Part 2. Power

In addition to authority, managers have more personal sources of power to draw upon for getting things done. Everyone has power in one form or another and it is by exercising this power that organizations get things accomplished. Managers who are capable of achieving their objectives independently of others are said to possess strength. When managers involve and incorporate others into their plans and activities they are making use of power. Involving employees in setting objectives and making decisions as it relates to their jobs empowers everyone, and results in greater job satisfaction and commitment, as well as increased productivity.

Power is the ability to exert influence in the organization beyond authority, which is derived from position. The manager’s personal power could include job knowledge, personal influence, interpersonal skills, and ability to get results, persuasive ability, and physical strength. There are six sources of power: legitimate, coercive, reward, expert, referent, and information. Legitimate power is a result of the position a person holds in the organization hierarchy. This position power is broader than the ability to reward and punish, as members need to accept the authority of the position. Coercive power is the threat of sanctions. It is dependent on fear and includes, but is not limited to the ability to dismiss, assign undesirable work, or restriction of movement. Reward power results in people doing what is asked because they desire positive benefits or rewards. Rewards can be anything a person values (praise, raises, and promotions). Expert power comes from expertise, skill, or knowledge. Referent power refers to a person who has desirable resources or personal traits. It results in admiration and the desire to emulate. Information power is based upon the persuasiveness or content of a communication and is independent of the influencing individual.

In most instances, managers do not need to offer incentives or threaten retribution to get employees to do what they request. They influence employees because the employees want to follow. This power to influence comes from the employees granting authority to the manager.

Exercise 14. Comprehension. Say if the statements are true or false. Correct the false variant.

1. Being static organizational structures gear toward changing conditions.

2. To ensure that employees get things done supervisors rely upon power and authority.

3. Entrepreneurial firms have an informal arrangement of employees and centralization of decision-making authority, the Board of Directors.

4. Unity of command means taking orders from and reporting to more than one boss.

5. Team-based structures organize separate functions into a group based on one overall objective.

6. Those structures’ employees are controlled by supervisors, and are not responsible for outcomes.

7. Managers have no power over subordinates.

8. Managers of an organization need to accept the ability of the position.

9. When managers involve and incorporate others into their plans and activities they are making use of power.

10. In most instances managers need to offer incentives or threaten retribution to make employees do what they request.

11. The power of managers to influence employees comes from the employees granting authority to the manager.

Exercise 15. Say what you’ve learned from the text about

a) three forms of authority; b)six sources of power;

c) power and authority.

Exercise 16. Discussion.

A person is thought to possess power because he or she has something that someone else wants. Development of all types of power is a common characteristic of successful managers.

• Recall some occasions in which you have exercised the different forms of power: legitimate, coercive, reward, expert, referent and information.

• Which forms of power do you use most frequently? What prompts you to use those forms of power?

• Which forms of power do you rarely or never use? What keeps you from using some forms of power?

• Are you accustomed to working under pressure? Do you think coercive power facilitates the achievement of organizational objectives?

Give your reasons.

Exercise 17. Supplementary reading for further discussion.

Relationships with colleagues is probably one of the most difficult problems with which the junior worker is faced. For one thing, there is always a certain element of competition between staff for promotion. This can lead to all kinds of suspicion of the motives of fellow workers. The ambitious drive of some people can make them very difficult to work with.

It can be very disturbing, for example, to discover that one’s mistakes are being relayed to the “higher-ups” by colleagues who are seeking to benefit themselves by that method. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is*, this kind of situation does happen, and when it is discovered, the relationships within an organization can be seriously impaired. This is not an easy situation to deal with. Our “communicability” is lessened because we become more guarded* and less frank with our colleagues. Perhaps we should look at a couple of the main motives which make the promotion seeker what he is. The first motive is the desire to earn more money, which is quite natural. Most of us never seem to have enough money anyway, and it is not unreasonable to want more*.

The age we live in places a high value on the possession of money and what it can buy, so the urge to increase our income is very strong in most of us.

The second motive behind promotion seeking is what we loosely called “status”. This is closely linked with money, of course, but is based on the belief that the higher up the ladder we climb, the more we receive the satisfaction of respect and authority.

We may certainly acquire a measure of power and authority, but respect is another matter. Respect depends more on the nature and personality of a person than on his position in an organization. It is important to recognize the efforts, even among junior staff, to acquire both money and status and to be aware of the kind of threat they create to human relationships at this level.

Notes

*human nature being what it is *we become more guarded *and it is not unreasonable to want more

т.к. человеческая натура остается такой, какая она есть… мы становимся более настороженными и нет причины для того, чтобы не стремиться к большему

Exercise 18. Think and answer.

• Do you agree that promotion seeking may impair relationships among colleagues? Why (not)?

• Is there competition for promotion in your organization?

• Does it lead to some disturbing situations? How do you deal with such situations?

• Do you recognize some ambitious drive of some of your colleagues?

• What do you think of promotion seekers?

• Do you agree that the urge to earn more money is the strongest motive of promotion seekers?

• What do you think of the “status” motive?

• Which do you think is more difficult: to acquire power and authority or to earn respect of the colleagues?

• Are you aware of your colleagues’ attitude to you? What do you think it is?

• Are you satisfied with your relationships with colleagues? Why (not)?

Exercise 19. Do the test ”We are only human”.

A. Fill in the test. Do this test as a simulation exercise: imagine an office situation where you work together with different types of people. There are a variety of emotions among people who work together. Tick (√) the answer you think applies.

1. To create a positive atmosphere at work, do you think people should

a. be encouraged to express their feelings clearly;

b. be discouraged to act on feelings because they may

spread ill will;

c. make an effort to spread the effects of positive feel-

lings to create an effective working environment.

2. Are you aware of the emotional effect you have on

others? Do you make them

a. tense;

b. relaxed;

c. enthusiastic;

d. subdued;

e. open;

f. guarded.

3. When you feel good, do you

a. pass it on, sharing the positive mood;

b. lose the positive effect of your own good mood by buttoning up.

4. When you feel rotten, do you

a. fight back at the world;

b. bottle up your negative feelings;

c. get to the root of the problem and talk it out with someone sympathetic.

5. At work, someone vents anger or frustration on you (изливает на вас свою злобу и разочарование). Is your reaction

a. to get rid of it by accepting and passing it on;

b. to stop it spreading by offering your sympathetic ear;

c. to refuse to get caught in the ill feeling.

6. Misunderstanding often creates all sorts of emotional disturbance. To avoid wrong interpretations, do you

a. keep your message direct and to the point;

b. choose your tone and words in keeping with what you have to say;

c. check if you are being understood by asking questions to make sure;

d. concentrate primarily on clear articulate speech.

7. The basic strategy to deal with loud, pushy people is to

a. fight them till they explode;

b. look them straight in the eye and state your disagreement;

c. let them blow off some of their steam.

8. Dealing with complainers–whiners, it is a serious mistake

a. to agree;

b. to disagree;

c. to paraphrase the complaints back to them;

c. to react by noncommittal but encouraging “ahs”.

9. To achieve office harmony you should

a. learn to deal with different types of people;

b. neutralize “difficult” people by fighting them back;

c. distance yourself from all potential conflict situations.

B. Sum up your answers and make a brief talk on the topic “We are only human”.