Power Flashcards

1
Q

What is power?

A

The capacity of a person, team or organization to

influence others.

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2
Q

What are the features of power?

A
  1. Potential to change others attitudes/behavior.
  2. Based on the targets perception.
  3. Asymmetric dependence of one party on another.
  4. Depends on a minimum relationship of trust.
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3
Q

Give a rough definition of the sources of power?

A

These are places where power resides in an organization that can be leveraged by people.

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4
Q

What are the 5 sources of power?

A
  1. Legitimate
  2. Reward
  3. Coercive
  4. Expert
  5. Referent
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5
Q

Which of the sources of power typically reside in a power holders org role (formal or informal).

A

Legitimate, reward and coercive.

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6
Q

Which of the sources of power typically reside in a power holders characteristics?

A

Expert and referent.

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7
Q

Define legitimate power.

A

Legitimate power is an agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can request a set of behaviors from others.

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8
Q

What is the ‘zone of indifference?’

A

This is a range of behaviors that the target of a power holder will be willing to engage in at the others request.

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9
Q

What influences the size of the ‘zone of indifference?’

A
  1. The level of trust in the power holder.
  2. Values (e.g. high power distance)
  3. Personality traits
  4. Org culture
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10
Q

What is the norm of reciprocity?

A

This is a feeling of obligation to help someone who has helped you.

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11
Q

What is a subsection of legitimate power that is mentioned in the text?

A

Information control.

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12
Q

Why is information control a particularly powerful form of legitimate power?

A
  1. Info is a resource that people rely on the gatekeeper for.
  2. Gatekeepers can gain power by selectively distributing info and altering perceptions.
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13
Q

What is reward power?

A

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).

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14
Q

What is coercive power?

A

Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment.

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15
Q

What is expert power?

A

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.

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16
Q

What is an important form of expert power?

A

The ability to manage uncertainties in the business environment.

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17
Q

What are the three ways that expertise can help companies cope with uncertainty?

A
  1. Prevention
  2. Forecasting
  3. Absorption
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18
Q

What is referent power?

A

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.

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19
Q

(Conceptually) What are contingencies of power?

A

Contingencies of power determine the extent to which people can leverage the power they have to make things happen within organizations.

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20
Q

What are the 4 contingencies of power?

A
  1. Substitutability
  2. Centrality
  3. Visibility
  4. Discretion
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21
Q

What is substitutability?

A

Substitutability refers to the availability of alternatives.

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22
Q

What is centrality?

A

Centrality refers to the power holder’s importance, based on the degree and nature of interdependence with others.

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23
Q

What is discretion?

A

The freedom to exercise judgment—to make decisions without referring to a specific rule or receiving permission from someone else.

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24
Q

What is a social network?

A

The social structures of individuals or social units

(e.g. departments, organizations) that are connected through one or more forms of interdependence.

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25
Q

Why do social networks exist?

A

Because people have the innate drive to bond.

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26
Q

What is the mechanism of social networks that generates power?

A

Social Capital.

27
Q

What is social capital?

A

The goodwill and resulting resources shared among members in a social network.

28
Q

What are the types of social capital that people receive from social networks?

A
  1. Information
  2. Increased visibility
  3. Increase referent power
29
Q

Why are ‘ties’ important in social networks?

A

Because the volume of information, favours and other social capital that people receive from networks usually increases with the number of people connected to them.

30
Q

What are strong ties?

A

Strong ties are close knit relationships.

31
Q

What influences the strength of social ties?

A
  1. How often we interact with people.
  2. Resource sharing.
  3. Multiple or single purpose relationships.
32
Q

What are the advantages of strong ties?

A

They offer resources more quickly and more plentifully.

33
Q

Which is better, strong ties or weak ties?

A

Weak ties if you have more and they are diverse.

34
Q

What are two factors that effect individuals value gained through social networks?

A
  1. Number and strength of ties.

2. Centrality in the network.

35
Q

What factors determine a persons ‘centrality’ in a network?

A
  1. Between-ness
  2. Percentage of connections to others in the that network.
  3. Closeness of relationships in that network.
36
Q

What is a ‘structural hole?’

A

This is the gap between two social clusters.

37
Q

What are two kinds of power?

A
  1. Power over self

2. Power over others

38
Q

What are the effects of high power over self?

A
  1. Motivation
  2. job satisfaction
  3. org commitment
  4. job performance
  5. Increase automatic thinking (decreases mindfulness)
39
Q

What are the effects of high power over others?

A
  1. Sense of duty
  2. Mindfulness
  3. Less stereotyping
40
Q

What is influence?

A

Any behavior that attempts to alter someone’s attitudes or behavior.

41
Q

What are the different kinds of influence tactics?

A
  1. Silent Authority
  2. Assertiveness
  3. Information control
  4. Coalition formation
  5. Upward appeal
  6. Persuasion
  7. Impression management
  8. Exchange
42
Q

What are the categories of influence tactics?

A
  1. Hard.

2. Soft.

43
Q

Why are hard influence tactics called this?

A

Because they influence others by relying on positions of power.

44
Q

What are soft influence tactics called this?

A

Because they influence others by relying on personal characteristics and skills.

45
Q

What is silent authority?

A

Compelling compliance due to requestors legitimate power and subjects role expectations.

46
Q

What is assertiveness (influence)?

A

Actively applying legitimate or coercive power.

47
Q

What is information control?

A

Influencing others by controlling access and flow of information.

48
Q

What is coalition formation?

A

Form a group of people in order to achieve more influence.

49
Q

Why are coalitions influental?

A
  1. Pools power and resources.
  2. Symbolic of issue legitimacy
  3. Taps into power of social identity.
50
Q

What is upward appeal?

A

Calling on higher authorities or expertise of others to influence.

51
Q

What is persuasion?

A

Influencing via presenting facts and a logical argument.

52
Q

What is impression management?

A

Influencing via the shaping of impressions that others have of us.

53
Q

What is exchange (influence)?

A

Promising of benefits and resources in exchange for compliance with a request.

54
Q

What are the 3 common reactions to influence tactics?

A
  1. Resistance
  2. Compliance
  3. Commitment
55
Q

Which do people react to better - soft or hard influence tactics?

A

Soft.

56
Q

What are the 3 contingencies of influence tactics?

A
  1. Which sources of power are strongest?
  2. Position/status of target.
  3. Values or org/person/culture
57
Q

Is a flat org structure associated with needing power or influence to get things done?

A

Influence.

58
Q

What is organizational politics?

A

When influence tactics are self-serving, counterproductive or used to further individual goals.

59
Q

Is org politics good or bad?

A

Bad, it is associated with personal drops in almost every wellbeing factor.

60
Q

What influences whether influence tactics are viewed positively or negatively?

A

Political Skill.

61
Q

What is political skill?

A

The ability to effectively understand others at work, and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one’s personal and/or organizational objectives.

62
Q

What are the 4 dimensions of political skill?

A
  1. Social astuteness
  2. Interpersonal influence
  3. Networking ability
  4. Apparent sincerity
63
Q

What factors control the level or org politics?

A
  1. Amount of resources
  2. Simplicity of resource allocation decisions.
  3. Level of org change
  4. Tolerance and reinforcement of political behavior.
  5. Personal levels of machiavellianism.
64
Q

Need definitions of political skill dimensions here.

A

TBC