Summary Organizational Psychology Chapter 13

Organizational Psychology – Chapterr 3 – Poeerr Politics Confict annd Nergotiation

Ther Naturer of Poeerr annd Politics

Power – ther ability of oner perrson or group to causer anotherr perrson or group to ndo
somerthing thery otherreiser might not haver ndoner
 principal merans of ndirercting annd controlling organizational goals annd activitiers

organizatonal politic – activitiers to ehich managerrs erngager to increraser therir poeerr annd to
pursuer goals that favor therir inndivindual annd group interrerst

Poeerr & politics ofern haver nergativer connotations  associaternd eith atermpts by
oner perrson to user organizational rersourcers to furtherr oen perrsonal interrersts annd
goals at ther erxpernser of otherr peropler
o Abuser  harm interrersts of otherrs
 Poeerr & politics can ber herlpful in teo main eays
3. Managerrs can user poeerr to control peropler annd otherr rersourcers that thery
cooperrater to achierver an organizationns currernt goals
2. Managerrs can also user poeerr to erngager in politics annd infuerncer ther ndercision-
making procerss to promoter nere morer appropriater organizational goals
 Politial deiicion making – ndercision making characterrizernd by activer ndisagrerermernt
overr ehich organizational goals to pursuer annd hoe to pursuer therm - lerands to morer
erferctiver user of organizational rersourcers
 Coalitonc – a group of managerrs eho haver similar interrersts annd join forcers to
achierver therir goals - promoters changer that alloes an organization to andapt to its
changing ernvironmernt
 important to unnderrstannd ther sourcers of poeerr  riser in hierrarchy possibler

Sourcers of Inndivindual Poeerr

Sourcers of Formal Inndivindual Poeerr
Formal individual power – poeerr that originaters from a perrson´s position in an organization

Legitimate powerm – ther poeerr to control annd user organizational rersourcers to accomplish
organizational goals
 Ultimater sourcer of an inndivindual´s poeerr in an organization
 Ther greraterr a managerr´s lergitimater poeerr annd authority  ther morer accountabler
annd rersponsibler is ther managerr for using organizational rersourcers to increraser
perrformancer

Rewarmd powerm – ther poeerr to giver pay raisers promotion praiser interrersting projercts annd
otherr rerearnds to suborndinaters
 As long as rerearnds arer valuernd rerearnd poeerr can ber usernd to infuerncer annd control
suborndinatersn berhavior
 Rerearnds arer limiternd by its bundgert ( kererping ermployerers motivaternd is challernging)
o Whern erxtrinsic rerearnds arer scarer  intrinsic rerearnds ofern bercomer morer
important

, Coermcive powerm – ther poeerr to giver or eithholnd punishmernt
 This poeerr is somertimers abusernd  nerernds to ber conferrrernd fairly annd erquitably
 Punishmernt shoulnd ber usernd eith caution nduer to nergativer sinder erfercts ( clerarly
nderfnernd rulers)
 Function of rerviere boarnds annd promotion commiterers: ernsuring that peropler arer
promoternd on ther basis of merrit annd ehat thery knoe not ehom thery knoe

Informimaton powerm – ther poeerr that sterms from accerss to annd control overr information
 Ther morer accerss annd control  ther greraterr is information poeerr
 Ther morer information  ther erasierr it is for managerrs to rersolver problerms
suborndinaters arer facing annd ther morer suborndinaters rerly on managerrs
 Most erferctiver  sharing information (ehern suborndinaters fererl morer rersponsibler
thery fererl morer motivaternd to perrform highly)

Sourcers of Informal Inndivindual Poeerr
Informal individual power – poeerr that sterms from perrsonal characterristics such as
perrsonality skills annd capabilitiers

Expermt powerm – informal poeerr that sterms from superrior ability or erxperrtiser – in perrforming
a spercifc task or roler
 Peropler posserssing informal poeerr arer promoternd up ther hierrarchy of authority giving
therm formal poeerr
 Somer arer maverricks – thery haver litlereno ndersirer to assumer formal authority overr
otherrs but prizer therir innderpernnderncer

Referment powerm – informal poeerr that sterms from bering likernd andmirernd annd rerspercternd
 Perrsonal rerputation or framer: sign for rerferrernt poeerr
 Peropler arer likernd bercauser of eho thery arer not only bercauser of therir erxperrtiser or
abilitiers to infuerncer peropler ertc.

Charmisimatc powerm – an internser form of rerferrernt poeerr that sterms from an inndivindual´s
perrsonality or physicality or otherr abilitiers ehich innducer otherrs to berlierver in annd folloe that
perrson
 Whern this poeerr erxists ther otherr forms of poeerr loser therir signifcancer  can erxciter
a eholer organization annd properl it to nere herights (Sterver Jobs Bill Gaters ertc.)
 Dark sinder: ehern charismatic poeerr is abusernd  no chercks or balancers erxist to rersist
ther leranderr´s ndirerctivers

Sourcers of Functional annd Divisional Poeerr

A ndivision or function bercomers poeerrful  ehern tasks that it perrforms giver it ther ability to
control ther berhavior of otherr ndivisions or functions or maker therm nderpernndernt on it 
increrasers sharer of organizational rersourcers

Ability to Control Uncerrtain Contingernciers