Slide 1.

Management and Development

of People

Lecture 9:
Power & Organisational Politics
Slide 1.2

The Nature of Control

‘Organisation implies control. A social
organisation is an ordered arrangement of
individual human interactions. Control
processes help circumscribe idiosyncratic
behaviors and keep them conformant to the
rational plan of the organisation’.

Tannenbaum
Slide 1.3

The Nature of Management

Control

Figure 16.1 The nature of management control

Slide 1.4

Five Stages of Organisational Control

Figure 16.2 The five essential stages of organisational control

Slide 1.5

Forms of Control
n Legislation, standing orders, policies and procedures
n Performance standards of day-to-day operations
n Organisational structure and role relationships
n Production systems and technology
n Measurement of inputs, outputs, processes or
behaviours
n Recruitment, selection, socialisation, training and
development
n Organisational performance such as total quality
management systems (TQM)
Slide 1.6

Strategies of Control in
Organisations: Child
• Personal centralised control
• Bureaucratic control
• Output control
• Control through electronic surveillance
• HRM control
• Cultural control
Slide 1.7

Personal Centralised Control

Figure 16.3 Strategies of organisational control

Source: Child, J. Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Blackwell Publishing (2005), p. 121. Reproduced with permission from Wiley-Blackwell.
Slide 1.8

Bureaucratic Control

*Some authorities distinguish this as a separate control strategy. For example, Richard Edwards (1979), Contested
Terrain: The Transformation of the Workplace in the Twentieth Century, New York, Basic Books.

Figure 16.3 Strategies of organisational control (Continued)

Source: Child, J. Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Blackwell Publishing (2005), p. 121. Reproduced with permission from Wiley-Blackwell.
Slide 1.9

Output Control

Figure 16.3 Strategies of organisational control (Continued)

Source: Child, J. Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Blackwell Publishing (2005), p. 121. Reproduced with permission from Wiley-Blackwell.
Slide 1.10

Control Through Electronic

Surveillance

Figure 16.3 Strategies of organisational control (Continued)

Source: Child, J. Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Blackwell Publishing (2005), p. 121. Reproduced with permission from Wiley-Blackwell.
Slide 1.11

HRM Control

Figure 16.3 Strategies of organisational control (Continued)

Source: Child, J. Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Blackwell Publishing (2005), p. 121. Reproduced with permission from Wiley-Blackwell.
Slide 1.12

Cultural Control

Figure 16.3 Strategies of organisational control (Continued)

Source: Child, J. Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Blackwell Publishing (2005), p. 121. Reproduced with permission from Wiley-Blackwell.
Slide 1.13

Characteristics of an Effective
Control System
• Is understood by those involved in its operation
• Conforms with the structure of the organisation
• Reports deviations from the desired standards of
performance as quickly as possible
• Draws attention to the critical activities which are
important to the success of the organisation
• Is flexible
• Is consistent with the objective of the activity to
which it relates
• Determines appropriate corrective action
• Is subject to continual review
Slide 1.14

Power and Management

Control
• Power can be interpreted in terms of control
or influence over the behaviour of other
people with or without their consent.
• Power is a capacity or a potential.

‘A person can have power over you only if he or

she controls something you desire’.

- Robbins
Slide 1.15

Power, Involvement and

Compliance: Etzioni
Power is the means by which members of the
organisation are induced to comply or become
involved with the organisation.
Types of power
– Coercive Forms of involvement
– Remunerative – Alienative
– Normative – Calculative
– Moral
Slide 1.16

Organisational Relationships and

Compliance

Figure 16.4 Organisational relationships and compliance

Source: Adapted with the permission of The Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. from Etzioni, A. A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations, Revised edition, Free Press (1975), p.
12. Copyright © 1975 by Amitai Etzioni. Copyright © 1961 by The Free Press. All rights reserved.
Slide 1.17

Perspectives of Organisational
Power: Watson
Power operates at three different levels:
• The level of society
– Capacity to influence others in society.
• The level of organisation structures and
cultures
– Positions which enable people to shape what
others do.
• The interpersonal level
– The power to get people to do things they would
not otherwise do.
Slide 1.18

Sources of Power: Pfeffer

Ways in which individuals or groups exercise
power in organisations:
– Providing resources
– Coping with uncertainty
– Being irreplaceable
– Affecting decision processes
– By consensus
Slide 1.19

Pluralistic Approaches to
Power
French and Raven see social power as based on
five sources of leadership influence:
– Reward power
– Coercive power
– Legitimate power
– Referent power
– Expert power
Slide 1.20

Influencing Skills: Owen

New skills are needed when you lack formal
authority. These skills include:

• Building networks of trust and influence

• Creating alliances to make things happen
• Dealing with conflict
• Shaping the organisation’s agenda to meet your needs
• Dealing with organisational conflict and resistance
• Managing ambiguity and uncertainty
• Finding the right assignments and projects to work on
• Discovering the real rules of survival and success in your firm
Slide 1.21

Behaviours Which Enable Individuals to Exercise

Influence: Yukl

• Rational persuasion • Personal appeals

• Apprising
• Inspirational appeals
• Consultation
• Exchange
• Collaboration
• Ingratiation
• Legitimating tactics
• Pressure
• Coalition tactics
Slide 1.22

Three Main Forms of Control:

Stewart
‘Control can – and should – be exercised in
different ways’;
• Direct control by orders, direct supervision
and rules and regulations.
• Control through standardisation and
specialisation.
• Control through influencing the way that
people think about what they should do.
Slide 1.23

Overcoming Resistance to
Managerial Control
Paying attention to the following factors can
help reduce resistance to control:
– Consultation and participation
– Motivation
– Organisation structure
– Groups and informal organisation
– Leadership style and systems of management
Slide 1.24

Financial and Accounting

Systems of Control
Financial and accounting measures are
frequently the basis of control because:
– The stewardship of financial resources is of vital concern in
all organisations.
– Organisational aims, objectives and targets are often
expressed in financial terms.
– Money is a quantifiable, precise and comprehensible unit
of measurement.
– Financial limits are easy to apply as control measures.
Slide 1.25

Empowerment
Generally explained in terms of allowing
employees greater freedom, autonomy and
self-control over their work.

‘The authority of subordinates to decide and

act’.
- Mills and Friesen
Slide 1.26

Delegation
Delegation is the process of entrusting authority
and responsibility to others.

‘The key to empowerment is effective

delegation; giving individual contributors
ownership of tangible results’.
- Tulgan
Slide 1.27

The Manager – Subordinate

Relationship
• Authority
– The right to take action or make decisions that the
manager would otherwise have done.
• Responsibility
– An obligation by the subordinate to perform certain duties
or make certain decisions.
• Accountability
– Ultimate responsibility, which cannot be delegated.
Slide 1.28

The Basis of Delegation

Figure 16.5 The basis of delegation

Slide 1.29

Benefits of Empowerment
and Delegation
Delegation should lead to the optimum use of
human resources and improved organisational
performance.
• Makes best use of manager’s time
• Means of training and development
• Improves strength of the workforce
Slide 1.30

Reasons for Lack of

Delegation
• Managers may fear that the subordinate is not
capable of doing a sufficient job.
• Managers may fear being blamed for
subordinate’s mistakes.
• Managers may fear that the subordinate will
do too good a job.
• Managers may find it hard to trust others.
Slide 1.31

Trust and Empowerment

‘Managers must learn to accept their dependence
upon people. A key part of being a good manager
is managing that dependence. Managers who
say that they cannot delegate because they have
poor staff may genuinely be unfortunate in the
calibre of staff that they have inherited or been
given. More often this view is a criticism of
themselves’.
- Stewart
Slide 1.32

A Systematic Approach to
Empowerment and
Delegation
Five questions to ask before delegating:
– How can I make better use of my time and expertise?
– What tasks could be performed better by others?
– What opportunities are there for learning and
development through delegation?
– How and to whom should the responsibility be give?
– What forms of monitoring and control would be most
appropriate?
Slide 1.33

Main Stages in the Process

of Delegation

Figure 16.6 Main stages in the process of delegation

Slide 1.34

References & Further Reading

• Mullins, L.J. 2010. Management and

Organisational Behaviour. 10th Ed.
- Chapter 16
• Handout: Power in Organisational
Slide 1.35

Next Week
• LAST Seminar next week
• Double Seminar Activity – Preparation
required!
• Exam Revision Lectures