sales trainee says to her peer, You handled that clients
complaint so tactfully! I could never have handled that as well as you did.
VIII.
Exemplification
Doing more than you need to in an effort to show how dedicated and
hardworking you are is an assertive IM technique.
Example: An employee sends e-mails from his work computer when he
works late so that his supervisor will know how long hes been working.
I.
II.
III.
The answers to these questions can lead you to decide if the behavior is ethical or
unethical.