Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior
Chapter 13
14th Edition

Power and Politics

Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

13-#
 Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
– Define power, and contrast leadership and power.
– Contrast the five bases of power.
– Identify nine power or influence tactics and their
contingencies.
– Show the connection between sexual harassment and
the abuse of power.
– Distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate political
behavior.
– Identify the causes and consequences of political
behavior.
– Apply impression management techniques.
– Determine whether a political action is ethical.
– Show the influence of culture on the uses and
perceptions of politics.
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 A Definition of Power
Power
– The capacity that A has to
influence the behavior of B so
that B acts in accordance with A’s
wishes
– Exists as a potential or fully
actualized influence over a
dependent relationship
Dependency
– B’s relationship to A when A
possesses something that B
requires
– The greater B's dependence, the
more power A has
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Contrasting Leadership and Power

Leadership Power
– Focuses on goal – Used as a means for
achievement achieving goals
– Requires goal – Requires follower
compatibility with dependency
followers – Used to gain lateral
– Focuses influence and upward influence
downward
Research Focus Research Focus
– Leadership styles and – Power tactics for
relationships with gaining compliance
followers

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 Bases of Power: Formal Power
Formal Power
– Established by an individual’s position in an
organization
– Three bases:
• Coercive Power
» A power base dependent on
fear of negative results
• Reward Power
» Compliance achieved based
on the ability to distribute
rewards that others view as
valuable
• Legitimate Power
» The formal authority to
control and use resources
based on a person’s position
in the formal hierarchy
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 Bases of Power: Personal Power
Power that comes from an individual’s unique
characteristics – these are the most effective
– Expert Power
• Influence based on special skills or knowledge
– Referent Power
• Influence based on possession by an individual of
desirable resources or personal traits

E X H I B I T 13-1

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 Dependency: The Key to Power
The General Dependency Postulate
– The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the
power A has over B
– Possession/control of scarce organizational
resources that others need makes a manager
powerful
– Access to optional resources (e.g., multiple
suppliers) reduces the resource holder’s power
Dependency increases when resources are:
– Important
– Scarce
– Nonsubstitutable
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 Power Tactics
Power Tactics
– Ways in which individuals translate power bases
into specific actions
– Nine influence tactics:
• Legitimacy
• Rational persuasion*
• Inspirational appeals*
• Consultation*
• Exchange
• Personal appeals
• Ingratiation
• Pressure * Most effective
• Coalitions (Pressure is the least effective)
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 Preferred Power Tactics by Influence Direction

Upward Influence Downward Lateral Influence

Influence
Rational persuasion Rational persuasion Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals Consultation
Pressure Ingratiation
Consultation Exchange
Ingratiation Legitimacy
Exchange Personal appeals
Legitimacy Coalitions

E X H I B I T 13-2

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 Factors Influencing Power Tactics
Choice and effectiveness
of influence tactics are
moderated by:
– Sequencing of tactics
• Softer to harder tactics
work best
– Political skill of the user
– The culture of the
organization
• Culture affects user’s
choice of tactic

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 Sexual Harassment: A Case of Unequal Power
Sexual Harassment:
– Any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that
affects an individual’s employment and creates a
hostile work environment
• Overt actions, like unwanted touching, are relatively
easy to spot
• Subtle actions, like jokes or looks, can cross over the
line into harassment
Sexual harassment isn’t about sex – it is about
abusing an unequal power relationship
– Harassment can damage the well-being of the
individual, work group, and organization

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 Managerial Actions to Prevent Sexual
Harassment
Make sure a policy
against it is in place.
Ensure that employees
will not encounter
retaliation if they file a
complaint.
Investigate every
complaint and include
the human resource
and legal departments.
Make sure offenders
are disciplined or
terminated.
Set up in-house
seminars
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 Politics: Power in Action
Political Behavior
– Activities that are not required as part of one’s
formal role in the organization, but that influence,
or attempt to influence, the distribution of
advantages or disadvantages within the
organization

– Legitimate Political Behavior

• Normal everyday politics - complaining, bypassing,
obstructing
– Illegitimate Political Behavior
• Extreme political behavior that violates the implied
rules of the game: sabotage, whistle-blowing, and
symbolic protest
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 The Reality of Politics
Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity
– Limited resources lead to competition and
political behaviors
Judgments on quality of resource distribution
differ markedly based on the observer’s
perception
– “Blaming others” or “fixing responsibility”
– “Covering your rear” or “documenting decisions”
– “Perfectionist” or “attentive to detail”
Most decisions are made under ambiguous
conditions
– Lack of an objective standard encourages political
maneuvering of subjective reality
E X H I B I T 13-3

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 Causes and Consequences of Political Behavior
Factors that Influence Political Behavior

E X H I B I T 13-4

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 Employee Responses to Organizational Politics
Most employees have low to modest
willingness to play politics and have the
following reactions to politics:

E X H I B I T 13-5

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 Defensive Behaviors
Employees who perceive politics as a threat
have defensive reactions
– May be helpful in the short run, dangerous in the
long run
Types of defensive behaviors
– Avoiding Action
• Overconforming, buck passing, playing dumb,
stalling
– Avoiding Blame
• Bluffing, playing safe, justifying, scapegoating
– Avoiding Change
• Prevention, self-protection
E X H I B I T 13-6

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 Impression Management (IM)
The process by which individuals attempt to
control the impression others form of them
IM Techniques
– Conformity
– Excuses
– Apologies
– Self-Promotion
– Flattery
– Favors
– Association
Source: Based on B. R. Schlenker, Impression Management (Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1980); W. L. Gardner and M. J. Martinko, “Impression
Management in Organizations,” Journal of Management, June 1988, p. 332; and R. B. Cialdini, “Indirect Tactics of Image Management Beyond Basking,”
in R. A. Giacalone and P. Rosenfeld (eds.), Impression Management in the Organization (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1989), pp. 45–71.

E X H I B I T 13-7

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 IM Effectiveness
Job Interview Success
– IM does work and most people use it
– Self-promotion techniques are important
– Ingratiation is of secondary importance
Performance Evaluations
– Ingratiation is positively related to ratings
– Self-promotion tends to backfire

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 The Ethics of Behaving Politically
It is difficulty to tell ethical from unethical
politicking
Three questions help:
1. What is the utility of engaging in the behavior?
2. Does the utility balance out any harm done by
the action?
3. Does the action conform to standards of equity
and justice?
Answers can be skewed toward either
viewpoint

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 Global Implications
Politics Perceptions
– Negative consequences to the perception of politics
seem to be fairly widespread

Preference for Power Tactics

– The choice of effective tactics is heavily dependent
on the culture of the country in which they are to
be used

Effectiveness of Power Tactics

– Still open to debate; too little research has been
done

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 Summary and Managerial Implications
Increase your power by having others depend
on you more.
Expert and referent power are far more
effective than is coercion.
– Greater employee motivation, performance,
commitment, and satisfaction
– Personal power basis, not organizational
Effective managers accept the political nature
of organizations.
Political astuteness and IM can result in
higher evaluations, salary increases, and
promotions.

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reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
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photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United
States of America.

Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education,

Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

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