OB ch 8 - Power, influence, and politics

Power

The capacity to influence the actions of others

Two broad sources of power in organizations

Positional: power can derive from the position one holds in an organization

Personal: power can derive from a personal attribute one has

6 bases of power

1. Coercive power

2. Reward power

3. Legitimate power

4. Referent power

5. Expert power

6. Informational power

Coercive power

The ability to issue punishments, threats or sanctions

Reward power

The ability to offer rewards, incentives, etc

Legitimate power

Influence derived from having formal or officially sanctioned authority over others

Referent power

Influence an individual gains over others who desire to identify and associate with them

Expert power

Influence that derives from possessing knowledge or expertise on which others depend on

Informational power

Temporary possession of needed or wanted information

Influence tactics

Strategies used to influence others

• Can be characterized as soft or hard

The result of influence tactics are either:

• Commitment

• Compliance

• Resistance

Soft influence tactics

More subtle and relationship focused. They seek to garner commitment or buy in

• used to affect peoples behaviour, attitude, or decisions

• goal is to inspire, convince, or collaborate with others

Includes:

• Rational persuasion

• Inspirational appeals

• Personal appeals

• Consultation

• Ingratiation

• Exchange

Rational persuasion in soft influence tactics

The use of logic, reason, and evidence

Inspirational appeals in soft influence tactics

The use of emotion to rouse enthusiasm by appealing to the values and ideals of others or increasing their confidence that they can succeed

Personal appeals in soft influence tactics

Seeking cooperation based on friendship or as a personal favour

Consultation in soft influence tactics

Seeking influence through offering participation in decision-making or planning

Ingratiation in soft influence tactics

Seeking influence through getting someone in a good mood or winning their favour before making a request

Exchange in soft influence tactics

Offering rewards or benefits in exchange for cooperation

Hard influence tactics

More direct and assertive and typically seek compliance

• to get quick compliance or obedience, often without discussion

Includes:

• Coalition

• Pressure (or assertiveness)

• Upward appeals

• Informational control

• Silent authority

Coalition in hard influence tactics

Using the support of others as an argument for cooperation

Pressure in hard influence tactics

The use of demands, threats, or intimidation

Upward appeals in hard influence tactics

Seeking influence through the approval or acceptance of those in higher positions before making a request of someone

Informational control

Withholding information to influence outcomes

Silent authority in influence tactics

Influencing others through unspoken but acknowledged power

• Different from other influence tactics in that it is passive, and the person influences others through silent authority when they may or not be aware of it

What role does politics play in organizations?

Politics is present in every organization

• May override formal policies (through precedence)

• Filling gaps in the official hierarchy, especially when organizational priorities and values are unclear

When are political behaviours more likely to occur?

When organizational priorities and values are unclear, making decision-making protocols ambiguous (unclear)

How is political behaviour commonly defined in organizational literature?

When someone tries to get ahead at work by doing things that arent part of the official rules.

• Actions are focused on personal gain

• Can sometimes hurt others or the organization (often at the expense of the organization or other employees)

• Ex: bending the rules, leaving others out of decisions, using personal connections to get a promotion

Negative outcomes associated with perceptions of organizational politics (POPs)

• Higher levels of stress

• Anxiety

• Job dissatisfaction

• Lower organizational commitment and job performance

Are political behaviours always negative?

No, they are ambivalent - they can be positive or negative depending on whether the outcome is functional or dysfunctional

What determines whether political behaviour is positive or negative?

Its outcomes, not whether it is unsanctioned or self-interested

• Positive: bending the rules has aided me in doing a superior job

• Negative: favouritism rather than merit determines who gets ahead in my work group

How did Mayes and Allen define political behaviour?

When someone uses influence (like persuasion or personal connections) to get things done that either:

• Arent allowed by the organization, or

• Are allowed goals, but done in unofficial ways (like bending the rules)

Its about working around formal rules to get results

Can political behaviour benefit the organization?

Yes, it can align with organizational interests and may be necessary for effectiveness

4 Ways political behaviour may be functional

• Be consistent with the interests of the organization

• Overcomes unforeseen difficulties not addressed by formal authority

• Fills gaps in formal rules

• Raises minority interests or gets things done when no formal means exist

Political behaviour has been found to positively impact

• Leader-member relations

• Career mentoring

• Customer satisfaction

2 Individual-level antecedents to political behaviour

• Political will

• Political skill

Political will

A persons willingness to put effort into pursuing political goals in the workplace

2 Components of political will

1. Need for achievement

2. Intrinsic motivation (drive to engage in an activity for its satisfaction, not external benefits)

Political skill

The ability to understand others at work and use that knowledge to influence them to reach personal or organizational goals

4 dimensions of political skill

1. Social astuteness

2. Interpersonal influence

3. Networking ability

4. Apparent sincerity

Social astuteness

The ability to read social situations and adjust your behaviour accordingly

Interpersonal influence

The ability to influence others to make the changes you want

Networking ability

The ability to find people with helpful resources or connections and build relationships with them

Apparent sincerity

When a person appears genuine and sincere, making others more likely to trust them and not see them as manipulative