Power Flashcards
What is power?
The capacity of a person, team or organization to
influence others.
What are the features of power?
- Potential to change others attitudes/behavior.
- Based on the targets perception.
- Asymmetric dependence of one party on another.
- Depends on a minimum relationship of trust.
Give a rough definition of the sources of power?
These are places where power resides in an organization that can be leveraged by people.
What are the 5 sources of power?
- Legitimate
- Reward
- Coercive
- Expert
- Referent
Which of the sources of power typically reside in a power holders org role (formal or informal).
Legitimate, reward and coercive.
Which of the sources of power typically reside in a power holders characteristics?
Expert and referent.
Define legitimate power.
Legitimate power is an agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can request a set of behaviors from others.
What is the ‘zone of indifference?’
This is a range of behaviors that the target of a power holder will be willing to engage in at the others request.
What influences the size of the ‘zone of indifference?’
- The level of trust in the power holder.
- Values (e.g. high power distance)
- Personality traits
- Org culture
What is the norm of reciprocity?
This is a feeling of obligation to help someone who has helped you.
What is a subsection of legitimate power that is mentioned in the text?
Information control.
Why is information control a particularly powerful form of legitimate power?
- Info is a resource that people rely on the gatekeeper for.
- Gatekeepers can gain power by selectively distributing info and altering perceptions.
What is reward power?
Reward power is derived from the person’s ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions (i.e. negative reinforcement).
What is coercive power?
Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment.
What is expert power?
Expert power originates mainly from within the power holder. It is an individual’s or work unit’s capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills valued by others.
What is an important form of expert power?
The ability to manage uncertainties in the business environment.
What are the three ways that expertise can help companies cope with uncertainty?
- Prevention
- Forecasting
- Absorption
What is referent power?
People have referent power when others identify with them, like them or otherwise respect them. It is largely a function of a persons interpersonal skills.
(Conceptually) What are contingencies of power?
Contingencies of power determine the extent to which people can leverage the power they have to make things happen within organizations.
What are the 4 contingencies of power?
- Substitutability
- Centrality
- Visibility
- Discretion
What is substitutability?
Substitutability refers to the availability of alternatives.
What is centrality?
Centrality refers to the power holder’s importance, based on the degree and nature of interdependence with others.
What is discretion?
The freedom to exercise judgment—to make decisions without referring to a specific rule or receiving permission from someone else.
What is a social network?
The social structures of individuals or social units
(e.g. departments, organizations) that are connected through one or more forms of interdependence.
Why do social networks exist?
Because people have the innate drive to bond.