Power and Politics

Question 1

What’s the most important aspect of power?

Answer 1

Dependence since a person can have power over another if they control something the other desires.

Question 2

Why and how do leaders use power?

Answer 2

To attain group goals.
They can do so by using some techniques:
1. Goal compatibilty
2. Direction of influence
3. Style

Question 2

Give exemples of formal power and personal power.

Answer 2

Formal Power
– Coercive Power (fear of negative results - can be damaging)
– Reward Power (opposite of coercive power)
– Legitimate Power (includes acceptance of authority)
Personal Power (Most Effective)
– Expert Power (result of existing expertise or skills)
– Referent Power (implies identification)

Question 3

What’s the general dependency postulate?

Answer 3

It’s when you possess anything others require but that you alone control.

Question 4

What creates dependency?

Answer 4

– Importance (there are many degrees of importance)
– Scarcity (existing availability)
– Nonsubstitutability (fewer viable substitutes)

Question 5

What influences tactics?

Answer 5

– Legitimacy
– Rational persuasion
– Inspirational appeals
– Consultation
– Exchange
– Personal appeals
– Ingratiating
– Pressure (tends to backfire)
– Coalitions

Question 6

Explain how people from different countries prefer different power tactics.

Answer 6

Idivualistic countries see power in personalized terms and as a legitimate means of advancing their personal ends.

Collectivistic countries see power in social terms and as a legitimate means of healping others.

Question 7

What can be the causes and consequences of abuse of power?

Answer 7

1. Power leads people to place their own interests ahead of others
2. Powerful people react to any threats to their competence
3. Power leads to overconfident decision making
4. Power doesn’t affect everyone in the same way

Question 8

What’s sexual harassment?

Answer 8

Any unwanted activity of sexual nature that affects an individual.

Question 9

What’s political behavior?

Answer 9

Activities that are not required as part of one’s formal role in the organization, but that influence the distribution of advantages within the organization.

Question 10

What’s Impression management?

Answer 10

Process by which individuals atemp to control the impression others form of them.

Question 11

To sum:

Answer 11

• To maximize your power, increase others’ dependence on you.
• You will not be alone in attempting to build your power bases. Others, particularly employees and peers, will be seeking to increase your dependence on them, while you are trying to minimize it and increase their dependence on you.
• Try to avoid putting others in a position where they feel they have no power.
• By assessing behavior in a political framework, you can better predict the actions of others and use that information to formulate political strategies that will gain advantages for you and your work unit.
• Consider that employees who have poor political skills or are unwilling to play the politics game generally relate perceived organizational politics to lower job satisfaction and self-reported performance, increased anxiety, and higher turnover. Therefore, if you are adept at organizational politics, help your employees understand the importance of becoming politically savvy