This OpenStax ancillary resource is © Rice University under a CC BY 4.0 International license; it may be reproduced or modified but
must be attributed to OpenStax, Rice University and any changes must be noted.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Organizational Power and Politics
CHAPTER SUMMARY
People respond differently to the various power bases. Expert and referent power are
derived from an individual’s personal qualities. In contrast, coercion, reward, and
legitimate power are essentially organizationally derived. Competence especially
appears to offer wide appeal, and its use as a power base results in high performance by
group members. An effective manager accepts the political nature of organizations.
Some people are significantly more politically astute than others, meaning that they are
aware of the underlying politics and can manage impressions. Those who are good at
playing politics can be expected to get higher performance evaluations and, hence,
larger salary increases and more promotions than the politically naïve or inept. The
politically astute are also likely to exhibit higher job satisfaction and be better able to
neutralize job stressors.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
13.1 Power in Interpersonal Relations
1. How do power bases work in organizational life?
We might think of power like a car battery and influence as the current that
actually gets the starter motor to turn over. There are many potential sources of
power such as knowledge, information, and money. But just as the car battery
unconnected cannot start an engine, these sources of power do not by
themselves cause others to do anything. Actually, influencing others is achieved
by possessing, or having others believe you possess, resources that they desire
and depend upon and for which substitutes are not easily obtained and then
establishing behavioral contingencies in the direction of the behaviors you desire
to evoke. Power is an interpersonal relationship in which one person or group
has the ability to cause another person or group to take an action that it would
not have taken otherwise. There are five basic kinds of power: (1) referent, (2)
expert, (3) legitimate, (4) reward, and (5) coercive. Depending upon which kind
of power is employed, the recipient of a power effort can respond with
commitment, compliance, or resistance.
, Organizational Behavior
13.2 Uses of Power
2. How do you recognize and account for the exercise of counterpower
and make appropriate use of strategic contingencies in interunit or
interorganizational relations?
Power dependency is the extent to which a person or group is susceptible to an
influence attempt. Included here is the notion of counterpower, or the ability of
the subordinate to exercise some power and buffer the influence attempt of
another. Common power tactics include controlling access to information,
controlling access to persons, the selective use of objective criteria, controlling
the agenda, using outside experts, bureaucratic gamesmanship, and forming
coalitions and alliances. The resource dependence model suggests that one unit
within an organization has power over another unit when the first unit controls
scarce and valued resources needed by the second unit. The strategic
contingencies model asserts that one unit has power over another when the first
group has the ability to block the second group’s goal attainment—that is, when
it controls some strategic contingency needed by the second group to complete
its task.
13.3 Political Behavior in Organizations
3. How do managers cope effectively with organizational politics?
Politics involves those activities taken within an organization to acquire, develop,
and use power and other resources to attain preferred outcomes in a situation in
which there is uncertainty and disagreement over choices. Political behavior is
more likely to occur when (1) there are ambiguous goals, (2) there is a scarcity of
resources, (3) nonroutine technology and a complex external environment are
involved, (4) nonprogrammed decisions are being considered, and (5)
organizational change is occurring.
13.4 Limiting the Influence of Political Behavior
4. How do you recognize and limit inappropriate or unethical political
behavior where it occurs?
Political behavior can be reduced or minimized in organizations through four
techniques: (1) reducing organization uncertainty, (2) reducing interunit
competition, (3) breaking up political fiefdoms, and (4) preventing the
development of future fiefdoms.
May 21, 2019 2
must be attributed to OpenStax, Rice University and any changes must be noted.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Organizational Power and Politics
CHAPTER SUMMARY
People respond differently to the various power bases. Expert and referent power are
derived from an individual’s personal qualities. In contrast, coercion, reward, and
legitimate power are essentially organizationally derived. Competence especially
appears to offer wide appeal, and its use as a power base results in high performance by
group members. An effective manager accepts the political nature of organizations.
Some people are significantly more politically astute than others, meaning that they are
aware of the underlying politics and can manage impressions. Those who are good at
playing politics can be expected to get higher performance evaluations and, hence,
larger salary increases and more promotions than the politically naïve or inept. The
politically astute are also likely to exhibit higher job satisfaction and be better able to
neutralize job stressors.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
13.1 Power in Interpersonal Relations
1. How do power bases work in organizational life?
We might think of power like a car battery and influence as the current that
actually gets the starter motor to turn over. There are many potential sources of
power such as knowledge, information, and money. But just as the car battery
unconnected cannot start an engine, these sources of power do not by
themselves cause others to do anything. Actually, influencing others is achieved
by possessing, or having others believe you possess, resources that they desire
and depend upon and for which substitutes are not easily obtained and then
establishing behavioral contingencies in the direction of the behaviors you desire
to evoke. Power is an interpersonal relationship in which one person or group
has the ability to cause another person or group to take an action that it would
not have taken otherwise. There are five basic kinds of power: (1) referent, (2)
expert, (3) legitimate, (4) reward, and (5) coercive. Depending upon which kind
of power is employed, the recipient of a power effort can respond with
commitment, compliance, or resistance.
, Organizational Behavior
13.2 Uses of Power
2. How do you recognize and account for the exercise of counterpower
and make appropriate use of strategic contingencies in interunit or
interorganizational relations?
Power dependency is the extent to which a person or group is susceptible to an
influence attempt. Included here is the notion of counterpower, or the ability of
the subordinate to exercise some power and buffer the influence attempt of
another. Common power tactics include controlling access to information,
controlling access to persons, the selective use of objective criteria, controlling
the agenda, using outside experts, bureaucratic gamesmanship, and forming
coalitions and alliances. The resource dependence model suggests that one unit
within an organization has power over another unit when the first unit controls
scarce and valued resources needed by the second unit. The strategic
contingencies model asserts that one unit has power over another when the first
group has the ability to block the second group’s goal attainment—that is, when
it controls some strategic contingency needed by the second group to complete
its task.
13.3 Political Behavior in Organizations
3. How do managers cope effectively with organizational politics?
Politics involves those activities taken within an organization to acquire, develop,
and use power and other resources to attain preferred outcomes in a situation in
which there is uncertainty and disagreement over choices. Political behavior is
more likely to occur when (1) there are ambiguous goals, (2) there is a scarcity of
resources, (3) nonroutine technology and a complex external environment are
involved, (4) nonprogrammed decisions are being considered, and (5)
organizational change is occurring.
13.4 Limiting the Influence of Political Behavior
4. How do you recognize and limit inappropriate or unethical political
behavior where it occurs?
Political behavior can be reduced or minimized in organizations through four
techniques: (1) reducing organization uncertainty, (2) reducing interunit
competition, (3) breaking up political fiefdoms, and (4) preventing the
development of future fiefdoms.
May 21, 2019 2
