UNIT 5

POWER, POLITICS AND CONFLICTS

Dr. Pallavi Vyas
Module 5: Power, Politics and Conflicts

Power – Meaning, Bases of power, Dependence – The key to power, consequences of power,
Power tactics, Political tactics for increasing power base, Organizational Politics, Causes and
consequences, Impact of power and politics in organizations.
Meaning and importance of conflicts at organizations, Traditional and Interactional View of
conflict, functional and dysfunctional conflicts
Dacher Keltner says-
Power and status imbue almost every facet of social interaction, from linguistic convention to
the economy of emotional expression.
Elevated power leads to behavioral disinhibition (a loss of control over one's behavior that can
result in socially inappropriate comments or actions ) and reduced vigilance (deterioration in
the ability to remain vigilant for critical signals with time).
He found that ideological partisans with power construe their dispute in more stereotypical,
polarized fashion, that elevated social status leads to disinhibited social behavior, and that
power, whether derived from group status or experimental manipulation, relates to the
experience of increased positive emotion and reduced negative emotion.
He also found that certain personality traits, namely extraversion for women and men, and low
neuroticism for men, related to attained status in social groups.
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
 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
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
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
POWER TACTICS
Power Tactics
 Ways in which individuals translate power bases into specific actions
 Nine influence tactics:
 Legitimacy- Using a manager's position in the organizational hierarchy to influence subordinates
 Rational persuasion*- Using facts, logic, or valid reasons to convince someone
 Inspirational appeals*- Using emotions, values, or ideas to build enthusiasm
 Consultation*- Involving others in the decision-making process to increase support
 Exchange- Rewarding someone with benefits or favors in exchange for agreeing to a request
 Personal appeals- Asking for compliance based on loyalty or friendship
 Ingratiation- Using flattery, praise, or friendly behavior before making a request
 Pressure- Using warnings, threats, or repeated demands
 Coalitions- Enlisting the aid of others to persuade the target
* Most effective
(Pressure is the least effective)
APPLYING POWER TACTICS
People differ in their political skill or their ability to influence others to attain their
own objectives.
The politically skilled are more effective users of all influence tactics and draw on
their knowledge of others’ demands, resources, and preferences to do so.
People who are politically skilled have higher self- efficacy, job satisfaction, work
productivity, and career success. They are less likely to be victims of workplace
aggression.
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
THE REALITY OF POLITICS
Politics is a natural result of resource scarcity
 Limited resources lead to competition and political behaviors

Judgments on quality 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
 CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

Factors that Influence

Political Behavior
 EMPLOYEE RESPONSES TO ORGANIZATIONAL
POLITICS
Most employees have low to modest willingness to play politics and have the following
reactions to politics:
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.
CONFLICT DEFINED
A process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively
affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about
 That point in an ongoing activity when an interaction “crosses over” to become an interparty conflict

Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organizations

 Incompatibility of goals
 Differences over interpretations of facts
 Disagreements based on behavioral expectations
TRANSITIONS IN CONFLICT THOUGHT
Traditional View of Conflict
 The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided
 Prevalent view in the 1930s-1940s

Conflict resulted from:

 Poor communication
 Lack of openness
 Failure to respond to employee needs
CONTINUED TRANSITIONS IN CONFLICT THOUGHT
Human Relations View of Conflict
 The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group
 Prevalent from the late 1940s through mid-1970s

Interactionist View of Conflict

 The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but that it is absolutely necessary for a
group to perform effectively
 Current view
FORMS OF INTERACTIONIST CONFLICT
Functional Conflict
• Conflict that supports
the goals of the group
and improves its
performance

Dysfunctional
Conflict
• Conflict that hinders
group performance
TYPES OF INTERACTIONIST CONFLICT
Task Conflict
 Conflicts over content and goals of the work
 Low-to-moderate levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL

Relationship Conflict
 Conflict based on interpersonal relationships
 Almost always DYSFUNCTIONAL

Process Conflict
 Conflict over how work gets done
 Low levels of this type are FUNCTIONAL
 CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES
 Problem solving  Bringing in outsiders
 Superordinate goals  Restructuring the organization
 Expansion of resources  Appointing a devil’s advocate
 Avoidance
 Smoothing
 Compromise
 Authoritative command
 Altering the human variable
 Altering the structural
variables
 Communication

Source: Based on S. P. Robbins, Managing Organizational Conflict: A Nontraditional Approach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974), pp.
59–89
 GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS
Conflict and Culture
 Japanese and U.S. managers view conflict differently
 U.S. managers more likely to use competing tactics while Japanese managers are likely to
use compromise and avoidance

Cultural Differences in Negotiations

 Multiple cross-cultural studies on negotiation styles, for instance:
 American negotiators are more likely than Japanese bargainers to make a first offer
 North Americans use facts to persuade, Arabs use emotion, and Russians use asserted ideals
 Brazilians say “no” more often than Americans or Japanese
CASE STUDY