Abuse of Power

Running head: Power and authority concepts in organizations Power and Authority Augustus O. Kwaidah Power and Authority Dynamically, organizational structure is a means of promoting and facilitating the achievements of the designed objectives of organizations. The structures of organizations can be reorganized and adjusted in response to the changing conditions that occur in the environment, latest technology, and organizational growth. The structure of an organization is dependent upon the job description/activities of the employees. Administrators rely upon power and authority to ensure that their employees accomplish the things which are assigned to them. In organizations, managing the workforce has the same basic responsibilities: dealing with immediate problems, directing employees towards organizational objectives, and reporting the progress of work to superiors. The primary responsibilities of managers involves an examination of tasks, problems, or opportunities in relationship to the company’s short-range and long range goals. It is essential that they be quick in identifying areas of potential problems, be in the process of searching for potential problems, continually be in search of solutions, and be quick to perceive new opportunities and ways of utilizing the best ones. The effectiveness of goals and objectives of an organization can be accomplished depending on how well the company breaks down its goals into jobs and assignbments and how well the goals are identified and communicated throughout the organization ( eNotes ).b Leadership, in organizations, has a different and more meaningful definition. it is interpreted as setting directions and influence people to follow it. Power, in Ratzburg's (2003) article, is the capacity of a person to influence the behavior of the other person so that other person does things he would not otherwise do. The individual power or the manager might include his understanding of the job, interpersonal skills, personal influences, and his capibility to acquire results, empathetic and persuasive abilities including the physical strenght of the manager.'s individual power could include his knowledge of the job, interpersonal skills, personal influences, and the ability to acquire results, empathetic and persuasive abilities, and his physical strength. According to studies, there are seven sources of power which includes: reward power, coercive power, information power, resource power, expert power, referent power, and legitimate power. Reward power usually has an outcome of people people implementing the required expectation because they desire positive benefits or rewards. The rewards could be anything that is value by an individual such as praise, raises, and promotions. However, in most work environments, managers have limited control over the nature of the rewards granted employees (Ratzburg 2003). Coercive power, which is also known as the punishment power, relies on the ability of the manager to punish or penalize those who refuse to effect the desired behavior. The punishment might include reprimand, criticism, and negative performance appraisals to his subordinates. Moreover, in organizations, employees exercise prompt attendance and occupied appearance due to the fear of coercive power. The power of information depends on the access to information which is not available or accessible to everyone. Leaders may have access to this information because of their position or mentors. In many organizations, for example, executives at the top have less information about what is really happening within the organization than the people in the middle or even the lower levels. The administrative assistant to a senior executive has information power not just access to the information available but also the capability to control the flow of information to and from his boss. Expert power is derived from the assumption of subordinates that their manager possesses skills, knowledge, expertise and abilities superior or unknown to them. Wilf Ratzburg (2003) identified that the referent power is based on group members' identification with, attraction to, or respect for the power holder. People often have the tendency to support or generate admiration for others for several different reasons, which include physical or social attractiveness, charisma, or prestige. Legitimate power is exercised by a person when his subordinates assume that he is authorized and has the right to exercise it. Authority in itself is a legitimate power. It has the power to direct an exact performance from others within the scope of the power holder's position. It includes the right to impose the process and approach by which task should be done. Authority is seen as the legitimate right of a person to exercise influence or the legitimate right to make decisions, to carry out actions, and to direct others (eNotes). Authority involves the combination of persons and power relations and the set of norms governing the implementation of power and the response to it. Obedience is then charactirized independent of the manager's individual characteristics and more dependent on the social norms regarding the position. In such case, subordinates consider requests to be more like obligations than preferences. The structure of an organization provides the context through which the formal distribution of authority is realized. Formalization is the degree to which tasks are standardized. Rules and regulations govern employee's behavior. It also has an influence on the amount of discretion that an employee has over his or her job. In organizations with high degrees of formalization, the description of jobs and policies provide clear direction. In informal working environments, formalization is low, and employees have a great deal of freedom in deciding how thy conduct their work. Within the same organization, different departments may have different degrees of formalization (Power and Politics). In addition to having different degree of formalization within an organization, different departments within the same organization may have different degrees of formalization (power and politics). There are three identified forms of authority which include line authority, staff authority, and team authority. Line authority involves a direct supervisory authority of the superior to his subordinates. This form of authority flows in a direct chain of command from the head of the company to the lowest level in the organization. The staff authority, according to Gemmy Allen (1998), is a more limited authority to advice. It is the authority based on the expertise which usually involves advising line managers. Moreover, Staff members are advisers and counselors who aid line departments in making decisions but do not have the authority to make final decisions. Staff supervisors help line departments decide what to do and how to do it. They coordinate and provide technical assistance or advice to all advisors, such as accounting, human resources, information technology, research, advertising, public relations, and legal services. Team authority is granted to the committees or teams involved in the organization's daily operations. These teams are groups of working employees who are authorized to design and classify their own work and perform their work with minimal supervision. Another form of authority is legitimate authority. This form of authority occurs when people use power for good and have acquired power by proper and honest means. When people perceive an attempt at influence as legitimate, they recognize it and willingly comply. Power acquired through improper means, such as lying, withholding information, gossip, or manipulation, is seen as illegitimate. When people perceive the authority of others as illegitimate, they are less likely to willingly comply ( eNotes ). Furthermore, what’s equally essential to authority is the idea that when employees are assigned responsibility for a job, they should also be given the degree of authority necessary for them to carry out their responsibility. The authority granted to an employee must equal the assigned responsibility to them as well. After accepting the designated task, the employee has incurred an obligation and responsibility to perform the assigned task accordingly and properly utilize the granted authority. Individual employees are responsible for being proficient on their jobs. The manager is responsible for what his subordinates do or failed to do, as well as for the resources under their control. Thus, responsibility is an integral part of a supervisor's authority. For most of organizations, effective leadership will prove the difference between success and failure. In dynamic times, leaders naturally focus on understanding how the continuous changes in the environment will affect the performances in their organization. Fewer leaders focus on their organizational traditions during times of challenge, but achieving a culture with balanced decision making is nevertheless the important ingredient of organizational success. References Allen, G. 1998, `Power and Authority', Available at: http://ollie.dcccd.edu/mgmt1374/ book_contents/3organizing/pwr_auth/power.htm eNotes. 2007, `Management: Authority and Responsibility', eNotes.com Encyclopedia of Business and Finance , [Online] Available at: http://business.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/management-authority-responsibility Power & Politics. 1998, Division of Outreach and Extended Studies, Texas Tech University,Available at: http://www.hs.ttu.edu/rhim5200/htm_files/0012.htm Ratzburg, W. H.2003, `Organizational Behavior', OBNotes.HTM by Wilf H. Ratzburg , Available at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1650/htmlobtoc02.html Roth, J. 2003, `Introduction to Power', Available at: http://academic.regis.edu/ jroth/SO%20472%20power.htm