Power and Organizational Leadership

Sonya DeBose and Charles Murrah AED 731 Dr. R. Lane Fall 2006

What is Power

Shafritz, Ott, and Jang (2005) found power is the ability to get things done the way one wants them done. (pg. 284)

Americas View of Power

Power is negative Associated with force, brutality, and unethical behavior

Assumptions Regarding Power

Organizations are complex systems of people People compete for resources Conflict is inherent Power, politics, and conflicts are used as a weapons in organizations (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Politics
According to Harold Lasswell(2005) politics are concerned with who gets what, when, and how. Organizational Politics are used to acquire, develop, and use power and other resources to meet organizational goals. Power and Politics are used to explain the world around us. (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Goals

Goals are not usually established by people in authority, but result from maneuvering and bargaining from stakeholders in the organization. Goals play a major role in resource allocation

Coalition

A group of people who join together to accomplish a goal (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005). According to Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, (2005), organizations goals can change with a shift in power among coalitions. (pg. 284)

Power and Politics

Both are used to understand behavior in organizations (pg. 285) Success in business usually equals ones ability to play politics. (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

The Concept of Authority

When power is legitimated, it is viewed as authority.

How is Authority Maintain?

Resources Sanctions Social pressure Social norms (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Models of Organization That Emphasize Power

Rational Choice Models Bureaucratic Models Decision Process Models Political Models (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Three Approaches to the Study of Power

Experimental Study The Community Power approach The analysis instructions

Parts of Each Study

Three Parts of the Study

Conceptual Basis

Procedures

Results

Oligarchy

Organizations are oligarchic because majorities cant rule themselves( Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005).

Power and Relationships

According to the text, power is about relationships among stakeholders in an organization (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005).

Power

Followers

Leadership

Power and Influence

Involve relationship between 2 agents Reaction Behavior (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Secrets of Power

Access to resources Access to information Ability to make decisions quickly

Ten Groups of Influencers

Owners Associates Employee associations Publics Directors General managers Operators Managers Analysts Support Staff Ideology of the organization

Influence and Power

Social Influence and power is limited to the influence of the group. A person may be powerful in one environment but not in another.

Change

Change is an important concept in understanding power. Power takes into account influence which relates to change. Change includes behaviors, opinions, attitudes, goals, needs, and values.

Change includes:

Behaviors Opinions Attitudes Goals Needs Values (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Five Types of Power

Coercive Legitimate Expert Relevant Reward (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005) Soft Power and Hard Power

The Power Game

Players are called influencers Influencers want to control the organizations actions (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005).

What does it take to understand an organization?

One must understand the influencers What needs the influencers want fulfilled How they exercise power (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Five bases of Power

Control of a: Resource Technical Skill Knowledge Exclusive Rights (Shafritz, Ott, and Jang, 2005)

Power Requires Action

Energy Skill Will

Powerful Players

External= Non employees Internal Players= Full Time Employees

Important Traits of a Boss

Clout
Leaders with clout tend to delegate more Reward talent Trust their subordinates Teambuilding is important

Cycle of an Aggressive Leader

Bold moves bring power Power reaches peak Members of the organization start to turn against the leader Enemies band together Leader tries to maintain power Leader is removed from power (Green, 1998)

Aggression

Aggressive people are never fully in control Aggressive people do not think about the consequences of actions (Green, 1998).

Powerless Bosses

Breeds Bossiness Petty Rules Minded Negative Climate

Ways to Ensure That Women Are Powerless On The Job

Routine and Low profile jobs Patronizing and overprotection Assuming that women are uninformed Keeping women out of the loop Negative Stereotyping of Female Bosses (Ott & Shafritz, 2005)

Keys to Power

The essence of power is the ability to keep the initiative. Never react to events always try to direct them. Manipulation is a dangerous game. Win through your actions never through arguments. The ultimate power is to get people to do what you want them to do without force (Green (1998).

To Expand Power

Share it What good is power if you cant sleep at night (Green, 1998).

Reference

Greene, R. (1998). The 48 laws of power. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (2005). Classics of organization theory (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.