Chapter 8

Question 1

What is power?

Answer 1

power is the principal means of directing and controlling organizational goals & abilities; it is also the ability to get others to do something they may not otherwise do

Question 2

what are two perspectives of power?

Answer 2

1. power used to dominate and control the other– “power over”
2. power used to work together w/the other– “power with”

Question 3

what are the 5 major different types/forms of power?

Answer 3

1. reward
2. coercive
3. legitimate
4. referent
5. expert

Question 4

What are two important sources of power in an organization?

Answer 4

information and network

Question 5

What are the sources of power and their definitions?

Answer 5

formal authority:

• legitimate-based on position
• reward- based on control over resources
• coercive-based on fear

personal authority:

• expert-indispensable skills
• referent- interpersonal skills
• information- what you know
• network- who you know

Question 6

What are key aspects of networks?

Answer 6

tie strength- an indication of the strength or quality of relationships w/ others

tie content- the resource that passes along with the tie w/ the other person

network structure- the overall set of relationships within a social system

Question 7

what are two major sources of power derived from organizational hierarchy?

Answer 7

• legitimate power which is grounded in the title, duties, and responsibilities of a job description and “level” w/in an organizational hierarchy
• power based on the control of resources associated w/that position

Question 8

What is a contextual source of power and what are two examples of it?

Answer 8

context source of power is power based in context, situation, or environment in which negotiations take place. examples include:

• BATNA- an alternative deal that a negotiator might pursue if she or he does not come to agreement with the current other party
• Culture- often contains implicit “rules” about use of power

Agents, constituencies and external audiences

Question 9

how should you deal with others who have more power?

Answer 9

• never do an all or nothing deal
• make the other party smaller
• make yourself bigger
• build momentum through doing deals in sequence
• use the power of competition to leverage power
• constrain yourself
• good information is always a source of power
• ask many questions to gain more information
• do what you can to manage the process