Chapter Eight - Power and Politics in An Organization

CHAPTER EIGHT - POWER AND POLITICS IN AN ORGANIZATION
8.1. Definition of Power

Power is derived from the official position held by an individual in an organization. As
Rosabeth Kanter says, “Power is the ability to get things done.” Those in power are able to
marshal their resources in a way that helps them achieve their goals. They are able to be effective
in their jobs and earn the respect of others. Having power as resource can help you gain support,
information, supplies—everything and anything that is needed to be productive in your job.
Power is a tool and resource, a means as an end while politics represents tactics used by
employees to use to manipulate power in organizational setting. Leaders use power as a means of
attaining group goals. Leader use power to ensure compliance of job assigned to them. Power is
also used to control various activities of individuals and groups
Politics is a process whereby power is acquired and used to influence behavior of others. It is
endemic to every organization. People form groups, camps or cliques when they play politics.
People playing politics for power where ethics, moral values, organizational goals are of little
concern. Dalton identified following six areas where politics was being played actively.
• Pressure for economy
• Co-operation of officially powerless experts with their administrative superior line and staff-
relationship.
• The conflict between labor and management for interpreting agreements.
• Uncertainly about standards and strategies of promotion.
• Difficulty in linking reward with productivity
• Practicality of policies
Dalton observed that various type of alliances tend to develop among individuals; these alliances
may be vertical, horizontal or mixed and are prime means of acquiring influence. This
phenomenon of acquiring and exercising power seriously changes the command and control
system in the organization. It forces to deviate from the established norm and process.
8.2. Contrasting leadership and power

What differences are there between the two terms? Leaders use power as a means of attaining
group goals. Leaders achieve goals, and power is the means of facilitating their achievement. To
sum up:
• Leaders use power as a means of attaining group goals.
• Leaders achieve goals, and power is a means of facilitating their achievement.
• Power does not require goal compatibility, merely dependence.
• Leadership, on the other hand, requires some congruence between the goals of the leader and
those being led.
• Leadership focuses on the downward influence on one’s followers.
• Leadership research, for the most part, emphasizes style.
Power does not minimize the importance of lateral and upward influence patterns.
8.3. Bases and sources of Power

Bases of Power
French and Raven (1959) and Raven (1965) have put forward following six bases of power.
(a) Rewards: this power source derives from the person’s control over resources, for example
power to control human resources, pay and promotion. The greater perceived value of each
rewards, the greater the power. These rewards can be extrinsic in nature with tangible values as
well as intrinsic such as praise or recognition.
(b) Coercive: the power to punish or reward the power to threaten and to use one’s position to
force others to take action. It reflects the extent to which a manager can deny desired rewards or
administer punishment to control other people. For example a threat to meet given targets
otherwise there would be reduction in salary.
(c) Legitimate: the power which is exercised in accordance with organizational rules. This is a
power which is exercised with the authority of organization. Power derives from our cultural
system of rights, obligations and duties, whereby position is accepted by people, i.e. right of
private property.
(d) Referent: this depends on charisma or personal attraction of the individual. Interpersonal
skill and emotional support from others are the sources of power for a person. The stronger the
association, the stronger the power. For example Mahatma
Gandhi, people believed in his ideology.
(e) Expert: power which derives from knowledge. Sometimes called sapient authority, this is
power based on an acknowledgement of others expertise e.g. physician.
Sources of Power (Organizational Based)

1. Knowledge as power: Information Technology has taken a big leap in the last two decades.
Information is necessary for top management to take decisions. Information is vital to carry out
various operations in the business environment. Thus a person or a group holding information
becomes more powerful than their counter part. Flow of information is necessary for continuous
production or service operations. Persons who are in position to control the flow of information
wield enormous power to influence the behavior of others.
2. Resource as power: Resources are necessary for any organization. While material or tangible
resources can be procured easily, it is the availability of these resources, at right time, at right
place in a required quality and at a competitive price. Any person having monopoly over scares
resources wield power. When project is required to be started, it is government agencies which
delay the project for want of various resources, like power, water, etc. Human Resources are
critical. Any person having direct or indirect control over making skilled persons available holds
power. Organization cannot survive without adequate availability of various resources.
3. Decision making as power: Decision making as power in organization rests with the head of
the organization. Decision making is delegated to departmental heads depending upon the nature
of work, ability of the departmental heads and the trust enjoyed by them. Decision making is one
of the most important processes of management.
Decisions are influenced, may be by subordinates, peers, friends or even family members who
are psychologically close to decision maker. Therefore, both a person having decision making
authority and a person who can influence decision making have power in the organization.
Hiring a close relative, purchases in the organization, client selections etc. are day to day events
in the organization which, indicate the power centers.
4. Power Centers: There exist people in the organization who desire to be stronger.
They also want people dependent on them. Specialists, people with special powers deliberately
delay decisions or hold resources so that they become more demanding.
Power centers exist in various departments. It may in form of reservoir of power.
5. Dependency: Strength of power depends upon degree of dependency. Greater the dependency
on the power holder greater influence will the power holder exercised over his subordinates. All
managers have two dimensional power bases. One is the power generated by the organizational
authority and the second, the personal power by virtue of personality.
8.4. Power in group coalitions
A coalition is a collection of individuals who have banded together, thereby combining their
individual sources of power. As the members of the Tagi alliance found in the hit television
show Survivor, coalitions are the secret to power in organizations. When you join a coalition,
your individual power is increased by the power of the others in the group. If you have one vote
in an election, you cannot elect anyone on your own. But if you can gather together a large group
of voters (each with one vote), those voters can decide who gets elected.
Coalitions represent a form of power sharing and, consequently, joining one incurs some costs.
Then it would be more than just your one voice; then your voice would have the strength of
numbers behind it. One of the problems with this strategy, of course, is that finding other
managers who want exactly what you want may be difficult. Under these conditions, you could
form a compromise coalition.
Likewise, in a compromise coalition, all the members of the coalition are interested in the same
issues, but they don't all get exactly what they want. The members of the coalition compromise
on what each wants to make sure that the coalition gets something for its effort

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CHAPTER EIGHT - POWER AND POLITICS IN AN ORGANIZATION

8.1. Definition of Power

8.2. Contrasting leadership and power

8.3. Bases and sources of Power

Sources of Power (Organizational Based)

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