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.
What is the mechanism of social networks that generates power?
Social Capital.
What is social capital?
The goodwill and resulting resources shared among members in a social network.
What are the types of social capital that people receive from social networks?
- Information
- Increased visibility
- Increase referent power
Why are ‘ties’ important in social networks?
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.
What are strong ties?
Strong ties are close knit relationships.
What influences the strength of social ties?
- How often we interact with people.
- Resource sharing.
- Multiple or single purpose relationships.
What are the advantages of strong ties?
They offer resources more quickly and more plentifully.
Which is better, strong ties or weak ties?
Weak ties if you have more and they are diverse.
What are two factors that effect individuals value gained through social networks?
- Number and strength of ties.
2. Centrality in the network.
What factors determine a persons ‘centrality’ in a network?
- Between-ness
- Percentage of connections to others in the that network.
- Closeness of relationships in that network.
What is a ‘structural hole?’
This is the gap between two social clusters.
What are two kinds of power?
- Power over self
2. Power over others
What are the effects of high power over self?
- Motivation
- job satisfaction
- org commitment
- job performance
- Increase automatic thinking (decreases mindfulness)
What are the effects of high power over others?
- Sense of duty
- Mindfulness
- Less stereotyping
What is influence?
Any behavior that attempts to alter someone’s attitudes or behavior.
What are the different kinds of influence tactics?
- Silent Authority
- Assertiveness
- Information control
- Coalition formation
- Upward appeal
- Persuasion
- Impression management
- Exchange
What are the categories of influence tactics?
- Hard.
2. Soft.
Why are hard influence tactics called this?
Because they influence others by relying on positions of power.
What are soft influence tactics called this?
Because they influence others by relying on personal characteristics and skills.
What is silent authority?
Compelling compliance due to requestors legitimate power and subjects role expectations.
What is assertiveness (influence)?
Actively applying legitimate or coercive power.
What is information control?
Influencing others by controlling access and flow of information.
What is coalition formation?
Form a group of people in order to achieve more influence.
Why are coalitions influental?
- Pools power and resources.
- Symbolic of issue legitimacy
- Taps into power of social identity.
What is upward appeal?
Calling on higher authorities or expertise of others to influence.
What is persuasion?
Influencing via presenting facts and a logical argument.
What is impression management?
Influencing via the shaping of impressions that others have of us.
What is exchange (influence)?
Promising of benefits and resources in exchange for compliance with a request.
What are the 3 common reactions to influence tactics?
- Resistance
- Compliance
- Commitment
Which do people react to better - soft or hard influence tactics?
Soft.
What are the 3 contingencies of influence tactics?
- Which sources of power are strongest?
- Position/status of target.
- Values or org/person/culture
Is a flat org structure associated with needing power or influence to get things done?
Influence.
What is organizational politics?
When influence tactics are self-serving, counterproductive or used to further individual goals.
Is org politics good or bad?
Bad, it is associated with personal drops in almost every wellbeing factor.
What influences whether influence tactics are viewed positively or negatively?
Political Skill.
What is political skill?
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.
What are the 4 dimensions of political skill?
- Social astuteness
- Interpersonal influence
- Networking ability
- Apparent sincerity
What factors control the level or org politics?
- Amount of resources
- Simplicity of resource allocation decisions.
- Level of org change
- Tolerance and reinforcement of political behavior.
- Personal levels of machiavellianism.
Need definitions of political skill dimensions here.
TBC
