POWER AND POLITICS

INSTRUCTOR:

Deepak bhati
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DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

GROUP EXERCISE:REVIEW LITERATURE RELATED TO
“POWER AND POLITICS” AND ANSWER FOLLOWING
QUESTIONS:

 What is power and politics?

 How managers can use power to improve working
efficiency of employees?
 How power can be used or misused by employees
(managers and employees) for sexually or
otherwise harassing other employees (managers
and employees) at higher, similar or lower levels?
 How personal power can be gained?
 In what situations, employees will not accept
authority of managers?
 What is the difference between power and
empowerment?
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 •REWARD POWER
•EXPERT POWER •COERCION POWER]
•REFERENT POWER •LEGITIMATE
PERSONAL POSITION POWER
POWER POWER

GAINED BY GAINED
PERSONAL BY
QUALITIES POWER HOLDING
POSITION

POWER IS ABILITY TO CONTROL AND CHANGE BEHAVIOR OF OTHERS

•POLITICS IS ANY ACTION THAT IS NOT PART OF ROUTINE ACTIVITY

•POLITICS IS AIMED AT PERSONAL GAINS WITH LOSS TO OTHERS
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POWER AND POLITICS
(AN INTRODUCTION)
 There is no commonly accepted definition of power.
 But, it is generally believed that the main function of power is to control behavior of other people.
 From social viewpoint, power is a person’s ability in social structure to make others accept his/her wishes
despite resistance.
EXAMPLES
 A senior member in the family influencing behavior of junior members or vice-versa.
 A religious leader influencing behavior of followers.

 In any organization, a manager needs power because he / she is responsible for

achieving goal and thereby needs power to control and direct behavior of employees.
 From organizational viewpoint following are the main sources of power:
 The organizational structure (authority associated with position)
 personal abilities of an employee
 Ability to control and hold important information

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MAIN BASES OF POWER
1. REWARD POWER
 It refers to person’s ability to transfer benefits and resources to
others.
•Increasing pay
•Providing promotions
•Assigning favorable works Main Sources of
•Assigning more responsibilities transferring benefits and
•Allotting new equipments discrimination
•Favorably evaluating performance
•Offering praise and appreciation
•Recognizing contribution of efforts DIRECT REWARD POWER
When managers can directly transfer
Benefits and rewards to
employees

INDIRECT REWARD POWER

Reward power can be When managers can recommend to
Used in two ways Top management to transfer
Benefits and rewards to
employees 5
MAIN BASES OF POWER
2. COERCIVE POWER
 It refers to a person’s ability to actually punish or give potential threat for
punishment to employees.

 Employees accept coercive power of managers when they consider that non-
compliance of instructions will lead to punishment or undesirable outcomes.

 It is most used, most condemned, and most difficult to control.

3. LEGITIMATE POWER
 It is derived from the formal authority.

 It is closely linked with reward and coercive powers.

 It depends upon the position and role of the person using it.

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MAIN BASES OF POWER
4. EXPERT POWER
 It refers to a person’s ability to acquire and transfer critical and valuable
information and suggestions to others and influence their behavior.

 A person like secretary to a boss can use it, as she knows all inns and outs of
boss.

 OTHER EXAMPLE: A physician, a computer specialist, tax accountant, solar

engineer, and industrial psychologist can exercise expert power.

5. REFERENT POWER
 It refers to a person’s willingness to identify with other popular persons.
 The follower would change his/her style when leader changes his/her style.

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GUIDELINES FOR USING POWER BASE

REWARD POWER

 Offer suitable rewards to employees

 Make feasible and reasonable instructions
 Make ethical instructions
 Verify compliance of instructions

COERCIVE POWER

 Inform subordinates about rules

 Understand situation before punishing employees
 Warn before punishment
 Administer punishment uniformly
 If possible punish employees in private

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GUIDELINES FOR USING POWER BASE
LEGITIMATE POWER

 Be polite and cordial

 Be confident
 Be clear and verify facts before action
 Make sure that instructions are appropriate
 If required, explain reasons for using legitimate power

EXPERT POWER

 Promote your image as an expert

 Maintain creditability
 Act confidentially
 Recognize employee’s problem
 Avoid threatening

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GUIDELINES FOR USING POWER BASE

REFERENT POWER

Treat employees fairly

Defend interests of employees
Be sensitive to needs and feelings of
employees
Engage in role modeling

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MEASURING BASES OF POWER

 When any person is able to give special benefits or rewards to

other people to trade favor with other persons and other people
find it advantageous then it will be the use of REWARD
POWER.

 When any person can make things difficult or make their life
uncomfortable and other people want to avoid that person to
become angry then it will the use of COERCIVE POWER.

 When any person holds official and formal position and has the
right to assign job responsibilities to other people and other
people have to follow his instructions then it will be the use of
LEGITIMATE POWER.

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MEASURING BASES OF POWER

 When any person has experience and knowledge

and others respect it and he/she uses this to
influence or control behavior of other persons then it
will be the use of EXPERT POWER.

 When people like to other persons and want to

follow and copy that person and that person uses
this ability to influence or control behavior of other
persons then it will be the use of REFERENT
POWER.

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SOURCES FOR GAINING PERSONAL POWER

 By having attractive and pleasant

personality.

 By getting advance education and training

 By gaining additional knowledge by

attending seminars and conferences.

 By increasing personal popularity.

 By involving in early stages of new

projects of the organization.

 By becoming internal coordinator and

representing organization in external
world.

 By becoming informal trainer or mentor of

new employees.

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SOURCES FOR GAINING PERSONAL POWER

 By initiating and suggesting new

creative ideas for the development
of the organization.

 By gaining control over critical

information and resources of the
organization.

 By becoming indispensable.

 By developing alliances and close

relations with powerful decision
making bases of the organization.

 By supporting boss in critical times.

 By distancing with members with

questionable status.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTHORITY AND
ITS ACCEPTABILITY
 FINDINGS OF MILGRAM EXPERIMENT

 Generally employees like to accept authority of their bosses.

 Direct non-compliance of the authority by employees is VERY RARE.

FINDINGS OF CHESTER BERNARD

The employees will follow authority of their bosses in following conditions:

 When employees can clearly understand the meaning of issued instructions.

 When employees are physically and mentally able to carry issued instructions.
 When employees consider that carrying of instructions is in their own personal interest and in the
interest of the whole organization.

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STRATEGIES FOR USING POWER
REASONING

 By using facts and data to logically support ideas put forward to influence behavior of other people.

FRIENDLINESS

 By using flattery, goodwill, and favorable attitude to influence behavior of other people.

COALITION

 By making and using own relations with other people for supporting employees in their difficult
time and then influence their behavior to use personal power.

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STRATEGIES FOR USING POWER

BARGAINING

 By exchanging benefits for influencing behavior of other people.

ASSERTIVENESS

 By using direct and forceful approach for influencing behavior of other people.

HIGHER AUTHORITY

 By using contacts with higher authorities in the organization to influence behavior of other
people.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POWER AND
SEXUAL HARASSMENT

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND WHY IT

HAPPENS?
 Since 1980, women have begun to take higher education and hold
positions in NON-TRADITIONAL work environment and subsequently
the cases of sexual harassment has been on increase.

 Since then social scientists and representatives of public have

aggressively focused their attention on this issue.

 Yet, they have failed to put forward complete and comprehensive

commonly agreed definition of sexual harassment.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POWER AND
SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Following acts are commonly considered to be related

to sexual harassment:
 Unwanted look in undesirable manner.
 Unwanted physical touch.
 Demonstration of sexual artifacts (nude pictures) in public places to those who
are not interested in seeing them.
 Frequent request for dating to unwilling partners.
 Coercive threats, such as “Loose job’ if you refuse my sexual proposition.”

SEVERAL RESEARCH FINDINGS HAVE CONFIRMED

THAT “POWER” IS THE CENTRAL BASIS FOR
INVOLVING IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT.”

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POWER OF BOSS AND
FAVOR SEEKING EMPLOYEES LEADING TO SEXUAL
HARASSMENT

BOSS (MANAGER) HAVING UNDESERVING EMPLOYEES

POWER TO TRANSFER SEEKING FAVOR FROM
FAVOR TO BOSS (MANAGERS) HAVING
UNDESERVING EMPLOYEES POWER

NATURAL HUMAN
•ALLOTT PREFERRED BEHAVIOR: ANY
WORK/RESOURCES “GIVE AND TAKE”
•FAVORABLE UNDESERVING
EVALUATION OF
PERFORMANCE
FAVOR
•SALARY INCREASE
SOUGHT
•PROMOTION
LEADS TO
•AVOID LAY-OFF BY
SEXUAL
HARASSMENT
EMPLOYEES
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SEXUAL HARASSMENT AMONG
CO-WORKERS
 Sexual harassment among co-workers is also common – specifically when they
work as a team.

 Any co-worker can withhold any critical information required by others for
efficient performance and then use this as a source of sexual harassment.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF MANAGERS BY EMPLOYEES

 Employees can also sexually harass their managers, when:

 They know inabilities of manager.

 They know other personal weaknesses of manager.

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NEW TRENDS
 Women managers, co-workers, and subordinates also sexually harasses their male
counterparts.

 Managers, co-workers, and subordinates of also sexually harasses their counterparts

of same sex.

OPINION OF SOME AMEICAN EMPLOYEES ABOUT WOMEN EMPLOYEES

 Sexually harassing women employees is merely an extension of their rights to make

demands on individuals with lower status.
 Sexually harassed women employees will not open out for variety of reasons and this
provides an opportunity for this purpose.

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EMPOWERMENT

 There are always some “MINORITY GROUPS” in every organization.

 The process of empowerment begins with identification of minority
groups and assessing their level of satisfaction.
 When minority groups
*Feels incapable of controlling their own future
*Then, they consider themselves as powerless and subsequently
begins to feel frustrated.
 The empowerment process attempts to find out causes for frustration
and powerlessness of minority groups.
 It continues by removing these causes and once again induce self-
confidence in them:
*By temporarily authorizing them to take decisions to improve their
working efficiency in times of difficulties.
*It enables such employees to get rid of frustration and powerlessness.

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MAIN APPROACHES OF EMPOWERMENT

1. Helping employees to achieve job mastery by giving them proper

training, coaching and guiding.

2. Providing successful role modeling for allowing employees to

observe that how successfully perform their job responsibilities and
then to follow them.

3. Using social reinforcement and persuasion by praising, encouraging

and providing verbal feedback to raise their self-confidence.

4. Giving emotional support for reducing stress and anxiety through

simple definition of work and providing special assistance for
improving their work efficiency.

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ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
(MEANING)

 Any activity performed by any person that is not a part of

formal responsibility (not included in job description) may be
considered as “POLITICS.”
 It aims at gaining some personal advantage and disadvantages
to others by performing that specific activity (not included in
job description).
 It involves use of power base – personal or position power.
 Organizational politics is considered as “LEGITIMATE” when
“CHAIN OF COMMAND” is broken for personal gains and
disadvantages to others.
 Organizational politics is considered as “ILLEGITIMATE” when
implied rules are violated (sabotage, whistle blowing).

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ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS
(STRATEGIES FOR GAINING PERSONAL POWER)

 Taking counsel.
 Exhibiting confidence.
 Controlling access to highly placed persons and information.
 Stimulating competition among ambitious employees.
 Neutralizing potential opposition.
 Making strategic replacement.
 Committing the uncommitted.
 Developing expertise.
 Developing personal stature.
 Using researched data to support viewpoint.
 Restricting communication about real intentions.
 Withdrawal from small disputes.

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DURBIN’S CLASSIFICATION OF POLITICAL
STRATEGIES
 Maintain alliance with powerful people.
 Divide and rule
 Make quick showing
 Go slow, gain trust, and seek cooperation.
 Progress one step at one time.
 Wait for crisis.
 Enhance or demolish

 EXAMPLE:
Senior managers in a “Taken Over Firm” may be warmly welcomed
or sacked.
If all senior managers are downgraded then they can unite to raise
their voice against the decision of top management of Taken Over
Firm.

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POLITICAL TACTICS

PRESSURE TACTICS
The use of demands, or threat to convince others to comply
request or support a proposal.
UPWARD APPEAL
Highlighting that proposed proposal has support from the top
management.
EXCHANGE TACTICS
Promising rewards or tangible benefits when proposed proposal
is supported or carried out.
COALITION TACTICS
Using support of others in persuading targeted people before
asking to carry request or support proposal.

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POLITICAL TACTICS

INGRATIATING TACTICS
Developing good mood of targeted people before asking to carry
request or support proposal.
RATIONAL PERSUASION
Using logical arguments for getting a request carried or proposal
supported by targeted people.
INSPIRATIONAL APPEALS
Using emotional appeals for getting a request carried or proposal
supported by targeted people.
CONSULTATION TACTICS
Seeking participation in decision making for the implementation
of proposed policy, strategy or change.

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