Power & Politics Flashcards
What is Power
the capacity to achieve one’s ends
Explain the term Power is perceived
people who do whatever they want, must be people with power
Social influence
the way in which ind. change their behavior to meet the demands of social env.
Forms of Social Influence
conformity- Asch’s conformity Experiment (1951), peer pressure, obedience(Milgram’s Obedience Study (1963))
, reactance, psychological manipulation, coercion, leadership(Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison experiment (1971))
, persuasion, marketing, propaganda
What was Asch Experiment about?
He brought 50 people asking hem questions 1 was a participant and the other 7 were fake participants.
Reasons they conformed
Normative influence; just want to fit in
Informational influence; they believe the group is better informed.
What was the Milgram Experiment about?
Blind obedience. Reason- the line of defense of World War II criminals; their defense was based on obedience. People were more inclined to obey bc they weren’t responsible(agentic state opposite autonomous- Agency Theory). , Milgram was interested in how far ordinary people would be willing to go in obeying a set of instructions that involve harming another person
What are all related to high lvl of obedience and what predicts resistance to the demand of the authority figure
Authoritarianism(prefer simple than complex)
Conscientiousness(responsible)
Agreeableness
Moral reasoning (manner in which you make ethical judgement)
Social intelligence (develop clear perception based on situational cues)
Standford Prison Experiment
24 students divided as Guards and inmates placed in prison. The purpose of the study was to find out why American prisons guards are brutal and violent?
Is it because of their sadistic personality (i.e., dispositional) or is it because of the prison’s environment (i.e., situational)?
What experiment was supposed to be for 2 weeks but ended on the 6th day and why ?
Standford Prison Experiment and nc of emotional breakdown of prisoners and excessive aggression of the gaurds.
What does the flaws in the experiment
They were told to be mean to the prisoners
Lied that the guards were not part of research
Did the experiment again removing demad characteristics
Top 3 elements
Anonymity
Depersonalization; no name
Power
General Dependency Postulate
The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B.
Power is depended and power is perceived
Sources/Bases of Power
Based on role(Formal power)
-Legitimate
-Reward
-Coercive
Based on Characteristics(Personal)
-Expert
-Referent
Formal Power
-Legitimate; power comes as a result of one’s position at work. Comes from position, reciprocity(feeling obligated to do sth for a favor), equity(do me i do you)
-Coercive; creating neg. outcomes by punishing/bullying.
-Reward; ability to influence by providing positive outcomese.g salary
Personal Power
-Expert; based on a person’s knowledge and exp.
-Referent; you like the person and enjoy doing things for the person. (Look up to them)
The 6th bases of power
Information Power; relates to expert or legitimate source of power in two ways;
-Accessibility to information, and control over the flow and interpretation of information given to others
-The perceived ability to cope with organizational uncertainties.
Responses to Power
-Commitment; carryout the task well
-Compliance; do it but with minimal effort
-Resistance; oppose the request and avoid it
Which responses apply to the bases of power
-Expert & Referent=Commitment
-Reward & Legitimate =Compliance
-Coercive=Resistance
Which of the power is most likely used by managers & why
Positional power bc it is easy to implement but ineffective
What kind of power do effective leaders use
Referent/ expert power
Deadline pressure will dependency on people with?
Information and expert power
Main factors that can increase power (Contingency of Positional power)
-Substitutability/Relevance; availability of alternatives
-Centrality; the importance of the power holder based on how dependent people are to the holder.
-Flexibility/Discretion; freedom to exercise judgement no specific rule to follow.
-Visibility; awareness of a person and their resources(let them see that you’re available)
Contingency/Possibility of Personal Power
-Expertise; can increase visibility
-Personal Attraction; based on charisma(inspiring), agreeable behavior, and physical characteristics
-Effort; put effort
-Legitimacy; legitimacy is the extent to which my authority or power is perceived to be just or correct or preferred.
What is Influence
power in action (or motion). That is, we are using our influence to shape the attitudes, behavior and decisions of others within the organization.
Tactics of Influences
-Salient/deference authority; complying bc. you’re aware of the requestor’s expert/legitimate power
-Assertiveness/vocal authority; applying legitimate and coercive power(do it or else)
-Information control; manipulating others access to info. spreading rumours, snitching
-Coalition formation; group of people coming together to achieve a goal.
-Upward appeal; relying on support from higher up
Coalition formation is closely related to what?
network building and exchange as it involves actively seeking out and establishing relationships with people who may prove useful in the future.
More Influence Tactics
-Ingratiation/socializing; glaze them crazy that when you ask them for sth they won’t think twice.
-Consultation; advice seeking involving others in decision
-Exchange; offering favors or benefit in exchange for support
-Persuasion; using *rational appeal- using facts &data to support your ideas, *personal appeal-loyalty/friendship, *inspirational appeals-glazing, emotions you’re the best one to handle this.
Which tactic stands in opposition to assertiveness, coalition formation and upward appeal
Ingratiation
What is brown nosing
Excess ingratiation
Which of the tactics is most effective
Persuasion and Ingratiation
Impression mgt
the process of actively shaping our public image
Impression mgt tactics
Ingratiation
Doing favors
Excuses
Apologies
Self-promotion
Enhancement
Flattery
Impression mgt is mostly effective where
Yes. Mostly in interviews(self promotion & ingratiation) and performance evaluation
which are soft influence tactics which are hard
persuasion, ingratiation & impression mgt, exchange(commitment)– hard salient authority, upward appeal, coalition, info. control, assertiveness(compliance, resistance)
Cialdini Influence Tactics
Reciprocity
Scarcity; bc it’s scarce people will want it more
Authority
Consistency
Liking
Consensus; 75% of people reuse their towels
