ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR - Organisational power DISTINCTION BETWEEN AUTHORITY AND POWER NATURE OF POWER SOURCES OF POWER DEPENDENCY AND POWER Factors Affecting Dependency Importance of Resources Scarcity of Resources Non- substitutability of Resources POWER TACTICS

1. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL
STUDIESSector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
Affiliated Institution of G.G.S.IP.U, Delhi
ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR (OB)
BBA 201
ORGANISATIONAL POWER
PINKI BHARDWAJ
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

2. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
Organisations are established to achieve some goal through the
cooperation of people, within the constraints of rules and policies.
People have to be influenced through various means to behave in a
specific way. Two important way in which people can be influenced are
the use of authority and power by managers.
While authority is the right of a person to give directions to
subordinates, power is the ability to do so. Power does not depend upon
a person’s position in the organisation. It is derived from a person’s
control over resources of the organisation.
Power is the ability to influence people and events. It is a social and
dynamic concept that involves interaction amongst people. When a
person has right to change the behaviour of subordinates, he exercises
authority over them but if he is able to do so, he has power over them.
ORGANISATIONAL POWER

3. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
DISTINCTION BETWEEN
AUTHORITY AND POWER
Basis of Distinction Authority Power
Formalisation It is the formal right of a
person to issue orders and
instructions to subordinates.
It is not a formal right but the ability
of a person to issue orders and
instructions to subordinates.
Position It is institutional in nature. It is personal in nature.
Organisation chart It can be depicted on the
organisation chart.
It cannot be depicted on the
organisation Chart
Delegation It can be delegated to people at
lower levels.
It cannot be delegated.
Parity Parity between authority and
responsibility is maintained in
the organisation.
There is no parity between power and
responsibility.
Formal It is formal in nature. It can be both formal and informal.
Concept It is a narrow concept. It is a broad concept.

4. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
NATURE OF POWER
Power has the following characteristics:
1. Potential to influence the behaviour:
The agent has the potential to influence the behaviour of the
target. He may or may not, however, use that potential.
2. Dependence of target on agent:
The agent is assumed to have power on target if the target is
dependent on the agent for achieving some goal.
3. Control over one’s own behaviour:
Though the agent has power over the target, he cannot make the
target perform actions which he does not want to perform. The
target has discretion over his own behaviour.

5. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
NATURE OF POWER
4. Specific to people and situations:
Power is the ability to command others. It cannot, thus, be
general. Only certain people can exercise power in certain
situations. Exercise of power is greatly related to its source.
5. Two way relationship:
Those who influence the behaviour of others are also influenced
by the behaviour of someone above them. The agent to a target
may also in some situations, be a target to some agent.

6. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
SOURCES OF POWER
The sources of power are as follows:
A. Formal or Positional Power:
This power is related to the position held by a person in the
organisation. This power is defined at the time of designing the
organisation structure, though use of this power varies from person to
person.
1. Legitimate Power: Legitimate power is the basis of classical
theory of authority. Top managers have the power to issue directions
to subordinates because of their position in the organisational
hierarchy.
2. Reward Power: It is the power of a person to give rewards to
someone who performs a desired behaviour. People perform the
desired behaviour because compliance to that behaviour offers them
rewards.

7. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
SOURCES OF POWER
3. Coercive Power: It is the opposite of reward power. It is the power
to punish behaviours that are desirable. People comply to agent’s
directions for the fear of negative results that may arise out of use of
coercive power.
4. Information Power: It is the power of having access and control over
information required for decision- making. People who have important
information can influence the behaviour of those who need this
information.

8. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
SOURCES OF POWER
B. Personal Power
Inspective of the official position and authority attached to it, some
people possess power because of their distinctive skills, knowledge and
competence. They have followers who obey them willingly with
commitment and dedication.
1. Expert Power: The power which superior enjoy by virtue of their
knowledge, skill, competence and expertise in their specialised area of
interest is known as expert power. The competence theory of authority
derive its base from expert power.
2. Referent Power: Referent power is based on identification with a
person who has desirable resources or personal traits. People obey that
person because they want to become like him and if they know him,
people obey because they want to please him.

9. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
DEPENDENCY AND POWER
Power is related to dependency where one person( power target) is
dependent on other (power agent).
Factors Affecting Dependency
1. Importance of Resources
2. Scarcity of Resources
3. Non- substitutability of Resources

10. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
POWER TACTICS
Power tactics means how people use their power to influence the
behaviour of their targets. Different tactics are used by people to gain
power over other.
Forms of Power Tactics
1. Legitimate authority: Agents can use their official authority to influence
the behaviour of targets.
2. Higher Authority: In order to get the work done from peer group or
subordinates, power agents can gain support of higher authority.
3. Rationality: The power agent presents facts and evidence in support of
their arguments to influence the behaviour of targets.
4. Assertiveness: The power agent is assertive about his directions.
5. Appeals: The power agents hits the emotions of the targets and appeals
that compliance to orders will satisfy their needs, hopes and aspirations
from the job.

11. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, DwarkaInstitutional Area, New Delhi-75
POWER TACTICS
6. Friendliness: The power agent acts in a friendly way and seeks the target’s
compliance to the request.
7. Consultation: If the agent consults the target before issuing directions, it
positively affects the target’s behaviour.
8. Bargaining: The agent can bargain with the target through negotiations.
9.Coalition: The agent form alliance with other parties to strengthen the force
of the request.
10. Pressures: The agent put pressure on the target to accept the request
through warnings and threats.