Organizational behavior core concepts by kinicki chapter10

10

Organizational Behavior
core concepts

Power and Politics: How
People Influence One
Another
10-2
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Organizational Behavior, Core Concepts

Copyright © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.


Learning Objectives
• List influence tactics and outcomes, and
summarize research conclusions about the
effectiveness of the tactics
• Describe five bases of power, and give
examples of how they are related to work
outcomes
• Discuss how to make employee empowerment
succeed
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Learning Objectives
• Define organizational politics, explain what
triggers it, and describe its use in organizations

• Distinguish between favorable and unfavorable
impression management tactics
• Explain how to manage organizational politics

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Generic Influence Tactics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Ingratiation
Personal appeals
Exchange
Coalition tactics
Pressure
Legitimating tactics

Three Influence Outcomes
1. Commitment – substantial agreement
followed by initiative and persistence in
pursuit of common goals
2. Compliance – reluctant agreement requiring
subsequent prodding to satisfy minimum
requirements
3. Resistance – stalling, unproductive arguing,
or outright rejection
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Practical Research Insights
• Commitment is more likely when people rely on
strong rational persuasion and do not rely on
pressure and coalition tactics
• Ingratiation (making the boss feel good) can
slightly improve your performance appraisal
results

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Practical Research Insights
• Commitment is more likely when the influence
attempt involves something important and
enjoyable
• Credible people tend to be the most persuasive
• Unfair influence tactics were associated with
greater resistance among employees

10-8


Creating Strategic Allies
•
•
•
•

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Mutual respect
Openness
Trust
Mutual benefit


How to Do a Better Job of Influencing
and Persuading Others
• Reciprocity
– almost universal belief that people should be
paid back for what they do – that one good
turn deserves another

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Social Power and Empowerment
• Social power

– ability to marshal the human, informational,
and material resources to get something
done

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Question?
Which type of power obtains compliance through
formal authority?
A. Reward
B. Coercive
C. Legitimate
D. Referent

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Five Bases of Power
• Reward power
– obtaining compliance with promised or
actual rewards.
• Coercive power
– obtaining compliance through threatened or
actual punishment.
• Legitimate power
– obtaining compliance through formal
authority.
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Five Bases of Power
• Expert power
– obtaining compliance through one’s
knowledge or information.
• Referent power
– obtaining compliance through charisma or
personal attraction.

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Read an article on
organizational power


Employee Empowerment
• Empowerment
– sharing varying degrees of power with lowerlevel employees to better serve the
customer

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Randolph’s Empowerment Model

Figure 10-1
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Domain of Organizational Politics

• Organizational politics
– intentional acts of influence to enhance or
protect the self-interests of individuals or
groups

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Sources of Uncertainty
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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Unclear objectives
Vague performance measures
Ill-defined decision processes
Strong individual or group competition
Any type of change


Levels of Political Action in
Organizations

Figure 10-2
10-19

Question?
What is a temporary groupings of people who
actively pursue a single issue?
A. Alliance
B. Coalition
C. Association
D. Federation

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Levels of Political Action
• Coalition
– temporary groupings of people who actively
pursue a single issue

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Political Tactics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Attacking or blaming others
Using information as a political tool
Creating a favorable image
Developing a base of support
Praising others
Forming power coalitions with strong allies
Associating with influential people
Creating obligations


Impression Management
• Impression management
– process by which people attempt to control
or manipulate the reactions of others to
images of themselves or their ideas

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Favorable Impression
Management
• Job-focused
– manipulating information about one’s
performance
• Supervisor-focused
– praising and doing favors for one’s
supervisor
• Self-focused
– presenting oneself as a polite and nice

person
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Bad Impressions
Four motives for intentionally looking bad at work:
• Avoidance
• Obtain concrete rewards
• Exit
• Power

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