Power in Organizations

Question 1

Power

Answer 1

Ability to make others do what they would otherwise not do

• Comes from having EXCLUSIVE and DISCRETIONARY control over RESOURCES that are VALUED by individuals or orgs
• In other words, you are powerful to the extent that others depend on you for some resources you control that are critical to them, especially when there are few alternatives

Question 2

Resources

Answer 2

Examples: info, money, talent/skill/human capital, control of critical contingencies, control over uncertainty, social capital/network centrality, many other things

Question 3

Conditions to create power

Answer 3

1. Exclusive control
2. Discretionary
3. Valued

Question 4

Exclusive control

Answer 4

exists to the extent that the resource is not substitutable and there are no active competitors

Question 5

Discretionary

Answer 5

means that use of the resource is not constrained

Question 6

Valued

Answer 6

determined by how relevant a resource is to the goals of other individuals or the mission of the organization

Question 7

How to increase resource based power

Answer 7

• increase centrality (degree of access to individuals and information)
• increase critically (degree to which resource is not substitutable
• increase relevance (degree to which resource is necessary for the mission of the org)
• increase visibility (degree to which relevant parties are aware of resource’s centrality/critically/relevance)
• increase flexibility (degree to which one has discretion over use of resource)

Question 8

Using power to get things done

Answer 8

• Decide what your goals are
• Diagnose patterns of dependence
• Identify important individuals and groups and understand their positions
• Recognize their and your own biases of power
• Devise appropriate and effective ways of exercising power
• implement a course of action

Question 9

Power of departments

Answer 9

• Departments can gain power by dealing with critical organizational “problems”
• Diagnosing the powerful departments: functional background of key executives
• Corporate strategy and sub-unit power

Question 10

Obedience

Answer 10

Compliance with or submission to someone’s wishes or authority – often induced by those in a position of power and authority

Question 11

Agentic Shift

Answer 11

• moved into the agentic shift

- at some point, people stop resisting and give up control; they come to see themselves as an agent

Question 12

Reduce obedience to corrupt authority

Answer 12

• Presence of dissenters
• Greater physical distance from the authority figure
• Reduced distance from victim