Chapter 12: Power, Politics, and Ethics Flashcards
Power
The capacity to
influence others who are in
a state of dependence.
5 things about power
1) notice that power is the capacity to influence the behavior of others. Power is not always perceived
or exercised.
2) the fact that the target of power is dependent on the power holder does not imply that a poor relationship exists between the two.
3) power can flow in any direction in an organization. Often members of higher
organizational levels have more power than those at lower levels.
4) power asymmetry doesn’t require an organizational hierarchy, and it can even
be driven by an algorithm.
5) Power is a broad concept that applies to both individuals and groups
Power can be found from two things, which are…
the position that you occupy in the organization or the resources that you are able to
command.
The first base of power is…
Legitimate power, dependent on one’s position in the job.
Legitimate power
Power derived from a person’s position or job in an
organization.
In theories, organizational equals have…
equal legitimate powers
When legitimate power works, it often does so because…
People have been socialized to accept its influence from parents, teachers, and government officials.
Reward Power
Power
derived from the ability to
provide positive outcomes
and prevent negative
outcomes.
Examples of reward power
That is, managers are given the chance to recommend raises, do performance
evaluations, and assign preferred tasks to employees. Of course, any organizational member
can attempt to exert inf luence over others with praise, compliments, and flattery, which also
constitute rewards.
Coercive Power
Power derived from the use of punishment and threat
Examples of Coercive Power
Managers might be permitted to dock pay, assign unfavourable tasks,
or block promotions.
Referent Power
Power
derived from being well
liked by others.
Why is referent power especially potent?
Referent power is especially potent because it stems from identification with the power holder.
Expert Power
Power
derived from having special
information or expertise that
is valued by an organization.
Continuum of Employee Cooperation
Resistance –> Compliance –> Commitment
Employee response to coercive power…
Resistance
Employee responses to reward power…
Compliance
Employee responses to legitimate power…
Compliance
Employee responses to expert power…
Commitment
Employee responses to referent power…
Commitment
Of all the bases of managerial power, what is the most consistently associated with employee effectiveness?
Expertise power
Employee perceive women managers as more likely than male managers to be high in…
expert power
How do people obtain power?
1) Do the right things
2) Cultivating the right people
Obtaining Power - Doing the Right Things
- Do extraordinary activities
- Do visible activities (people see them)
- Do relevant activities (people care about the work, relevant to org problems)
Obtaining Power - Cultivating the Right People
- Establish good relationships with people outside one’s organization
- Establish relationships with up-and-coming subordinates
- Establish good relationships with peers
- Establish good relationships with superiors.
The main goal of establishing a good relationship with peers is…
mainly a means of ensuring that
nothing gets in the way of one’s future acquisition of power. As one moves up through the
ranks, favors can be asked of former associates, and fears of being “stabbed in the back” for a
past misdeed are precluded.
Empowerment
Giving
people the authority,
opportunity, and motivation
to take initiative and solve
organizational problems.
The motivation part of empowerment suggests…
hiring people who will
be intrinsically motivated by power and opportunity and aligning extrinsic rewards with
successful performance.
People who are empowered have a strong sense of…
self-efficacy
Empowering frontline employees is critical in…
service organizations
Empowerment does not mean providing employees with a maximum amount of unfettered power, rather it means…
puts power where it is needed to make the organization effective
Influence tactics
Tactics
that are used to convert
power into actual influence
over others.
Types of influence tactics
1) Assertiveness
2) Ingratiation
3) Self-promotion
4) Rationality
5) Exchange
6) Upward appeal
7) Coalition formation
Someone with coercive power might gravitate toward…
Assertiveness
someone with referent power might gravitate toward…
Ingratiation
someone
with expert power might try…
rationality or self-promotion
self-promotion and ingratiation is effective in…
job search (interview) situations
self-promotion and ingratiation has mixed effects in…
Job performance ratings
McClelland argues that the most effective managers have the following attributes:
1) Have high n Powe
2) Use their power to achieve organizational goals
3) Adopt a participative or “coaching” leadership style
4) Are relatively unconcerned with how much others like them
MCClelland call such managers…
institutional managers, because they use their power for
the good of the institution rather than for self-aggrandizement.
Subunit power
The
degree of power held by
various organizational
subunits, such as
departments.
Subunit gain power by controlling strategic contingencies, what is it?
Critical
factors affecting
organizational effectiveness
that are controlled by a key
subunit.
4 Conditions under which subunits can control strategic contingencies…
1) Scarcity
2) Uncertainty
3) Centrality
4) Subsitutability
Subunit power - Scarcity
Subunits tend to acquire power when they are able to secure scarce resources that are
important to the organization as a whole.
Subunit Power - Uncertainty
Subunits that are most capable of coping with uncertainty will tend to acquire power
Subunit Power - Centrality
Other things being equal, subunits whose activities are most central to the mission or workf
low of the organization should acquire more power than those whose activities are more
peripheral.
A subunit’s activities can be central in at least three senses, which are…
1) it may influence
the work of most other subunits.
2) subunit has an especially crucial impact on the quantity
or quality of the organization’s key product or service.
3) Their impact is more immediate.
Subunit Power - Substitutability
If the subunit’s staff is non-substitutable, it can acquire
substantial power. (vice versa)
Organizational Politics
The pursuit
of self-interest in an
organization, whether
or not this self-interest
corresponds to
organizational goals.
Frequently, politics involves using…
means of influence that the organization does not sanction or pursuing ends or goals that it
does not sanction.
Is it possible for political activity to have beneficial outcomes for the organization?
Yes, even though these outcomes are achieved by questionable
tactics.
Sanctioned means/Sanctioned Ends
a manager agrees to recommend a raise for an employee if she increases
her net sales by 30 percent in the next six months. There is nothing political about this
Sanctioned means/not-sanctioned ends
For instance, a head
nurse agrees to assign a subordinate nurse to a more favourable job if the nurse agrees not to report the superior for stealing medical supplies. While job assignment is often
a sanctioned means of influence, covering up theft is not a sanctioned end. This is dysfunctional
political behavior.
Not-sanctioned means/sanctioned ends
For example, although Qatar officials were pursuing
a sanctioned end—hosting the 2022 World Cup of soccer—the alleged use of
bribery and vote buying as a means of influence were not sanctioned tactics.
Not-sanctioned means/not-sanctioned ends
This quadrant may exemplify the most flagrant
abuse of power. For
example, to increase his personal power, the head of an already overstaffed legal department
wishes to increase its size. He intends to hire several of his friends in the process.
To do this, he falsifies workload documents and promises special service to the accounting
department in exchange for the support of its manager.
Managers report that most political manoeuvring occurs at..
middle and upper
management
levels rather than at lower levels.
Some subunits are more…
prone to politicking than others
Some issues are more likely than others to stimulate…
political activity, such as budget allocation and reorganization
In general, what provokes political behaviour?
scarce resources, uncertainty, and important issues
Political Skill
The ability
to understand others
at work and to use that
knowledge to influence
others to act in ways that
enhance one’s personal or
organizational objectives.
4 Facets of Political Skill
1) Social astuteness
Tuned in to others needs and motives
2) Interpersonal influence
Interpersonal influence
3) Apparent sincerity
Genuine and high integrity
4) Networking ability
what is networking?
Establishing
good relations with key
organizational members
and outsiders to accomplish
one’s goals.
Political skill is positively related to…
individual job
performance, job satisfaction, and career succeses
5 Aspects of networking
1) Maintaining contacts
2) Socializing
3) Engaging in professional activities
4) Participating in community activities
5) Increasing internal visibility
Who are more likely to engage in networking behaviours?
those high in self-esteem and extraversion
Machiavellianism
A set of cynical beliefs about
human nature, morality,
and the permissibility of
using various tactics to
achieve one’s ends.
“High Machs” are more likely to…
advocate the use of lying and deceit to achieve desired goals and
to argue that morality can be compromised to fit the situation in question.
Situations where machs tactics will work…
● The high Mach can deal face to face with those who are the object of influence.
● The interaction occurs under fairly emotional circumstances.
● The situation is fairly unstructured, with few guidelines for appropriate forms of interaction.
Knowledge Hiding
Intentionally
concealing or withholding
information that has been
requested by or is relevant
to another organizational
member.
Defensiveness - Organizational Politics
The goal here is to reduce threats to one’s own power by avoiding
actions that do not suit one’s own political agenda or avoiding blame for events that might threaten
one’s political capital.
Types of Defensive Behaviours - No Action
1) Stalling
2) Overconforming
3) Buck passing
Types of defensive behaviours - Avoiding blame
1) Buffing
2) Scapegoating
What is buffing?
Buffing is the tactic of carefully documenting information showing that an appropriate course of action was followed
Ethics
Systematic
thinking about the moral
consequences of decisions.
Stakeholders
People
inside or outside of an
organization who have the
potential to be affected by
organizational decisions.
Highest observed ethical misconduct is…
1) Abusive behaviour or behaviour that creates a hostile work environment
2) Lying to employees
7 Themes that defined manager’s moral standards for ethical decision making are…
- Honest communication
- Fair treatment
- Special considerations
- Fair competition
- Responsibility
- CSR
- Respect for law
Bounded ethicality
The
psychological process by
which people come to
engage in behaviour that
violates their own ethical
standards.
Possible Causes of Unethical Behaviour
- Personality
- Gain
- Extreme Performance Pressure
- Role Conflict
- Strong Organizational Identification
- Competition
- Organizational and Industry culture
Which type of personality are more prone to unethical decisions?
- High machiavellians
- People with strong economically oriented values
- Cynical and external locus of control
What is associated with more ethical behaviour?
Research shows that less disengagement and more attentiveness is associated with
more ethical behaviour.
Although challenging goals lead to higher performance, extreme challenge can lead to…
Unethical behaviour because of the extreme performance measure
Bottom line mentality
A
narrow focus on
organizational economic
indicators such as profits or
stock price to the exclusion
of espoused organizational
values and fair procedures.
Role Conflict
For example, an executive’s role as custodian of the environment
(do not pollute) might be at odds with her role as a community employer (do not close the
plant that pollutes). Which introduces unethical behaviour
Strong Organizational Identification
Some employees identify very strongly
with their organizations, seeing their membership as an integral part of their identity. This
can sometimes lead them to ignore ethical lapses or even engage in unethical activities to
“help” the organization.
Competition
Stiff competition for scarce resources can stimulate unethical behaviour
Organizational and Industry Culture
This indicates that aspects of an organization’s culture (and its subcultures)
can influence ethics. Remember, no one thing creates a “culture of corruption” in organizations.
Rather, it is often a combination of factors, such as evaluating managers solely “by the
numbers,”
Whistle-Blowing
Disclosure of illegitimate
practices by a current
or former organizational
member to some person or
organization that may be
able to take action to correct
these practices.
Sexual Harrasment
Behaviour
that derogates, demeans,
or humiliates an individual
based on that individual’s
sex.
One of the best ways to combat harassment against women is to…
achieve gender balance in jobs and industries dominated by men and to ensure women
occupy senior leadership positions.
