POWER AND POLITICS:Conflict- as Positive and Negative, Reactions of Managers, Three Dimensional Typology

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Introduction To Public AdministrationMGT111

LESSON 06

POWER AND POLITICS

At the end of the lecture the students will be able to understand the following:-

1. concept of power and politics

2. types of power and conflict

3. the importance of power in organization

The main contributors of power and politics school are:-

Harold Laswell

Robert Dhal

Antony Jay (reintroduced Machiavelli's concept of power)

This school attempts to understand the concept of power in organization. It defines power as

personal characteristics by which one person can influence or dominate another person. In organizations,

power is the ability of one person or department, to influence other people or departments, in order to

bring about the desired results. Without power, organizations will not be able to achieve their goals, because

managers exert influence to force people to do things that they want. Another element in organization is

politics.

Politics is about controlling resources (material, human, financial, information etc.). It is also about

distribution of resources. Who gets what, how, when and where (Harold Laswell 1936). Politics is often

understood as undesirable, because it is perceived as "maneuvering" and manipulation" by people.

Power is synonymously defined with authority. Authority comes with the job that one is holding,

and power and authority are perceived as one, although power subsumes authority. "Power and Politics

School" views authority as only one of the available sources of organizational power.

It may be mentioned that power is aimed at in all directions in the organizations, i.e. the top

managements power would be felt from top to bottom sideway as well. It can be understood as the

presence of an individual being felt.

Figure

Top

Middle

Bottom

There are various types of power that managers use in the organization.

These are:

Legitimate Power

Reward/Punish Power

Expert Power

Referent Power

Introduction To Public AdministrationMGT111

Legitimate Power

It is the authority given by the organization to the formal management position a manager holds.

For example: Power of DCO, Nazim, and Policeperson. These personnel have power because they hold

certain position.

Reward / Punish Power

The power which stems from the ability to bestow rewards which include benefits like food

allowance, overtime cash allowance and other fringe benefits. Example: Adults can reward or punish

children; managers give cash awards to their sub-ordinates for good performance.

Expert Power

It is the power possessed by an individual based on experience, or some skills and ability. Example:

computer expert, specialist doctor

Referent Power

Organizations are always finding ways of using the effective and suitable way of utilizing the

experience and knowledge of reputable managers as far as employee referrals are concerned.

Conflict

Conflict is a natural outcome of the close interaction of people. It is defined as difference,

disagreement and dissension. When there is disagreement and dissension people will have a view point and

suggestion that is different. In order to have their views prevail people will try to find means by which give

and take will occur.

Therefore, individuals and groups will use power and political activity to handle their differences

and manage conflict.

Conflict- as Positive and Negative

Conflict can have positive or negative affect on the organization. The positive affect is when

manager agree to some new view points of the disagreeing group/individual.

Conflict can be a positive force because it challenges the status quo, encourages new ideas and

approaches, and leads to change.

However, too much conflict can be harmful to any organization. Because too much conflict can

lead to dead lock and things may not move. Some degree of conflict always occurs in all human

relationships.

Reactions of Managers

Most managers have a negative view toward politics and believe that politics will more often hurt

than help an organization in achieving its goals. Politics is also seen as a negative element. But some kind of

politics is always there in organization and if that is understood managers can use it in a positive way.

Political behaviour is common to practically all public or private organizations, and should be used

positively by involving people in decision making.

Most managers think political behaviour occurs more often at upper rather than lower levels in

organization. But political behaviour is common to people in organization, therefore, it occurs at all levels,

but it is more at the top.

Introduction To Public AdministrationMGT111

Political behaviour arises in certain decision domain, such as structural change, but is absent from

other decisions, such as handling employee grievances.

Organizational decision-making and problem-solving, is also a political process. Organizational

actors seek to satisfy not only organizational interests, but also their own wants and needs; driven by self-

interest.

Three Dimensional Typology

For the purposes of understanding organizational political behaviour, Farrell and Peterson (1982)

proposed a three-dimensional typology. The dimensions are:

1. Where the political activity takes place -- inside or outside the organization

2. The direction of the attempted influence -- vertically or laterally in the organization

3. The legitimacy of the political action:

The purpose of three dimensional typology is to identify if the political activity is within the

organization or outside and where is the influence of politics and are the actions legitimate. This helps in

controlling and managing political behaviour in organization.

Concepts

Power:

ability to influence people using any type of power

Politics:

who gets what, how and when using the power that one

possesses.

Organizational behaviours:

the interaction and behaviour of employees in the organization

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