Robbins: Organizational Behavior

Chapter Thirteen

POWER AND POLITICS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Contrast leadership and power.

Define the four bases of power.
Clarify what creates dependency in power relationships.
List seven power tactics and their contingencies.
Explain how sexual harassment is about the abuse of power.
Describe the importance of a political perspective.
List those individual and organizational factors that stimulate political behavior.
Identify seven techniques for managing the impression one makes on others.
Explain how defensive behaviors can protect an individuals self-interest.
List the three questions that can help determine if a political action is ethical.

CHAPTER OVERVIEW
If you want to get things done in a group or organization, it helps to have power. As a manager who wants
to maximize your power, you will want to increase others dependence on you. You can, for instance, increase
your power in relation to your boss by developing knowledge or a skill that he needs and for which he perceives
no ready substitute, but power is a two-way street. You will not be alone in attempting to build your power bases.
Others, particularly employees and peers, will be seeking to make you dependent on them. The result is a
continual battle. While you seek to maximize others dependence on you, you will be seeking to minimize your
dependence on others, and, of course, others you work with will be trying to do the same.
Few employees relish being powerless in their job and organization. It hass been argued, for instance,
that when people in organizations are difficult, argumentative, and temperamental, it may be because they are in
positions of powerlessness, where the performance expectations placed on them exceed their resources and
capabilities.
There is evidence that people respond differently to the various power bases. Expert and referent power
are derived from an individuals personal qualities. In contrast, coercion, reward, and legitimate power are
essentially organizationally derived. Since people are more likely to enthusiastically accept and commit to an
individual whom they admire or whose knowledge they respect (rather than someone who relies on his or her
position to reward or coerce them), the effective use of expert and referent power should lead to higher employee
performance, commitment, and satisfaction. Competence especially appears to offer wide appeal, and its use as
a power base results in high performance by group members. The message for managers seems to be: Develop
and use your expert power base!
The power of your boss may also play a role in determining your job satisfaction. One of the reasons
many of us like to work for and with people who are powerful is that they are generally more pleasant, not
because it is their native disposition, but because the reputation and reality of being powerful permits them more
discretion and more ability to delegate to others.
The effective manager accepts the political nature of organizations. By assessing behavior in a political
framework, you can better predict the actions of others and use this information to formulate political strategies
that will gain advantages for you and your work unit.
Some people are just significantly more politically astute than are others. Those who are good at playing
politics can be expected to get higher performance evaluations, and hence, larger salary increases and
promotions. They are more likely to exhibit higher job satisfaction.
WEB EXERCISES
At the end of each chapter of this instructors manual, you will find suggested exercises and ideas for researching
the WWW on OB topics. The exercises Exploring OB Topics on the Web are set up so that you can simply
photocopy the pages, distribute them to your class, and make assignments accordingly. You may want to assign
the exercises as an out-of-class activity or as lab activities with your class. Within the lecture notes the graphic
will note that there is a WWW activity to support this material.

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Chapter Thirteen

The chapter opens introducing Jacques Nasser, the former CEO of Ford Motor Co. Nassers style managed to
anger almost every core relationship Ford Motor company had. He alienated many people with the decisions he
made, but most importantly, he aliened Mr. Ford, whose family owned 40 percent of the voting stock, and who
was Chairman of FMC. He failed to maintain the support of the one person with the power to terminate his
relationship with FMC.
A Definition of Power

Notes:

1. Definition: Power refers to a capacity that A has to influence the behavior of

B, so that B acts in accordance with As wishes.

Power may exist but not be used. It is, therefore, a capacity or potential.

2. Probably the most important aspect of power is that it is a function of

dependency.

The greater Bs dependence on A, the greater is As power in the

relationship.

Dependence, in turn, is based on alternatives that B perceives and the

importance that B places on the alternative(s) that A controls.

A person can have power over you only if he or she controls something
you desire.

Contrasting Leadership and Power

Notes:

1. Leaders use power as a means of attaining group goals. Leaders achieve

goals, and power is a means of facilitating their achievement.
2. Differences between Leadership and Power:

Goal compatibility:

a. Power does not require goal compatibility, merely dependence.

b. Leadership, on the other hand, requires some congruence between the
goals of the leader and those being led.

The direction of influence:

a. Leadership focuses on the downward influence on ones followers.
b. Leadership research, for the most part, emphasizes style.
c. Power does not minimize the importance of lateral and upward
influence patterns.
d. The research on power has tended to encompass a broader area and
focus on tactics for gaining compliance.

Bases of Power
A. Formal Power

Notes:

1. Coercive Power:

The coercive power base is being dependent on fear.

It rests on the application, or the threat of application, of physical sanctions

such as the infliction of pain, the generation of frustration through
restriction of movement, or the controlling by force of basic physiological or
safety needs.
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Chapter Thirteen

A. Formal Power (cont.)

Notes:

At the organizational level, A has coercive power over B if A can dismiss,

suspend, or demote B, assuming that B values his or her job.

Similarly, if A can assign B work activities that B finds unpleasant or treat B

in a manner that B finds embarrassing, A possesses coercive power over
B.

2. Reward Power:

The opposite of coercive power is reward power.

People comply because doing so produces positive benefits; therefore,

one who can distribute rewards that others view as valuable will have
power over those others.

These rewards can be anything that another person values.

Coercive power and reward power are actually counterparts of each other.
a. If you can remove something of positive value from another or inflict
something of negative value upon him/her, you have coercive power
over that person.
b. If you can give someone something of positive value or remove
something of negative value, you have reward power over that person.

3. Legitimate Power:

In formal groups and organizations, the most frequent access power is

ones structural position. It represents the power a person receives as a
result of his/her position in the formal hierarchy.

Positions of authority include coercive and reward powers.

Legitimate power, however, is broader than the power to coerce and

reward. It includes acceptance of the authority of a position by members of
an organization.

4. Information Power:

Refers to power that comes from access to and control over information.
When people have needed information, others become dependant on
them. (For example, managers have access to data that subordinates do
not have).

B. Personal Power
1. Expert Power:

Expert power is "influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or

knowledge."

Expertise has become a powerful source of influence as the world has

become more technological. As jobs become more specialized, we
become increasingly dependent on experts to achieve goals.

2. Referent Power:

Its base is identification with a person who has desirable resources or

personal traits. If I admire and identify with you, you can exercise power
over me because I want to please you.
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Chapter Thirteen

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Chapter Thirteen

B. Personal Power (cont.)

Notes:

Referent power develops out of admiration of another and a desire to be

like that person; it is a lot like charisma.

Referent power explains why celebrities are paid millions of dollars to

endorse products in commercials.

3. Charismatic Power:

Is an extension of referent power stemming from an individuals personality

and interpersonal style.

Others follow because they can articulate attractive visions, take personal
risks, demonstrate follower sensitivity, etc.

Dependency: The Key to Power

Notes:

1. The General Dependency Postulate:

The greater Bs dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B.

a. When you possess anything that others require but that you alone
control, you make them dependent upon you and, therefore, you gain
power over them.

Dependency, then, is inversely proportional to the alternative sources of

supply.
a. This is why most organizations develop multiple suppliers rather using
just one.
b. It also explains why so many of us aspire to financial independence.

2. What Creates Dependency?

Importance
a. To create dependency, the thing(s) you control must be perceived as
being important.
b. Organizations actively seek to avoid uncertainty.
c. Therefore, those individuals or groups who can absorb an
organizations uncertainty will be perceived as controlling an important
resource.

Scarcity

a. A resource needs to be perceived as scarce to create dependency.

b. Low-ranking members in an organization who have important
knowledge not available to high-ranking members gain power over the
high-ranking members.
c. The scarcity-dependency relationship can further be seen in the power
of occupational categories.
d. Individuals in occupations in which the supply of personnel is low
relative to demand can negotiate compensation and benefit packages,
which are far more attractive than can those in occupations where
there is an abundance of candidates.
Nonsubstitutability
a. The more that a resource has no viable substitutes, the more power
that control over that resource provides.

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Chapter Thirteen

Power Tactics

Notes:

1. Ways Powerholders Get What They Want

One hundred sixty five managers were asked to write essays describing an
incident in which they influenced their bosses, co-workers, or employees.
From those essays:
a. Three hundred seventy power tactics were identified and grouped into
14 categories.
b. These were condensed into a 58-item questionnaire, and given to over
750 employees.
c. These respondents were asked not only how they went about
influencing others at work but also for the possible reasons for
influencing the target person.

2. The findings identified seven tactical dimensions or strategies:

ReasonUse of facts and data to make a logical or rational presentation

of ideas
FriendlinessUse of flattery, creation of goodwill, acting humble, and
being friendly
CoalitionGetting the support of other people in the organization to back
up the request
BargainingUse of negotiation through the exchange of benefits or favors
AssertivenessUse of a direct and forceful approach such as demanding
compliance
Higher authorityGaining the support of higher levels in the organization
to back up requests
SanctionsUse of organizationally derived rewards and punishments

3. Employees do not rely on the seven tactics equally. (See Exhibit 13-2).

The most popular strategy was the use of reason.

Contingency variables that affect the selection of a power tactic

a. The managers relative power impacts the selection of tactics in two
ways.
First, managers who control resources that are valued by others,
or who are perceived to be in positions of dominance, use a
greater variety of tactics than do those with less power.
Second, managers with power use assertiveness with greater
frequency than do those with less power.
Resistance leads to managers using more directive strategies.
b. The managers objectives for wanting to influence causes them to vary
their power tactics.
Seeking benefits from a superior, they use friendliness.
Attempting to persuade their superiors to accept new ideas, they
usually rely on reason.
Managers use reason to sell ideas to employees and friendliness
to obtain favors.
c. The managers expectation of the target persons willingness to comply
When past experience indicates a high probability of success,
managers use simple requests to gain compliance.
Where success is less predictable, managers are more tempted to
use assertiveness and sanctions to achieve their objectives.
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Chapter Thirteen

Power Tactics (cont.)

Notes:

d. The organizations culture

The organizational culture in which a manager works, therefore,
will have a significant bearing on defining which tactics are
considered appropriate.
The organization itself will influence which subset of power tactics
is viewed as acceptable for use by managers.
e. People in different countries tend to prefer different power tactics.
US prefers reason whereas China prefers coalition tactics.
Differences are consistent with values among countriesreason is
consistent with Americans preference for direct confrontation and
coalition is consistent with the Chinese preference for using
indirect approaches.
Power in Groups: Coalitions

Notes:

1. Those out of power and seeking to be in will first try to increase their power
individually.
2. If ineffective, the alternative is to form a coalitionan informal group bound
together by the active pursuit of a single issue.
3. The natural way to gain influence is to become a powerholder but this may be
difficult, risky, costly, or impossible.

In such cases, efforts will be made to form a coalition of two or more outs
who, by joining together, can combine their resources to increase rewards
for themselves.

Successful coalitions have been found to contain fluid membership and are
able to form swiftly, achieve their target issue, and quickly disappear.

4. Predictions about Coalition Formation

First, coalitions in organizations often seek to maximize their size.

a. Decision-making in organizations does not end just with selection from
among a set of alternatives.
b. The decision must also be implemented.
c. The implementation of and commitment to the decision is at least as
important as the decision.
d. It is necessary for coalitions in organizations to seek a broad
constituency.
e. This coalition expansion is to facilitate consensus building
f. In political science theory, coalitions move the other waythey try to
minimize their size.

Another prediction relates to the degree of interdependence within the

organization.
a. More coalitions will likely be created where there is a great deal of task
and resource interdependence.
b. In contrast, there will be less interdependence among subunits and
less coalition formation activity where subunits are largely selfcontained or resources are abundant.

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Power in Groups: Coalitions (cont.)

Chapter Thirteen
Notes:

Finally, coalition formation will be influenced by the actual tasks that

workers do.
a. The more routine the task of a group, the greater the likelihood that
coalitions will form.
b. The more that the work that people do is routine, the greater their
substitutability.

Instructor Note: At this point in the lecture you may want to introduce the TEAM EXERCISE Understanding
Power Dynamics found in the text and at the end of these chapter notes.
Sexual Harassment: Unequal Power in the Workplace
1. Importance:

The issue received increasing attention by corporations and the media in

the 1980s because of the growing ranks of female employees.
It was the congressional hearings in the fall of 1991 in which law professor
Anita Hill graphically accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas
of sexual harassment that challenged organizations to reassess their
harassment policies and practices.

2. Sexual Harassment Defined:

"Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individuals

employment."
A 1993 Supreme Court decision added that the key test for determining if
sexual harassment has occurred is whether comments or behavior in a
work environment would reasonably be perceived, and is perceived, as
hostile or abusive.
There continues to be disagreement as to what specifically constitutes
sexual harassment:
a. Overt forms of sexual harassment of female employees. This includes
unwanted physical touching, recurring requests for dates when it is
made clear the woman is not interested, and coercive threats that a
woman will lose her job if she refuses a sexual proposition.
b. The problem todaysubtle forms of sexual harassment such as
unwanted looks or comments, off-color jokes, sexual artifacts like nude
calendars in the workplace, etc.

Most studies confirm that the concept of power is central to understanding

sexual harassment.
The supervisor-employee dyad best characterizes an unequal power
relationship.
a. It is also worth noting that individuals who occupy high-status roles
(like management positions) sometimes believe that sexually
harassing female employees is merely an extension of their right to
make demands on lower-status individuals.
b. Because of power inequities, sexual harassment by ones boss
typically creates the greatest difficulty for those who are being
harassed.
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior

Chapter Thirteen

Although coworkers do not have position power, they can have influence
and use it to sexually harass peers.

Sexual Harassment: Unequal Power in the Workplace (cont.)

Notes:

a. Coworkers are the most frequent perpetrators of sexual harassment in

organizations.
b. Coworkers exercise power by providing or withholding information,
cooperation, and support.

Women in positions of power can be subjected to sexual harassment from

males who occupy less powerful positions. The employee devalues the
woman through highlighting traditional gender stereotypes that reflect
negatively on the woman in power.
Sexual harassment is about power:
a. It is about an individual controlling or threatening another individual.
b. It is wrong.
c. It is illegal.

Instructor Note: At this point in the lecture you may want to introduce the CASE INCIDENT Damned If You
Do; Damned If You Dont found in the text and at the end of these chapter notes. A suggestion for a class
exercise follows the material.
Politics: Power in Action
1. Definition: those activities that are not required as part of ones formal role in
the organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of
advantages and disadvantages within the organization.
2. This definition encompasses key elements.
a. Political behavior is outside ones specified job requirements.
b. It encompasses efforts to influence the goals, criteria, or processes
used for decision-making.
c. It includes such varied political behaviors as withholding key
information from decision makers, whistleblowing, spreading rumors,
leaking confidential information, etc.
3. The Legitimate-Illegitimate Dimension

Legitimate political behavior refers to normal everyday politics

complaining to your supervisor, bypassing the chain of command, forming
coalitions, etc.

Illegitimate political behaviors that violate the implied rules of the game,
such as sabotage, whistleblowing, and symbolic protests, etc.

The vast majority of all organizational political actions are legitimate. The
extreme illegitimate forms of political behavior pose a very real risk of loss
of organizational membership or extreme sanction.

A. The Reality of Politics

1. Politics is a fact of life in organizations.
2. Organizations are made up of individuals and groups with different values,
goals, and interests. This sets up the potential for conflict over resources.
3. Resources in organizations are also limited, which often turns potential conflict
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Notes:

Robbins: Organizational Behavior

into real conflict. Because resources are limited, not everyones interests can
be provided for causing the conflict.

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Chapter Thirteen

Robbins: Organizational Behavior

Chapter Thirteen

A. The Reality of Politics (cont.)

Notes:

Gains by one individual or group are often perceived as being at the

expense of others.

These forces create a competition.

4. The most important factor leading to politics within organizations is the

realization that most of the facts that are used to allocate the limited
resources are open to interpretation.
a. What is good performance?
b. Whats an adequate improvement?
5. Most managerial decisions take place in the large and ambiguous middle
ground of organizational life.
6. Because most decisions have to be made in a climate of ambiguity, people
within organizations will use whatever influence they can to taint the facts to
support their goals and interests. These are activities we call politicking.
7. It is possible for an organization to be politics free, if all members of that
organization hold the same goals and interests, however, that is not the
organization most people work in.
Instructor Note: At this point in the lecture you may want to introduce the MYTH OR SCIENCE? Its Not What
You Know, Its Who You Know found in the text and below. A suggestion for a class exercise follows the material.

MYTH OR SCIENCE? Its Not What You Know, Its Who You Know
This statement is somewhat true. While knowledge is an increasingly important source of power, knowing
the right people increases your chances of getting ahead. Networking refers to "establishing effective
relationships with key people inside" and/or outside the organization and is an important activity performed by
managers who were promoted the fastest.
A study of general managers found: 1) they fully understood the importance of networking, 2) they
established a wide political network, which 3) provided them with information, 4) established cooperative
relationships that could enhance their careers, and 5) they did favors for these contacts, stressed the obligations
of these contacts, and called in these obligations when needed.
Research indicates that a persons location within an organization is an important determinant of his/her
influence. This evidence is not a rejection of job-relevant expertise but it indicates that who you know is
important.
Teaching notes
1. Lead a discussion of the ethicality of using personal contacts to get what you want in the following situation.
2. Situation: The administration of a state university wants all studentsfull, part-time, non-traditionalto pay a
fee every semester for the next three years to fund the building of a new physical learning center for the
campus. Students are upset because they do not want to pay for something they will not use. The student
government has been ineffective in getting the administration or board to hear the students. You discover that
your roommates parents are major donors to the university, are well-respected alumni, and are golfing
buddies with the universitys president. Your roommate does not care about the fee because money is not an
issue, but for you and your other friends, with heavy loans and having to work, this is a big deal. You have
been helping your roommate survive a couple of key classes by tutoring him/her and helping with papers by
offering suggestions. Your roommate went from failing to a C+ in these classes. You believe that your
roommates' parents could influence the university presidents final decision.
3. Should you use your relationship with your roommate to affect the administrations final decision?
4. Do you have enough political capital to get your roommate to help? How could you increase, and how would
you cash in your political capital?

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Chapter Thirteen

Factors Contributing to Political Behavior

Notes:

1. Individual factors:

Researchers have identified certain personality traits, needs, and other

factors that are likely to be related to political behavior.
a. Employees who are high self-monitors, possess an internal locus of
control, and have a high need for power are more likely to engage in
political behavior.
b. The high self-monitor is more sensitive to social cues and is more likely
to be skilled in political behavior than the low self-monitor.
c. Individuals with an internal locus of control are more prone to take a
proactive stance and attempt to manipulate situations in their favor.
d. The Machiavellian personality is comfortable using politics as a means
to further his/her self-interest.

An individuals investment in the organization, perceived alternatives, and

expectations of success will influence the tendency to pursue illegitimate
means of political action.
a. The more that a person has invested and the more a person has to
lose, the less likely he/she is to use illegitimate means.
b. The more alternative job opportunities an individual has, a prominent
reputation, or influential contacts outside the organization, the more
likely he/she will risk illegitimate political actions.
c. A low expectation of success in using illegitimate means diminishes the
probability of its use.

2. Organizational factors:

Political activity is probably more a function of the organizations

characteristics than of individual difference variables.

When an organizations resources are declining, when the existing pattern

of resources is changing, and when there is opportunity for promotions,
politics is more likely to surface.
a. Cultures characterized by low trust, role ambiguity, unclear
performance evaluation systems, zero-sum reward allocation
practices, democratic decision-making, high pressures for
performance, and self-serving senior managers will create breeding
grounds for politicking.
b. When organizations downsize to improve efficiency, people may
engage in political actions to safeguard what they have.
c. Promotion decisions have consistently been found to be one of the
most political in organizations.
d. The less trust there is within the organization, the higher the level of
political behavior and the more likely it will be illegitimate.
e. Role ambiguity means that the prescribed behaviors of the employee
are not clear.
There are fewer limits to the scope and functions of the
employees political actions.
The greater the role ambiguity, the more one can engage in
political activity with little chance of it being visible.

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Chapter Thirteen

Factors Contributing to Political Behavior (cont.)

Notes:

f. Subjective criteria in the appraisal process:

Subjective performance criteria create ambiguity.
Single outcome measures encourage doing whatever is necessary
to look good.
The more time that elapses between an action and its appraisal,
the more unlikely that the employee will be held accountable for
his/her political behaviors.
g. The zero-sum approach treats the reward pie as fixed so that any
gain one person or group achieves has to come at the expense of
another person or group. If I win, you must lose!
This encourages making others look bad and increasing the
visibility of what you do.
h. Making organizations less autocratic by asking managers to behave
more democratically is not necessarily embraced by all individual
managers.
Sharing their power with others runs directly against some
managers desires.
The result is that managers, especially those who began their
careers in the 1950s and 1960s, may use the required
committees, conferences, and group meetings in a superficial way
as arenas for maneuvering and manipulating.
i. The more pressure that employees feel to perform well, the more likely
they are to engage in politicking.
If a person perceives that his or her entire career is riding on the
next whatever, there is motivation to do whatever is necessary to
make sure the outcome is favorable.
j.

When employees see top management successfully engaging in

political behavior, a climate is created that supports politicking.

A. How Do People Respond to Organizational Politics?

1. There is very strong evidence indicating that perceptions of organizational
politics are negatively related to job satisfaction.
2. The perception of politics leads to anxiety or stress. When it get too much to
handle, employees quit.
3. It is a de-motivating force and performance may suffer as a result.
4. The effect of politics is moderated by the knowledge the individual has of the
decision making system and his/her political skills:

High political skills individuals often have improved performance.

Low political skills individuals often respond with defensive behaviors
reactive and protective behaviors to avoid action, change, or blame.

5. Reaction to organizational politics is also moderated by culture. In countries

that are more unstable politically, workers will tolerate higher levels of
politicking that more politically stable counties.

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Chapter Thirteen

B. Impression Management

Notes:

1. The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form
of them

We know that people have an ongoing interest in how others perceive and
evaluate them.
Being perceived positively by others should have benefits for people in
organizations.

2. Who engages in IMthe high self-monitor

Low self-monitors tend to present images of themselves that are consistent

with their personalities, regardless of the beneficial or detrimental effects
for them.

High self-monitors are good at reading situations and molding their

appearances and behavior to fit each situation.

3. IM does not imply that the impressions people convey are necessarily false.

Excuses and acclaiming, for instance, may be offered with sincerity.

You can actually believe that ads contribute little to sales in your region or
that you are the key to the tripling of your divisions sales.

4. Misrepresentation can have a high cost. If the image claimed is false, you may
be discredited.
5. Situations that are characterized by high uncertainty or ambiguity that provide
relatively little information for challenging a fraudulent claim increase the
likelihood of individuals misrepresenting themselves.
6. Only a limited number of studies have been undertaken to test the
effectiveness of IM techniques.

These have been essentially limited to job interview success.

The evidence is that IM behavior works.

7. In one study, interviewers felt that those applicants for a position as a customer
service representative who used IM techniques performed better in the
interview, and the interviewers seemed somewhat more inclined to hire these
people. When the applicants credentials were also considered, it was
apparent that the IM techniques alone that influenced the interviewers.
8. Another employment interview study looked at which IM techniques worked
best.

The researchers compared IM techniques that focused the conversation

on themselves (called a controlling style) with techniques that focused on
the interviewer (referred to as a submissive style).

Those applicants who used the controlling style were rated higher by
interviewers on factors such as motivation, enthusiasm, and even technical
skills, and they received more job offers.

A more recent study confirmed the value of a controlling style.

Instructor Note: At this point in the lecture you may want to introduce the OB IN THE NEWS Among the
Politically Inept, Ignorance is Bliss found in the text and below. A suggestion for a class exercise follows the
material.

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Chapter Thirteen

OB IN THE NEWS -- Among the Politically Inept, Ignorance Is Bliss

Why are some of the most politically inept people so completely unaware of their incompetence? Why, in
fact, does it often seem that the politically clueless are the most confident and self-assured about their political
skills? The answer may lie with studies undertaken at Cornell University.
The researchers at Cornell have found that most incompetent people do not know they are incompetent.
Actually, it is quite the opposite. Incompetents tend to be more confident of their abilities than people who do
things well. These studies help explain why the humor-impaired persist in telling jokes that are not funny or the
politically clueless continue to give advice to others on the fine points of getting ahead at work. For instance, one
of the findings from these studies was that college students who score lowest on grammar tests were the most
likely to overestimate how well they had performed.
The researchers concluded that one reason that the ignorant tend to be overly self-assured is that the
skills required for competence often are the same skills necessary to recognize competence. So incompetents
suffer a double liability. They reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, while their weak selfmonitoring skills also rob them of the ability to realize it.
Source: E. Goode, Among the Inept, Researchers Discover, Ignorance is Bliss, New York Times, January 18, 2000, p. D7.

Class Exercise: Discuss with students the following:

1. Whether or not politicking is a skills than can be learned.
2. How one could learn these skillsgiven they are more often organizational and situational specific.
3. Would they want to learn these skillswhat could be gained or lost?
Suggested reading list on this topic:

Games Mother Never Taught You: Corporate Gamesmanship for Women. Betty Lehan Harragan. Warner
Books. 1977 (a classic book for anyone who wants to understand corporate politics)
Power! How to Get It, How to Use It. Michael Korda. Ballantine Books. 1975
Tender Power: A Revolutionary Approach to Work and Intimacy. Sherry Suib Cohen. AddisonWellesley. 1978
The System Made Me Do It! A Life Changing Approach to Office Politics, by Susan Osborne, PhD., 1997, Life
Thread Publications, P. O. Box 185, Newark CA 94560-0185
Turf and Other Power Plays. Pamela Cuming. Prentice-Hall. 1985 (This is an excellent book, now out of print
but available in libraries!)

C. The Ethics of Behaving Politically

Notes:

1. Three ethical decision criteria are utilitarianism, rights, and justice. See Exhibit
13-8 for an illustration of a decision tree to guide ethical actions.
2. The first question you need to answer addresses self-interest versus
organizational goals. Ethical actions are consistent with the organizations
goals.
3. The second question concerns the rights of other parties.
4. The final question that needs to be addressed relates to whether or not the
political activity conforms to standards of equity and justice.
5. Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are often argued in ways to
make unethical practices seem ethical. Powerful people can become very good
at explaining self-serving behaviors. They can persuasively argue that unfair
actions are really fair and just.
Instructor Note: At this point in the lecture you may want to introduce the POINT-COUNTERPOINT Creating
Special Deals for Special Employees found in the text and at the end of these chapter notes. A suggestion for
a class exercise follows the material.
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QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW

1. What is power? How do you get it?
Answer Power refers to a capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B, so that B acts in accordance
with As wishes. Power may exist but not be used. It is, therefore, a capacity or potential. Probably the most
important aspect of power is that it is a function of dependency. The greater Bs dependence on A, the greater
is As power in the relationship. Dependence, in turn, is based on alternatives that B perceives and the
importance that B places on the alternative(s) that A controls. A person can have power over you only if he or
she controls something you desire.
2. Contrast power tactics with power bases. What are some of the key contingency variables that determine
which tactic a powerholder is likely to use?
Answer See Exhibit 13-1.
Coercive Power
The coercive power baserests on the application, or the threat of application, of physical sanctions such as
the infliction of pain, the generation of frustration through restriction of movement, or the controlling by force of
basic physiological or safety needs.
Reward Power
The opposite of coercive power is reward power. People comply because doing so produces positive benefits;
therefore, one who can distribute rewards that others view as valuable will have power over those others. To
the degree that an individual seeks rewards, your ability to give or withhold them gives you power over that
individual.
Legitimate Power
In formal groups and organizations, the most frequent access to a power base is ones structural position. It
represents the power a person receives as a result of his/her position in the formal hierarchy. Legitimate
power, however, is broader than the power to coerce and reward. It includes acceptance by members of an
organization of the authority of a position.
Expert Power
Expert power is influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge. Expertise has become a
powerful source of influence as the world has become more technological. As jobs become more specialized,
we become increasingly dependent on experts to achieve goals.
Referent Power
Its base is identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits. Referent power
develops out of admiration of another and a desire to be like that person. It is a lot like charisma. Referent
power explains why celebrities are paid millions of dollars to endorse products in commercials.
3. Which power bases lie with the individual? Which are derived from the organization?
Answer
Individual based
Expert power is influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge. As jobs become more
specialized, we become increasingly dependent on experts to achieve goals.
Referent power develops out of admiration of another and a desire to be like that person; it is a lot like
charisma. Referent power explains why celebrities are paid millions of dollars to endorse products in
commercials.
Organizationally based
The coercive power base rests on the application, or the threat of application, of physical sanctions, the
generation of frustration through restriction of movement, or the controlling by force of basic physiological or
safety needs.
The opposite of coercive power is reward power. People comply because doing so produces positive benefits;
therefore, one who can distribute rewards that others view as valuable will have power over those others. To
the degree that an individual seeks rewards, your ability to give or withhold them gives you power over that
individual.
In formal groups and organizations, the most frequent access power is ones structural position. It represents
the power a person receives as a result of his/her position in the formal hierarchy.
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4. State the general dependency postulate. What does it mean?

Answer The greater Bs dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B. When you possess anything
that others require but that you alone control, you make them dependent upon you and, therefore, you gain
power over them. Dependency is inversely proportional to the alternative sources of supply.
5. What creates dependency? Give an applied example.
Answer Three elements create dependency.
Importance
To create dependency, the thing(s) you control must be perceived as being important. Organizations
actively seek to avoid uncertainty. Therefore, those individuals or groups who can absorb an
organizations uncertainty will be perceived as controlling an important resource.
Scarcity
A resource needs to be perceived as scarce to create dependency. Low-ranking members in an
organization who have important knowledge not available to high-ranking members gain power over the
high-ranking members. The scarcity-dependency relationship can further be seen in the power of
occupational categories. Individuals in occupations in which the supply of personnel is low relative to
demand can negotiate compensation and benefit packages that are far more attractive than can those in
occupations where there is an abundance of candidates.
Nonsubstitutability
The more that a resource has no viable substitutes, the more power that control over that resource
provides.
6. What is a coalition? When is it likely to develop?
Answer A coalition is an informal group bound together by the active pursuit of a single issue. The logic
strength in numbers. The natural way to gain influence is to become a powerholder. When building a personal
power base is difficult, risky, costly, or impossible, efforts will be made to form a coalition. Successful
coalitions have been found to contain fluid membership and are able to form swiftly, achieve their target issue,
and quickly disappear.
7. How are power and politics related?
Answer Both are used to affect decision making in the organization or behaviors by members. Political
behavior is dependent on having some type of power, or it can be a way to circumvent the lack of
organizational power. It encompasses efforts to influence the goals, criteria, or processes used for decisionmaking. It includes such varied political behaviors as withholding key information from decision makers,
whistleblowing, spreading rumors, leaking confidential information about organizational activities to the media,
exchanging favors with others in the organization for mutual benefit, and lobbying on behalf of or against a
particular individual or decision alternative. Both also have a legitimate-illegitimate dimension. Legitimate
political behavior refers to normal everyday politics. There are also illegitimate political behaviors that violate
the implied rules of the game.
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 ones followers.
Leadership research, for the most part, emphasizes style.
Power does not minimize the importance of lateral and upward influence patterns.
8. Define political behavior. Why is politics a fact of life in organizations?
Answer Many definitions focus on the use of power to affect decision making in the organization or on
behaviors by members that are self-serving and organizationally non-sanctioned. We shall define political
behavior in organizations as those activities that are not required as part of ones formal role in the
organization but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages
within the organization. Politics is a fact of life in organizations because organizations are made up of
individuals and groups with different values, goals, and interests. This sets up the potential for conflict over
resources. Resources in organizations are also limited, which often turns potential conflict into real conflict.
Also, gains by one individual or group are often perceived as being at the expense of others within the
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organization. These forces create a competition among members for the organizations limited resources.
Finally, the realization that most of the facts that are used to allocate the limited resources are open to

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interpretation creates political behavior. Because most decisions have to be made in a climate of ambiguity,
where facts are rarely fully objective, and thus are open to interpretation, people within organizations will use
whatever influence they can to taint the facts to support their goals and interests.
9. What factors contribute to political activity?
Answer Exhibit 13-5 illustrates both individual and organizational factors.
Individual factorsresearchers have identified certain personality traits, needs, and other factors that are
likely to be related to political behavior.
Traitsemployees who are high self-monitors, possess an internal locus of control, and have a high need
for power are more likely to engage in political behavior.
1. The high self-monitor is more sensitive to social cues and is more likely to be skilled in political
behavior than the low self-monitor.
2. Individuals with an internal locus of control are more prone to take a proactive stance and attempt to
manipulate situations in their favor.
3. The Machiavellian personality is comfortable using politics as a means to further his/her self-interest.
An individuals investment in the organization, perceived alternatives, and expectations of success will
influence the tendency to pursue illegitimate means of political action.
Organizational factorsPolitical activity is probably more a function of the organizations characteristics than
of individual difference variables. When an organizations resources are declining, when the existing pattern of
resources is changing, and when there is opportunity for promotions, politics is more likely to surface.
Organizational culture is characterized by low trust, role ambiguity, etc.
Making organizations less autocratic by asking managers to behave more democratically is not
necessarily embraced by all individual managers.
10. What is impression management? What type of people are most likely to engage in IM?
Answer This is the process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them. We
know that people have an ongoing interest in how others perceive and evaluate them. Being perceived
positively by others should have benefits for people in organizations.
Who engages in IMthe high self-monitor. Low self-monitors tend to present images of themselves that are
consistent with their personalities regardless of the beneficial or detrimental effects for them. High selfmonitors are good at reading situations and molding their appearances and behavior to fit each situation.
QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKING
1. Based on the information presented in this chapter, what would you do as a recent college graduate entering
a new job to maximize your power and accelerate your career progress?
Answer Eight suggestions for improving organizational political effectiveness.
1. Frame arguments in terms of organizational goals. Effective politicking requires camouflaging your selfinterest.
2. Develop the right image. If you know your organizations culture, you understand what the organization
wants and values from its employees. Then project the appropriate image.
3. Gain control of organizational resources. Knowledge and expertise are particularly effective resources to
control.
4. Make yourself appear indispensable. You do not have to really be indispensable as long as key people in
the organization believe that you are.
5. Be visible. Because performance evaluation has a substantial subjective component, it is important that
your boss and those in power in the organization be made aware of your contribution.
6. Develop powerful allies. It helps to have powerful people in your camp. Cultivate contacts with potentially
influential people above you, at your own level, and in the lower ranks.
7. Avoid tainted members. In almost every organization, there are fringe members whose status is
questionable.
8. Support your boss. Your immediate future is in the hands of your current boss. Do not undermine your
boss, and do not speak negatively of him/her to others.

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2. Politics is not inherently bad. It is merely a way to get things accomplished within organizations. Do you
agree or disagree? Defend your position.
Answer The variety of student responses should take into consideration the following items. The inherent
elements of political behavior in organizations are those activities that are not required as part of ones formal
role in the organization but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and
disadvantages within the organization.
The legitimate-illegitimate dichotomy. Legitimate political behavior refers to normal everyday politics
complaining to your supervisor, bypassing the chain of command, forming coalitions, etc. Illegitimate political
behaviors that violate the implied rules of the game are sabotage, whistleblowing, and symbolic protests, etc.
The vast majority of all organizational political actions are legitimate. The extreme illegitimate forms of political
behavior pose a very real risk of loss of organizational membership or extreme sanction.
3. You are a sales representative for an international software company. After four excellent years, sales in your
territory are off 30 percent this year. Describe three defensive responses you might use to reduce the
potential negative consequences of this decline in sales.
Answer Students can choose from several defensive behaviors, but we recommend the best three in this
situation would be:
Justifyingincludes developing explanations that lessen your responsibility for a negative outcome and/or
apologizing to demonstrate remorse.
Scapegoatingthe classic effort to place the blame for a negative outcome on external factors that are
not entirely blameworthy.
Misrepresentinginvolves the manipulation of information by distortion, embellishment, deception,
selective presentation, or obfuscation.
4. Sexual harassment should not be tolerated at the workplace. Workplace romances are a natural occurrence
in organizations. Are both of these statements true? Can they be reconciled?
Answer Sexual harassment is any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individuals
employment. A 1993 Supreme Court decision added that the key test for determining if sexual harassment
has occurred is whether comments or behavior in a work environment would reasonably be perceived, and is
perceived, as hostile or abusive. There continues to be disagreement as to what specifically constitutes
sexual harassment.
The above adds to the confusion on this issue. On the one hand, central to our value system is equality of
people whether gender, age, or sex-based. Sexual harassment is a basic violation of that. At the same time,
the changing roles and socialization of men and women is adding to the confusion and probability of
miscommunication in the workplace.
Work is where most of us spend the majority of our waking hours. It is only natural that personal
relationships and, in some cases, romances will develop. So, the reality is that office romances are part of
men and women working together. However, due to the sensitivity of the equality and harassment issue, the
naturally volatile state of personal relationships and the need for professionals working together regardless of
personal feelings, office romances have a high probability of creating problems.
Key here is that the students understand the difference between their current college environment and the
professional environment in the real working world.
5. Which impression management techniques have you used? What ethical implications are there, if any, in
using impression management?
Answer Key here is helping students understand that they have, whether intentionally or not, used
impression management. Also, they should think through the ethicality of such techniques. One can make an
argument for either side of this issue. On the one hand, impression management may lead to false
impressions; on the other, it may appropriately help a superior be more aware of you and things you are
doing. Use Exhibit 13-6 as a reference for some of the more popular IM techniques and examples of each.
IM does not imply that the impressions people convey are necessarily false. Excuses and acclaiming, for
instance, may be offered with sincerity. You can actually believe that ads contribute little to sales in your
region or that you are the key to the tripling of your divisions sales.
Misrepresentation can have a high cost. If the image claimed is false, you may be discredited. Situations that
are characterized by high uncertainty or ambiguity that provide relatively little information for challenging a
fraudulent claim increase the likelihood of individuals misrepresenting themselves.
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POINT-COUNTERPOINT Empowerment Improves Employee Productivity

POINT
In countries such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, terms of employment are largely mandated
by law and hence highly standardized. In contrast, in countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and New
Zealand, managers have considerable leeway to negotiate idiosyncratic deals with employees. In these latter
countries, managers are increasingly using this latitude to customize their treatment of special individuals.
Two trends help explain the growth in special deals for certain employees. First, the demand for
knowledge workers with distinctive competencies in a highly competitive market means workers have greater
power to negotiate employment conditions suited to their tastes and preferences. Second, the decline in
unionization and the weakening of the job securitybased model of organizational careers have led to less
standardized conditions of employment.
In order to hire, motivate, and keep highly skilled workers, managers are negotiating special treatment for
certain employees. Examples of this special treatment include higher pay than others for doing similar work,
allowing an employee to work from home several days a week, permitting an employee to leave early to fulfill
family obligations, upgraded travel arrangements, and allowing certain employees to spend time on personal
projects during work time.
What do these employees have that allow them to make idiosyncratic arrangements? It can be unique
credentials, special skills, high status, important contacts, or high marketability, but it must also include the
willingness of an employee or prospective employee to speak up. These deals are typically proposed as
bargaining chips when negotiating initial employment terms or after the employee has been on the job a while,
built a trusting relationship with his or her manager, and becomes a valued performer.
These special deals have advantages for both employees and managers. They provide greater rewards
for employees and allow them to tailor their job to better meet their personal needs. They also give individual
managers greater latitude in motivating their employees and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.
Source: This is largely based on D. M. Rousseau, The Idiosyncratic Deal: Flexibility versus Fairness? Organizational Dynamics, Spring 2001,
pp. 26073.

COUNTER POINT
Talk about opening up a can of worms! Making special deals with certain employees is bound to
undermine whatever trust there is in an organization. Although management may desire flexibility in its
relationships with employees, maintaining standardized practices is more likely to provide the appearance of
fairness that is needed to create a climate of trust. Customization of employment relationships, under the guise of
flexibility, only increases politics in the workplace.
There is no shortage of arguments against special deals for special employees. Here are just a few.
Special deals give too much power to managers. They allow managers to negotiate favorable treatment
with employees they like. Although these employees may also be high performers, if they are not, it contributes to
politicizing the work environment.
Special deals are unlikely to be perceived as fair by those who do not receive them. One persons merit is
anothers favoritism.
Special deals reward the wrong behaviors. They encourage employees to kiss up to their boss and to
treat every attempt to get a raise or time off as a bargaining opportunity. Special deals tend to go to aggressive
employees, whether or not they are contributing the most. Shy, quiet, and less demanding employees who are
good performers are likely to be excluded.
Special deals are not cost free. Resources in organizations are limited. One employees gain is often at
anothers expense. So allowing one employee in a department to take off two hours early every Thursday
afternoon to coach his sons Little League team often means others in that department will have to take up some
of his work. This has the potential to create conflicts. For instance, evidence indicates that many single and
childless employees resent the family-friendly benefitssuch as helping to find an employees spouse
employment or paid child carethat many companies offer to married workers and those with children.
Our position is that special deals undermine trust and cooperation at work. They create the appearance, if
not the actuality, that those with power get favored treatment. We have spent three-quarters of a century building
formalized human resource systems that ensure consistent treatment of the workforce. These systems are critical
to promoting fairness, cooperation, and efficiency. Using idiosyncratic deals to supposedly enhance flexibility is a
major step toward trashing these systems.

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Teaching notes
1. This exercise works best if you can do it before starting the class for the semester. Or, before reviewing this
material, offer it without explanation of its teaching points.
2. Offer students the opportunity to design the class (the rest of the class) this semesterwhat content is to be
covered, how performance will be measured, whether there should be lecture or discussion, etc. Some
students will take the opportunity; the majority probably wont. Discuss their ideas, and record them on the
board.
3. Ask the students who did not participate or who communicated that they did not want to design the course or
didnt know enough to do so, why they felt that way, etc.
4. Use both, those who redesign the class and those who did not participate, to discuss whether they think
employees want to be empowered. Have them offer reasons, experiences, etc. to support their position. Ask
if this experience supports one or the other position.
5. Should there be any special deals like the ones mentioned in the article? What would be fair or not fair in
this situation?
6. Students may argue that 1) your offer was not real or 2) there is a difference between college and work. Help
them explore why they did not think the offer was real and realize that the principle is the same here as in
work, only the immediate context is different.
7. Finally, discuss why these empowerment efforts are failing.

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TEAM EXERCISE Understanding Power Dynamics

Purpose: For students to experience the reality of power due to organizational factors
Time: 3045 minutes
Instructions:
1. Create three groups. Give the top group red poker chips, the middle group blue chips and the bottom group
white poker chips. Explain that the chips will be redeemed at the end of the exercise for prizesthe red the
most value, blue are second most valuable and white, worthless. Divide groups based on criteria given by the
instructor, assigned to their workplaces, and instructed to read the following rules and tasks. Note: The text
suggests using dollar billspoker chips are effective alternative without having to worry about getting the
money back to its owner.
2. Conduct exercise.
a. Groups go to their assigned work places and have 30 minutes to complete their tasks. (Can be any task
you assign.)
3. Rules
a. Members of the top group are free to enter the space of either of the other groups and to communicate
whatever they wish, whenever they wish. Members of the middle group may enter the space of the lower
group when they wish but must request permission to enter the top groups space (which the top group
can refuse). Members of the lower group may not disturb the top group in any way unless specifically
invited by the top. The lower group does have the right to knock on the door of the middle group and
request permission to communicate with them (which can also be refused).
b. The members of the top group have the authority to make any change in the rules that they wish, at any
time, with or without notice.
4. Tasks
a. Top group: To be responsible for the overall effectiveness and learning from the exercise, and to decide
how to use its money
b. Middle group: To assist the top group in providing for the overall welfare of the organization, and to decide
how to use its money
c. Bottom group: To identify its resources and to decide how best to provide for learning and the overall
effectiveness of the organization
5. Debriefing. Each of the three groups chooses two representatives to go to the front of the class and discuss
the following questions:
a. Summarize what occurred within and among the three groups.
b. What are some of the differences between being in the top group versus being in the bottom group?
c. What can we learn about power from this experience?
d. How accurate do you think this exercise is to the reality of resource allocation decisions in large
organizations?
Teaching notes
1. This exercise may create some significant anxiety or even rebellion in the lower group. Be prepared to help
them keep calm until the end, without giving away the exercise.
2. One of the major discussion/sticking points will be the reality of the exercise. In all likelihood, some students
will argue it is not real and that there is not that much imbalance in power. Do not argue with the students.
Turn the question back to the class and ask students if anyone has had an experience with a similar disparity
of power. If you are lucky, some students will perceive this disparity with the administration or faculty of your
institution, which will provide fodder for an interesting discussion.
3. Key is that students understand that if either the perception or reality of such a disparity of power exists,
employees will feel the same frustration they did. How can they, individually, minimize the possibility of this
disparity when they begin working, with their employees?
[This exercise is adapted from L. Bolman and T.E. Deal, Exchange, vol. 3, no. 4, 1979, pp. 3842. Reprinted by permission of Sage
Publications, Inc.]

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CASE INCIDENT Damned If You Do, Damned If You Dont

Fran Gilson has spent 15 years with the Thompson Grocery Company rising through the ranks of this 50store grocery store chain to become a regional manager, overseeing seven stores and earning approximately
$95,000 a year. Fran also thinks she is ready to take on more responsibility, so she agreed to consider the
position of vice president and regional manager for a national drugstore chain.
The only person at Thompson who knows Fran is looking at this other job is her good friend and
colleague, Ken Hamilton, the director of finance. Fran tells Ken it is a dream job and expresses her positive
excitement. She asked Ken last week if she could use his name as a reference. Ken agreed to give her a great
recommendation. She made it very clear to the recruiter that Ken was the only person at Thompson who knew
she was considering another job.
Jennifer Chung has been a financial analyst in Kens department for five months. Fran met Jennifer
through Ken. Frans impression of Jennifer is quite positive. Jennifer came to Fran to talk. Fran sat her down and
listened to her story. What Fran heard was hard to believe, but she had no reason to think Jennifer was lying.
Jennifer said that Ken began making off-color comments and his behavior got progressively worse including
leering and touching. Jennifer would ask him to stop and not do it again, but it fell on deaf ears. Yesterday, Ken
reminded Jennifer that her six-month probationary review was coming up. He told me that if I did not sleep with
him that I could not expect a very favorable evaluation. Jennifer said that she had come to Fran because she did
not know what to do or whom to turn to. I came to you, Fran, because you are a friend of Kens and the highest
ranking woman here. Will you help me? Fran had never heard anything like this about Ken before. About all she
knew regarding his personal life was that he was in his late 30s, single, and involved in a long-term relationship.
Questions
1. Analyze Frans situation in a purely legalistic sense. You might want to talk to friends or relatives who are in
management or the legal profession for advice in this analysis.
Answer Fran must take action. She and the company are now legally exposed, plus this is a very serious
accusation. Since Jennifer is not her employee nor does she have reporting authority over Ken, she needs to
take this to H.R. She should not investigate the claim on her own, nor should she contact Ken and give him a
warning that HR is investigating, as this could compromise her later.
2. Analyze Frans dilemma in political terms.
Answer Ken holds tremendous power over Fran since he has information that she does not want her
bosses to know about. If she acts against Ken, passes this on the HR, or doesnt warn Ken informally, he
could see it as a betrayal and reveal her job possibility with the other company.
3. Analyze Frans situation in an ethical sense. What is the ethically right thing for her to do? Is that also the
politically right thing to do?
Answer By giving the issue to HR, Fran has fulfilled her obligation both legal and ethical to the organization
and to Jennifer. She can ask HR and Jennifer to leave her out of the process, which is proper since she is not
in the chain of command dealing with the incidents, and, because she is Kens friend, HR would not want her
involved.
4. If you were Fran, what would you do?
Answer Students responses will vary but students cannot stall. They must act. Fran: "I recommend: taking
Jennifer to H.R., ask H.R. and Jennifer to not involve me and explain the personal relationship with Ken. I
cant even offer solace to Jennifer as that would constitute improper involvement. I would call the recruiter,
ask if he had talked with Ken yet and how long it would be until a decision. Depending on the recruiters
response, I would say there was a probability that the job offer was likely to become public information due to
unforeseen circumstances and in order to give any offer proper consideration, time had now become a factor.
Finally, I would prepare to tell my current bosses that I had been approached about another job. I might wait a
short time before revealing this to my bosses, but to do this would defuse and take power from Ken if he
decided to retaliate. If anything, this should build my equity in that I did the right and legal thing regardless of
the consequences to me."

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Exploring OB Topics on the World Wide Web

Search Engines are our navigational tool to explore the WWW. Some
commonly used search engines are:
www.goto.com
www.google.com
www.excite.com
www.lycos.com
www.hotbot.com
www.looksmart.com
1. Information and policies concerning sexual harassment are often joked about, scorned, and
more importantly, misunderstood. Learn about current trends in sexual harassment issues from
HRMagazine, the Society for Human Resources (SHRM) monthly publication to its members.
Go to: http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/1098emplaw.htm . Read the articles and the
related links.
2. Also visit: http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/harass.html for the EEOCs statistics on the number of
claims filed during the last 10 years. Write a two page paper on what you learned concerning
the trends regarding sexual harassment.
3. Knowing about personal power is one thingapplying it to everyday work life is another.
Learn how Craig Ohlson of Activation does it to be the top salesperson in a featured article in
Inc. Magazine. Point to: http://www.inc.com/magazine/19950201/2142.html to read the article.
Write a short reaction paper describing the power tactics he uses to influence his customers.
Could any of his methods be applied to an activity you are involved inwhy or why not?
4. Power and gender equity are hot topics among HR professionals. These are not necessarily
sexual harassment issues, but systemic organizational issues of concern. To learn more go to:
http://www.workforce.com/archive/article/22/02/97.php . Are there issues discussed that you
have not considered previously? Write a short journal entry of two or three paragraphs about
what you learned from the article.
5. Ethics in the boardroom? You bet, despite the bad news we heard from the media on a daily
basis. CEOs are talking about, and doing something about, ethics everyday. Point to
http://www.refresher.com/!cirihal5.html to learn how apply an ethical framework to your
activities. Click on the link for spiritualityhealth.com and take the self-test to become more
aware of your own personal values. Write three things in a short journal entry you learned
about yourself after reading this website.
6. The Performance Management Magazine offers its take on ethicsthis time as applied to all
levels of employees in an organization. Read and print the article. Bring it to class for a
discussion session, or write a short reaction paper on whether or not you agree with the ideas
put forth in the article. Could they work at an organization you are involved with? Why or why
not? Go to: http://www.pmezine.com/article_dtls.asp?NID=218
7. Are smart people overrated? That was the question put forth by New Yorker Magazine in the
article, The Talent Myth. Read this article at :
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?020722fa_fact
Make a list of every impression management behavior you spot in the article. Then make a list
of impression management techniques you plan to develop in the next years. Bring both lists to
class for discussion.
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8. Go to: http://www.itstime.com/oct97map.htm and develop your own personal power map for an
organization your are involved (or have been involved) with. Bring it to class for discussion.

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