1-1
Organizational Behavior
ISLT-644
Instructor: Erlan Bakiev, Ph.D.
12-2
Essentials of
Organizational Behavior, 11/e
Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge
Chapter 12
Power and Politics
After studying this chapter, you should be able
to:
12-3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Define power and contrast leadership and power.
Contrast the five bases of power.
Identify nine power or influence tactics and their
contingencies.
Identify the causes and consequences of political behavior.
Apply impression management techniques.
Show the influence of culture on the uses and perceptions
of politics.
Power
12-4
The capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B
so that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes
(Bass, 1990)
Two facets:
Potential: power does not need to be actualized to be
effective
 Dependency: based on the available alternatives and their
desirability

Contrasting
Leadership and Power
12-5
Differences
Goal Compatibility
Direction of Influence
Research Emphasis
Leadership
Requires goal
congruence
Focuses on
downward influence
Emphasizes
leadership style
Power
Only needs
dependence
Concerned with
influence in all
directions
Broader topic:
focuses on tactics
used by individuals
and groups
Formal Bases of Power (French and Raven,
1959)
12-6
Due organizational position:

Coercive Power


Reward Power


Complies from fear of the negative results
Complies due to desire for positive benefits
Legitimate Power (Ward, 2001)

From the formal authority to control and use
organizational resources
Personal Bases of Power
12-7
Stems from an individual’s unique
characteristics:
 Expert


Influence wielded as a result of
expertise, special skill, or knowledge
Referent

Based on identification with a person
who has desirable resources or
personal traits - charisma
Effective Power Bases
12-8



Expert and referent power are positively
related to performance and commitment
Reward and legitimate power are unrelated to
organizational outcomes
Coercive power is negatively related to
employee satisfaction and commitment
(Podsadkoff and Schreisheim, 1985)
Power Tactics
12-9



Used to translate power
bases into specific actions
that influence others
More immediate than
power bases
Can result in the
accumulation of a power
base
Nine Influence Tactics
12-10
Legitimacy
Pressure
Rational persuasion
Coalitions
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Exchange
Personal appeals
Ingratiation
Influence Tactic Effectiveness
1211

Most effective:
Rational Persuasion
 Inspirational Appeals
 Consultation


Least effective:


Pressure (Yukl, 2002)
Combining tactics increases effectiveness (Falbe and Yukl,
1992)

Direction, sequencing, individual skill, and
organizational culture modify effectiveness
Politics: Power in Action
12-12
Politics occur when employees convert power into action
Organizational Politics:
Activities not required as part of one’s formal role in the
organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence, the
distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the
organization (Farrell and Peteren, 1982; Drory and Rom, 1990;
Croponzano et al., 1995)

Outside of job requirements

Requires the use of power
Legitimacy of
Political Behaviors (Farrell and Petersen,1988)
12-13


Based on sticking to the implied rules
Legitimate:


Normal everyday politics – complaining
Illegitimate:

“Hardball” activities such as sabotage, whistle-blowing,
and symbolic protests
The Reality of Politics
12-14
It is a major part of organizational life (Buchanan, 2008)
Politics arise in organizations because of:

Conflicting interests

Limited resources

Ambiguity in decision making
Politicking: twisting facts to support one’s own goals and
interests
Individual Factors Contributing to
Political Behavior
12-15


Traits that encourage political action:

High self-monitors

High need for power
Situational influences leading to illegitimate
political actions (Farrell and Petersen, 1982):

Lower organizational investment

Greater the number of perceived alternatives

Greater expectations of success
12-16
Organizational Factors Contributing to
Political Behavior



Organizational resources declining or distribution
shifting (Ferris and Kachmar, 1992)
Opportunity for promotion exists
Organizational culture issues:
Low trust
 Role ambiguity
 Zero-sum reward allocation
 High performance pressures
 Leading by poor example

Responses to
Organizational Politics
12-17
For those unwilling to play, or with modest political
skills, the outcomes are negative

Moderated by individual’s understanding of who makes
decisions and why they were selected

When perceived as a threat, people respond with defensive
behaviors (Ashforth and Lee, 1990)
Impression Management (IM)
12-18



The process by which individuals
attempt to control the impression
others form of them (Gardenr and
Martinlo, 1988)
People may misrepresent themselves
in situations of high uncertainty or
ambiguity
Misrepresentations may discredit the
individuals – seen as insincere or
manipulative
Impression Management Results
12-19

Interviews


Self-promotion and ingratiation
work well
Performance Evaluations

Ingratiation positively related

Self-promotion is negatively
related
The Ethics of Behaving Politically
12-20
Questions to consider:
1.
What is the utility of engaging in the
behavior?
2.
How does the utility of engaging in the
political behavior balance out any harm it will
do to others?
3.
Does the political activity conform to standards
of equity and justice?
Global Implications
12-21
Perception of Politics:

Negative consequences are common
Preference for Power Tactics:

Differences exist consistent with cultural values
Effectiveness of Power Tactics:

Little evidence for differences
Implications for Managers
12-22
Power can be increased by:

Increasing the dependence of others

Gaining unique knowledge or skills

Minimizing one’s own dependence

Acquiring useful bases of power

Using effective power tactics

Avoiding coercion
Keep in Mind…
12-23



Informal, expert, and referent power are the
most important
Use consultation and inspirational appeals
IM techniques effectiveness depends on the
setting
Summary
12-24
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Defined power and contrasted leadership and power.
Contrasted the five bases of power.
Identified nine power or influence tactics and their
contingencies.
Identified the causes and consequences of political
behavior.
Applied impression management techniques.
Showed the influence of culture on the uses and
perceptions of politics.