Power & Politics Flashcards
1
Q
What is power?
A
- Person A’s capacity to influence the behaviour of person B, so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes
- May exist but not be used
2
Q
What must be true for someone to hold power?
A
A person can have power over you only if he or she controls something you desire
3
Q
What is true of the costs of unfairness with respect to power?
A
Those with power pay greater costs for unfairness and reap greater benefits for fairness
4
Q
What are the differences between power and leadership?
A
- Leaders use power as a means of attaining group goals
- Leaders achieve goals, and power is a means of facilitating their achievements
- Power does not require goal compatibility, merely dependence, leadership does
- Leadership focuses on the downward influence on one’s followers, power does not
- Leadership research focuses on style, power research focuses on tactics for gaining compliance
5
Q
Broadly what are the sources of power?
A
- Formal Sources
* Personal Sources
6
Q
What are the formal sources of power?
A
- Coercive Power
- Depends on fear of the negative results from failing to comply
- Reward Power
- Complied with because it produces positive benefits
- Legitiamte Power
- Represented the formal authority to control and use organisational resources based on structural position in the company
7
Q
What are the personal sources of power?
A
- Expert Power
- Wielded as a result of expertise, special skills or knowledge
- Referent Power
- Based on identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits
8
Q
What is true of the effectiveness of the sources of power?
A
- Personal sources are more effective
- Both expert and referent power are positively related to employee’s satisfaction with supervision, their organisaontal commitment, and their performance, whereas reward and legitimate power seem to be unrelated
- Coercive power usually backfires
9
Q
How can perceived power be increased?
A
- Dependency increases when the resources you control are:
- Important
- Scarce
- Nonsubstituable
10
Q
What are the outcomes of influence?
A
- Commitment
- The leaders highest goal and the most successful outcome
- The target of the influence attempt is enthusiastic about carrying out the request and thus makes a full effort towards doing so
- Compliance
- The influence attempt is only partially successful
- The target person is apathetic about carrying out the effort and thus only makes a modest effort
- Resistance
- The influence attempt is unsuccessful
- The target is opposed to carrying out the request and thus finds ways to either not comply or to do a poor job
11
Q
What are the influence tactics?
A
- Rational Persussion
- Inspirational Appeal
- Legitimacy
- Consultation
- Exchange
- Ingratiation
- Personal Appeals
- Pressure
- Coalitions
- Gossip
- Ostracism
12
Q
What is rational persuasion?
A
- Logical arguments or factual evidence to convince workableness and likelihood of achieving goal
- Does require assertiveness and research to make this an effective tactic
- Only method effective across organisational lovels
- Your level of credibility matters
13
Q
What is inspirational appeal?
A
- Developing emotional commitment by appealing to a target’s values, needs, hopes and aspirations
- Invovles displaying emotions and applying to group members’ emotions
- Possessing personal magnetism (charisma) in the eyes of the group members makes this easier
- For this to be effective, the leader must understand the values and motives of the group members
14
Q
What is legitimacy as a influence tactic?
A
- Relying on your authority position or saying a request accords with policies or rules
- Influencing through complying with regulations
- “upper management has asked…”
- Leaders should be able to provide evidence or prior procedures - showing consistency with organiosatnal policies
15
Q
What is consultancy as an influence tactic?
A
- When the leader asks the group members to participate in planning an activity
- This is also a leadership style - particpative
- The influence comes form the asking of group members for their input and then in return finding they are more apt to buy in to what they are being asked to do
16
Q
What is exchange as an influence tactic?
A
- Striking a bargain through an exchange
- Sharing benefits
- Typically means the leader gives something and the group member they are attempting to influence must also reciprocate - and could very well be they reciprocate with the very action you are attempting to influence them to complete
