GROUP DYNAMICS (PSY110) NOTES
Chapter 4: Power
Jaebelle A. Eltanal | 7:30 - 9:00 | MTh
DYNAMIC INTERDEPENDENCE VIEW OF POWER
POWER
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Power is defined as the capacity to affect the outcomes of
oneself, others, and the environment.
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BASES OF POWER
social exchange theory - power is based on the control of
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Depending on the issue
valuable resources.
The type of resource under a person’s control determines the
basis for the person’s power.
Reward power - positive or negative reinforcement.
has the ability to deliver positive consequences or
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remove negative consequences in response to their
behavior.
Rewards can be higher salaries, food, gold stars,
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positive feedback, or salvation.
Coercive power - positive or negative punishment
the person can mete out negative consequences or
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remove positive consequences in response to the
behavior of group members.
Punishments may include physical pain or isolation,
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withholding money or approval, or eternal
damnation.
Legitimate power - from a position or role.
Group members believe the person ought to have
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influence over them because of his or her position in
the group or organization (such as an employer) or
because of his or her special role responsibilities
(such as those of a police officer).
Referent power - from identification and liking
Generally, the more the person is liked, the more the
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group members identify with him or her.
Expertise/Expert power - .based on skills and competencies
Informational power/Information
- rational arguments,
facts, logic
The person’s power is based on the logic of the
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person’s arguments or the superiority of his or her
demonstrated knowledge; it has effects similar to
those that result from the use of expert power.
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CONSTRUCTIVE POWER
The use of power may be constructive or destructive. The
constructiveness of the use of power may be determined by the following
criteria (Deutsch, 1962, 1973):
1.
Power is constructive when it is used to enhance, rather than
reduce, the achievement of the group goals, the quality of
relationships among members, and the group’s adaptation to
its environment.
2.
Power is constructive when it is used for others’ (not one’s own)
benefit and the common good.
3.
Power is constructive when it is invited, not imposed, by others.
When power is used primarily for self-benefit or to force others to do
something they do not wish to do, then the use of power tends to be
destructive.
At any moment, for example, one member may have
more power on issue 1 than other members but less
power on issues 2 and 3. As members coordinate
their actions, the power of any member constantly
shifts and changes.
Depending on the type of interdependence
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may be positive or negative
Competition
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power is used to gain advantage and to promote one’s own
success at the expense of others.
Power often is thought of as being the successful influence of
one person over another who originally is unwilling to perform
the desired behaviors.
The Milgram study demonstrates how power can be used to get
a person to do the bidding of another person, usually a person
with authority.
Power can have positive effects on the wielder, it can cause
negative effects on group members. This includes:
NEGATIVE EFFECTS:
1.
Rebellion
2.
More conflict
3.
Destructive Obedience
4.
Alienation
Psychological Reactance
5.
the need to reestablish a person’s freedom whenever it is
threatened. It is a motivational state aroused whenever
persons feel their freedom has been abridged or threatened
Cooperation
It is the member’s perception of a group member’s power base
that affects the behavior of members. Not the actual resources.
Dynamic
means in a constant state of change;
interdependence means that each member’s actions affect the
outcomes of other members.
The dynamic interdependence view of power posits that who
is influencing whom to what degree changes constantly as
members strive to achieve the group’s goals.
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The cooperative context is usually met with less resistance
because members are inducible.
Inducibility increases coordination and helps the group
members become more open to another member’s influence to
promote the achievement of group goals.
POWER IN COOPERATION:
1.
Expandable
Power is developed jointly and expands as
individuals work together.
2.
Something to be shared
Power and resources are shared with others in order
to more effectively achieve the group’s goals, out of
genuine concern for other group members and
because it is seen as morally right to do so.
3.
Acting in a bidirectional way
Bidirectional influence tends to result in greater
learning and integration of new information, as well
as the discovery of creative ways to improve group
effectiveness
4.
Noncoercive
5.
Asymmetrical
6.
Based on expertise, competence, and access to information
GROUP DYNAMICS (PSY110) NOTES
Chapter 4: Power
Jaebelle A. Eltanal | 7:30 - 9:00 | MTh
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In cooperative situations, authority or personality
characteristics are set aside in favor of who has the
most expertise at this time on this particular issue.
TRAIT FACTOR APPROACH TO POWER
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The trait factor approach to power is based on the
assumption that a person’s genetic traits explain why the
person is as he or she is, how the person became so, and why
the person stays the same despite circumstances, fortune, and
opportunities.
Power and Persuasion
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Low Power Members
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influence is a function of the characteristics of both the person
exerting the influence and the person receiving the influence.
The exercise of power may be seen as a credible and attractive
communicator’s delivery of an effectively organized message
to a vulnerable or influenceable audience.
People are more likely to be influenced by individuals whom
they perceive to be trustworthy, distribute resources fairly, and
treat people with respect
Social Dominance Theory
Cooperate, comply, and yield
Attribute the group success to their own efforts (i.e., a
self-serving attribution)
Resistance, psychological reactance, and obstruction
Negatively evaluate high-power individual
MOBILIZING POWER TO ACHIEVE GOALS
Using power to accomplish goals, especially for low-power individuals.
defined as the ability to control resources. Resources are
anything essential for survival, growth, and development.
Resources are assumed to be limited, and therefore resource
acquisition compels competition among group members, as
well as among groups and species.
A social dominance hierarchy is created when members of a
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social group vary in their ability to acquire resources (Hawley,
1999).
Social dominance theory assumes that groups are composed of
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self-interested individuals whose self-interests include
balancing their own needs with the needs of others.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR GROUP PERFORMANCE?
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Based on competence, expertise, and relevant information.
Group effectiveness is undermined when power is not equally
distributed among members, when the use of authority
dominates and expertise and informational bases of power are
ignored.
UNEQUAL POWER
High power is the capacity to have considerable effect on another
person’s outcomes, whereas low power is the capacity to have little effect
on another person’s outcomes.
High Power Members
Positive Outcomes
Initiative, positive emotions, increased self-esteem, motivation,
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and resistance to conformity pressures
Negative Outcomes
Happy with the status quo, dominate low-power individuals,
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believe rules do not apply to them, entitled, can and do break
rules and laws
When threatened, reject initiatives from low-power members
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Legitimize their own privileges and intimidate low-power
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individuals, have an inflated sense of self-esteem, and devalue
low-power individuals.
GROUP NORMS: INDIRECT POWER
Group norms often serve as substitutes for the direct use of power among
group members. Norms are prescribed modes of conduct and belief that
guide the behavior of group members.
Indirect influence through group norms saves the group
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considerable energy and resources and avoids the resistance
and lack of wholehearted cooperation that may result from the
direct application of power.
Conformity
Conformity - changes in behavior that result from group influences.
The changes include compliance (behavioral change without
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internal acceptance) and private acceptance (changes in both
behavior and attitudes).
nonconforming behaviors are accepted if they are perceived
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by the group’s members as potentially improving the group’s
ability to accomplish its goals and maintain itself; they are not
accepted if they interfere with group maintenance and goal
accomplishment
Extreme Group Influence
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Bystander effect
Group polarization
Deindividuation