Organizational BehaviorISLT-644

Instructor: Erlan Bakiev, Ph.D.

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Chapter 12

Power and Politics

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Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 11/e

Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

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1. Define power and contrast leadership and power.

2. Contrast the five bases of power.3. Identify nine power or influence tactics and

their contingencies.4. Identify the causes and consequences of

political behavior.5. Apply impression management techniques.6. Show the influence of culture on the uses and

perceptions of politics.

Power12-4

The capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes (Bass, 1990)

Two facets: Potential: power does not need to be actualized to

be effective Dependency: based on the available alternatives

and their desirability

Contrasting Leadership and Power

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Differences Leadership PowerGoal Compatibility

Requires goal congruence

Only needs dependence

Direction of Influence

Focuses on downward influence

Concerned with influence in all

directions

Research Emphasis

Emphasizes leadership style

Broader topic: focuses on

tactics used by individuals and

groups

Formal Bases of Power (French and Raven, 1959)

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Due organizational position: Coercive Power

Complies from fear of the negative results Reward Power

Complies due to desire for positive benefits

Legitimate Power (Ward, 2001) From the formal authority to control and

use organizational resources

Personal Bases of Power12-7

Stems from an individual’s unique characteristics:

Expert Influence wielded as a result

of expertise, special skill, or knowledge

Referent Based on identification with a

person who has desirable resources or personal traits - charisma

Effective Power Bases12-8

Expert and referent power are positively related to performance and commitment

Reward and legitimate power are unrelated to organizational outcomes

Coercive power is negatively related to employee satisfaction and commitment (Podsadkoff and Schreisheim, 1985)

Power Tactics12-9

Used to translate power bases into specific actions that influence others

More immediate than power bases

Can result in the accumulation of a power base

Nine Influence Tactics12-10

Legitimacy PressureRational persuasion CoalitionsInspirational appealsConsultationExchangePersonal appealsIngratiation

Influence Tactic Effectiveness12-11

Most effective: Rational Persuasion Inspirational Appeals Consultation

Least effective: Pressure (Yukl, 2002)

Combining tactics increases effectiveness (Falbe and Yukl, 1992)

Direction, sequencing, individual skill, and organizational culture modify effectiveness

Politics: Power in Action12-12

Politics occur when employees convert power into action

Organizational Politics:

Activities not required as part of one’s formal role in the organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization (Farrell and Peteren, 1982; Drory and Rom, 1990; Croponzano et al., 1995)

Outside of job requirements Requires the use of power

Legitimacy of Political Behaviors (Farrell and Petersen,1988)

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Based on sticking to the implied rules Legitimate:

Normal everyday politics – complaining Illegitimate:

“Hardball” activities such as sabotage, whistle-blowing, and symbolic protests

The Reality of Politics12-14

It is a major part of organizational life (Buchanan, 2008)

Politics arise in organizations because of: Conflicting interests Limited resources Ambiguity in decision making

Politicking: twisting facts to support one’s own goals and interests

Individual Factors Contributing to Political Behavior

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Traits that encourage political action: High self-monitors High need for power

Situational influences leading to illegitimate political actions (Farrell and Petersen, 1982): Lower organizational investment Greater the number of perceived alternatives Greater expectations of success

Organizational Factors Contributing to Political Behavior

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Organizational resources declining or distribution shifting (Ferris and Kachmar, 1992)

Opportunity for promotion exists Organizational culture issues:

Low trust Role ambiguity Zero-sum reward allocation High performance pressures Leading by poor example

Responses to Organizational Politics

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For those unwilling to play, or with modest political skills, the outcomes are negative

Moderated by individual’s understanding of who makes decisions and why they were selected

When perceived as a threat, people respond with defensive behaviors (Ashforth and Lee, 1990)

Impression Management (IM)12-18

The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them (Gardenr and Martinlo, 1988)

People may misrepresent themselves in situations of high uncertainty or ambiguity

Misrepresentations may discredit the individuals – seen as insincere or manipulative

Impression Management Results12-19

Interviews Self-promotion and

ingratiation work well Performance Evaluations

Ingratiation positively related

Self-promotion is negatively related

The Ethics of Behaving Politically12-20

Questions to consider:1. What is the utility of engaging in the

behavior?2. How does the utility of engaging in

the political behavior balance out any harm it will do to others?

3. Does the political activity conform to standards of equity and justice?

Global Implications12-21

Perception of Politics: Negative consequences are common

Preference for Power Tactics: Differences exist consistent with cultural values

Effectiveness of Power Tactics: Little evidence for differences

Implications for Managers12-22

Power can be increased by: Increasing the dependence of

others Gaining unique knowledge or

skills Minimizing one’s own

dependence Acquiring useful bases of

power Using effective power tactics Avoiding coercion

Keep in Mind…12-23

Informal, expert, and referent power are the most important

Use consultation and inspirational appeals

IM techniques effectiveness depends on the setting

Summary12-24

1. Defined power and contrasted leadership and power.

2. Contrasted the five bases of power.3. Identified nine power or influence tactics and

their contingencies.4. Identified the causes and consequences of

political behavior.5. Applied impression management techniques.6. Showed the influence of culture on the uses

and perceptions of politics.