Power & Politics

I- Definition of Power
II- Base of Power
III- Dependency
IV- Power and Tactic
V- Sexual Harassment
VI- Politics & Political Behavior
VII- Defensive Behavior
VIII- Impression Management Techniques
IX- The Ethics of Behaving Politically

I- Definition of Power

The ability or capacity to perform or act effectively. A person, group, or nation having great influence or control over other.

II- Base of Power

•Formal Power

1-Coercive Power : Authority or power that is dependent on fear, suppression of free will, and/or use of punishment or threat, for its existence.
- Exists when the use of or the threat of force is made to extract compliance from another. Force is not limited to physical mean, social, emotional, political, or economic . Force is also included.

2- Reward Power : is the ability of someone to reward another through possessing resources the other values.
-Its based on the right of some to offer tangible, social, emotional or spiritual reward to other for doing what is wanted or expected of them or to deny others something tangible,social,emotional, political, or spiritual for failing to or refusing to do what is desired or expected of them.

3- Legitimate Power : is the power that a leader gets by default, due to his position in an organization. A leader essentially is distinguished from a follower due to the greater rights and responsibility he has than others. That is, additional rights that legitimate power bestows on him, distinguishes him from followers.


•Information Power

depends on your giving or withholding of information or having knowledge that others do not have. Use informational power when giving orders to subordinates.

1- Expert Power : is based on what one knows, what experience one has, and/or what special skills or talents one has.

2-Referent Power: Derives from your subordinates identification or association with you. You have this power by simply being “the chief.” People identify with the ideals you stand for. The chief has a pre-established image.

3-Charismatic Power: is that aura possessed by only a few individuals in our midst, it is characterized by super confidence, typical physical attractiveness, social adroitness, amiability, sharpened leadership skill, and heightened charm.

III- Dependency

•The General Dependency Postulate
-The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B.
-If you can create a monopoly by controlling information or anything that other crave.
-if something is plentiful possession of it will not increase your power.
-Financial independence reduces the power that other can have over us.

•What creates dependency?
-Dependency is increased when the resource you control is important, scrarce, and non substitutability.

1.Importance:
- If no body wants, what you’ve got, it’s not going to create dependency.
-To create dependency the thing(s) you control must be perceived as being important.

2. Scarcity:
-The more that are source has no viable substitutes, the more power that control over that resource provides.
-The scarcity-dependency relationship can further be seen in the power of occupation categories.

3.Non substitutability:
-The more that a resource has no viable substitutes the more power that control over that resource provides.

IV- Power and Tactic
Table1: Use of Power Tactics: From Most to least Popular














This research uncover five contingency variable.
1- The manager’s relative power
2- The manager’s objectives for wanting to influence
3- The manager’s expectation of the target person’s willingness to comply
4- The organization’s culture
5- Cross-cultural differences

V- Sexual Harassment

The Sexual Harassment is an unwanted activity of a sexual nature and this is will affects to the individual’s employment, this includes unwanted physical touching, recurring requests when the person is not interested, and threatening person to lose the job if he/she not agreed. Sexual harassment is the formal power and let the supervisor judge the performance, make recommendation , salary adjustment, promotion…etc. where this is kind of control center and that is a wrong perception.

VI- Politics & Political Behavior

What is Politics in organization?
Politics is informal, unofficial, and some time behind-the-senses people trying to sell ideas, influence to the organization, increase power or achieve other target objective.
Research from HR Magazine said “Manager waste 20% of their time managing the politics in the organization”.

Political Behavior
Political behavior refer to some activity which is not require as part on the role in organization, but it influence and impact to the organization.
Ex:
- Hide key information from decision makers
- Joining coalition
- Leak confidential information about organization to
- Exchanging favors with others for benefit

The Reality of the politics
Politics are a part of organizational life, because organizations are made up of different interests that need to be aligned.

Organizations are made up of individuals and groups with different values, goals, interests. This sets up potential for conflict.

In fact, 93% of managers surveyed reported that workplace politics exist in their organization, and 70% felt that in order to be successful, a person has to engage in politics.

Politics impact to the Organization
While having a politics in the organization there will be a huge impact to the level of employee where those impact will be:
1.Employee Moral
2.Teamwork
3.Commitment
4.Motivation
5.Goal alignment
6.Organization Performance

VII- Defensive Behavior

Is the reactive and protective behaviors to avoid action, blame, or change.
1- Avoiding Action
-Overconforming
-Buck passing
-Playing dumb
-Stalling

2- Avoiding Blame
-Buffing
-Playing safe
-Justifying
-Scapegoating
-Misrepresention

3- Avoiding Change
-Prevention
-Self-protection

VIII- Impression Management Techniques

The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them.
1- Conformity
2- Excuses
3- Apologies
4- Self-promotion
5- Flattery
6- Favors
7- Association

IX- The Ethics of Behaving Politically

Ethical actions are consistent with the organization’s goals. Spreading untrue rumors about the safety of a new product introduced by your company, in order to make that product’s design team look bad, is unethical.