Introduction to Organisational Behaviour – Power and Influence
Power and Influence
- Leaders have personal power
- Managers have position power – as they are given the power and authority to make
decision
What is power?
- Power - The ability of one person or group to cause another person or group to do something
that they otherwise might not have done
- Power can be a positive force, harnessing the wills of individuals for common purposes.
- Power is essential in everyday organizational life, present in relationships, organizations, and
across society.
- Power shapes our experiences of the world and our perception of ourselves as people.
- Power is inherent in social relations, shaped by factors such as race, class, and gender.
- Power operates within and between groups, with the feeling of the need to belong or gain
status shaping people’s behaviour.
Theoretical interpretations of power
- Three perspectives of power, each with their different interpretation
1. Power as a possession
The perspective that power is solely an individual's or group's possession is flawed as it individualizes
power and overlooks societal factors like gender and the labour-capital divide. While power is not a
fixed quantity, it is not a fixed possession, and there is no fixed quantity.
Bases of Individual Power - French and Raven (1959)
Formal/Hierarchical (hard power)
Legitimate Power – An individual's socialization and belief in certain
groups, such as managers, determines their legitimate right to
command, influenced by cultural values and current social structure.
Reward Power – the power to give pay raises, promotion, praise,
interesting projects, and other rewards to subordinates. The employee
must desire the reward in order for it to work.
Coercive Power – The perception that one's boss has the power to
punish, whether it's strong punishments, it’s more legitimate and
accepted.
Personal (soft power)
Expert Power – Knowledge that another person needs but does not
have for instance, a lawyer’s advice as to whether an advertising
campaign is legal. What is essential for it to be valid is that the recipient
trusts the advice of the giver
Referent Power – Being the type of person that others want to emulate.
Being friendly/supportive towards others.
Information Power – the power that stems from access to and control
over information
2. Power through structure
Steven Lukes’s three dimensions of power (1974)
Lukes's theory highlights the invisible processes of power within
organizations.
It explains how the more powerful can gain compliance from the less
powerful by explore societal structural aspects.
He believes employees suffer from false consciousness, leading to a
lack of recognition of their 'true' interests.
, Introduction to Organisational Behaviour – Power and Influence
This leads to a belief in a fixed society and management-led
organizations, which some argue is not universal.
Lukes's recent edition acknowledges the multiple, sometimes
contradictory, interests and needs of workers.
Dimension 1—observable conflict
Robert Dahl's definition of power: A has power over B to the extent
that he can influence B to do something they wouldn't otherwise do.
Dahl's view focuses on observable behaviour, indicating power only
occurs during actual, visible conflict.
Lukes argues this perspective is narrow, focusing only on observable
power, ignoring covert, less observable aspects.
Dimension 2—behind-the-scenes agenda setting
Power is defined as the ability to dictate what can or cannot be
discussed, known as behind-the-scenes agenda setting.
Powerful individuals or groups can limit the range of topics that can
be discussed, keeping controversial issues 'off limits'.
This can result in certain issues being excluded from decision-making,
such as employee pay rises, managerial incompetence, or proposals
by competing groups.
Power can also be concealed, allowing the powerful to establish
'rules of the game' that privilege certain groups.
However, power only occurs when there is a conflict or grievance, if
there is no conflict, consensus on the prevailing allocation of values is
assumed, making nondecision-making impossible.
Dimension 3—social structure
Power shapes our perception of the world, influenced by factors like
upbringing, media, and culture.
Assumptions like managers' right to manage, shareholders' right to
profit, and hierarchical organizational forms are a product of this
culture.
Workers often lack awareness of their true interests, leading to rarely
visible conflict between workers and managers.
This dimension goes beyond behaviourism, arguing that the powerful
influence the wants and desires of the less powerful, distracting them
from their true interests.
Karl Marx's concept of social existence determines consciousness,
stating that society's values shape how people perceive the world.
Workers often participate in their own oppression, not knowing they
are oppressed.
3. Power as a product - Power as productive: Michel Foucault (1977)
Foucault, a French philosopher and historian, challenged traditional power theories. He viewed
power as both oppressive and creative, influencing behaviour and thinking. Foucault's views are
complex and lack a complete theory.
Power/knowledge
Academic disciplines like sociology and psychology produce new techniques
of power.
These techniques, like personality tests and recruitment and selection, claim
to reveal the 'truth' about our identity and thought processes.
Knowledge is not neutral but fundamentally linked to power, transforming
our understanding of ourselves.
Power relations
Power and Influence
- Leaders have personal power
- Managers have position power – as they are given the power and authority to make
decision
What is power?
- Power - The ability of one person or group to cause another person or group to do something
that they otherwise might not have done
- Power can be a positive force, harnessing the wills of individuals for common purposes.
- Power is essential in everyday organizational life, present in relationships, organizations, and
across society.
- Power shapes our experiences of the world and our perception of ourselves as people.
- Power is inherent in social relations, shaped by factors such as race, class, and gender.
- Power operates within and between groups, with the feeling of the need to belong or gain
status shaping people’s behaviour.
Theoretical interpretations of power
- Three perspectives of power, each with their different interpretation
1. Power as a possession
The perspective that power is solely an individual's or group's possession is flawed as it individualizes
power and overlooks societal factors like gender and the labour-capital divide. While power is not a
fixed quantity, it is not a fixed possession, and there is no fixed quantity.
Bases of Individual Power - French and Raven (1959)
Formal/Hierarchical (hard power)
Legitimate Power – An individual's socialization and belief in certain
groups, such as managers, determines their legitimate right to
command, influenced by cultural values and current social structure.
Reward Power – the power to give pay raises, promotion, praise,
interesting projects, and other rewards to subordinates. The employee
must desire the reward in order for it to work.
Coercive Power – The perception that one's boss has the power to
punish, whether it's strong punishments, it’s more legitimate and
accepted.
Personal (soft power)
Expert Power – Knowledge that another person needs but does not
have for instance, a lawyer’s advice as to whether an advertising
campaign is legal. What is essential for it to be valid is that the recipient
trusts the advice of the giver
Referent Power – Being the type of person that others want to emulate.
Being friendly/supportive towards others.
Information Power – the power that stems from access to and control
over information
2. Power through structure
Steven Lukes’s three dimensions of power (1974)
Lukes's theory highlights the invisible processes of power within
organizations.
It explains how the more powerful can gain compliance from the less
powerful by explore societal structural aspects.
He believes employees suffer from false consciousness, leading to a
lack of recognition of their 'true' interests.
, Introduction to Organisational Behaviour – Power and Influence
This leads to a belief in a fixed society and management-led
organizations, which some argue is not universal.
Lukes's recent edition acknowledges the multiple, sometimes
contradictory, interests and needs of workers.
Dimension 1—observable conflict
Robert Dahl's definition of power: A has power over B to the extent
that he can influence B to do something they wouldn't otherwise do.
Dahl's view focuses on observable behaviour, indicating power only
occurs during actual, visible conflict.
Lukes argues this perspective is narrow, focusing only on observable
power, ignoring covert, less observable aspects.
Dimension 2—behind-the-scenes agenda setting
Power is defined as the ability to dictate what can or cannot be
discussed, known as behind-the-scenes agenda setting.
Powerful individuals or groups can limit the range of topics that can
be discussed, keeping controversial issues 'off limits'.
This can result in certain issues being excluded from decision-making,
such as employee pay rises, managerial incompetence, or proposals
by competing groups.
Power can also be concealed, allowing the powerful to establish
'rules of the game' that privilege certain groups.
However, power only occurs when there is a conflict or grievance, if
there is no conflict, consensus on the prevailing allocation of values is
assumed, making nondecision-making impossible.
Dimension 3—social structure
Power shapes our perception of the world, influenced by factors like
upbringing, media, and culture.
Assumptions like managers' right to manage, shareholders' right to
profit, and hierarchical organizational forms are a product of this
culture.
Workers often lack awareness of their true interests, leading to rarely
visible conflict between workers and managers.
This dimension goes beyond behaviourism, arguing that the powerful
influence the wants and desires of the less powerful, distracting them
from their true interests.
Karl Marx's concept of social existence determines consciousness,
stating that society's values shape how people perceive the world.
Workers often participate in their own oppression, not knowing they
are oppressed.
3. Power as a product - Power as productive: Michel Foucault (1977)
Foucault, a French philosopher and historian, challenged traditional power theories. He viewed
power as both oppressive and creative, influencing behaviour and thinking. Foucault's views are
complex and lack a complete theory.
Power/knowledge
Academic disciplines like sociology and psychology produce new techniques
of power.
These techniques, like personality tests and recruitment and selection, claim
to reveal the 'truth' about our identity and thought processes.
Knowledge is not neutral but fundamentally linked to power, transforming
our understanding of ourselves.
Power relations
