Organizational Politics Topics under consideration are: 1-Power 2-Basics of Power 3-Power Tactics 4-Organizational Politics 5-Existance of politics 6-Deffensive action 7-Case study

1. Organizational Politics
Presented By:
Fahad Ameen

2. Purpose of Presentation
• The purpose of this presentation is to
increase your awareness about power
of an employee due to position in
organization, organizational politics,
employees’ reaction toward politics and
good impression management in
organization.

3. Layout of Presentation
In our presentation we will discuss
– Power
– Bases of power
• Formal power
• Personal power
– Most effective base of power
– Power tactics
– Organizational politics
– Existence of politics
– Employees’ response to organizational politics
– Defensive actions
– Impression management and its techniques
– Case Study

4. Power
• A capacity to influence the behavior of
others.
• Leaders use their power as a means to
achieve a goal
• Power is not revealed by striking hard
or often, but by striking true.
—Honoré de Balzac

5. Bases of Power: Formal Power
• Coercive Power:
A power base that is dependent on fear of the
negative results from failing to comply.
• Reward Power:
People comply with the wishes of another
because it produces positive benefits
Reward can be offered in the form of financial,
but also friendship, praise and acceptance
• Legitimate Power:
the power a person receives as a result of his
position in the organization

6. Personal Power
• Expert Power:
Influence based on special skills or knowledge.
• Referent Power:
Refers to the ability of a leader to influence a
follower because of the follower's loyalty,
respect, friendship, admiration, affection, or a
desire to gain approval.

7. Which Based of Power are Most
Effective?
Among both bases of power personal power is
most effective.
Both expert and referent power are positively
related to employees’ satisfaction with
supervision, their organizational commitment,
and their performance,
whereas reward and legitimate power seem to
be unrelated to these outcomes.

8. Organizational Politics
• The chase of individual agendas and self-
interest in an organization without regard to
their effect on the organization’s efforts to
achieve its goals.
• It becomes most notable when it is outside
the actor’s direct job responsibility.

9. Why do Politics Exist?
• Organizations are made up of people with
differing values, goals and interests
• Resources are limited which causes action to
resolve the shortage resulting in conflict.
• The less trust there is in an organization, the
more politics
• Unclear performance evaluations promote
politics

10. Employee Responses to
Organizational Politics

11. Defensive Actions:
• when employees see politics as a threat, they
often respond with reactive and protective
behaviors to avoid action, blame, or change.
Avoiding Action:
– Playing dumb: Avoiding an unwanted task by
falsely pleading ignorance or inability.
– Stretching: Prolonging a task to represent
himself occupied. E.g. turning a 2 week task
into 4 month job.
– Buck Passing: Transferring responsibility for
the execution of task or decision to someone
else

12. Defensive Actions (Cont’d)
Avoiding Blame:
– Playing Safe: taking on only
projects with a high probability of success,
having risky decisions approved by superiors,
qualifying expressions of judgment, and taking
neutral positions in conflicts.
– Justifying: Developing explanations that
lessen one’s responsibility for a negative
outcome.
– Scapegoating: Placing the blame for a
negative outcome on external factors that are
not entirely blameworthy.

13. Defensive Actions (Cont’d)
Avoiding Change:
– Prevention: Trying to prevent a threatening
change from occurring.
– Self-protection: Acting in ways to protect
one’s self-interest during change by guarding
information or other resources.

14. Impression Management and its
Techniques
The process by which individuals attempt to
control the impression others form of them.
Conformity
Agreeing with someone else’s opinion
Example: A manager tells his boss, “You’re absolutely
right on your reorganization plan for the western
regional office. I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Favors
Doing something nice for someone
Example: A salesperson says to a prospective client,
“I’ve got two tickets to the theater tonight that I can’t
use. Take them. Consider it a thank-you for taking the
time to talk with me.”

15. Apologies
Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event
Example: An employee says to his boss, “I’m sorry I made
a mistake on the report. Please forgive me.”
Self-Promotion
Highlighting one’s best qualities, downplaying one’s
deficits, and calling attention to one’s achievements
Example: A salesperson tells his boss, “Matt worked
unsuccessfully for three years to try to get that account. I
sewed it up in six weeks. I’m the best closer this company
has.”
Enhancement
Claiming that something you did is more valuable than
most other members of the organizations would.
Example: A journalist tells his editor, “My work on this
celebrity divorce story was really a major boost to our
sales” (even though the story only made it to page 3 in
the entertainment section).

16. Flattery
Complimenting others about their virtues in an effort to
make oneself appear likeable.
Example: A new sales trainee says to her peer, “You
handled that client’s complaint so tactfully! I could never
have handled that as well as you did.”
Exemplification
Doing more than you need to in an effort to show how
dedicated and hard working you are.
Example: An employee sends e-mails from his work
computer when he works late so that
his supervisor will know how long he’s been working.

17. CASE STUDY
Excel Corporation Ltd on power and politics
There was a company was located in UP with head quarters
in Delhi. The Unit was manufacturing mopeds in its plant
at Allahabad. The turnover of the plant was 100Crs. It made a
loss of 3 crs in the lst fianancial year. The MD was under great
pressure to turn it around so that he can survive. The MD
MR Gupta was having second line Managed by Mr Bali VP
(Finance ) and Mr Krishna VP(Production)
Mr Ram kumar VP (Purchase). Mr Bali and Mr Krishna has
secret desire of becoming MD after Mr Gupta leaves. The
average production of Mopeds was 150 per day at present in
the company . breakpoint was 200 mopeds. The plant was
designed for it. The machinery was imported from Italy and
was 20 yrs old. One day , production of Mopeds was only 125
in the day. MD wanted to know the reason for the same.

18. CASE STUDY
Excel Corporation Ltd on power and politics
(Cont’d)
The production head Mr .Ram Kumar knew that production
was less as Machine shop did not produce a part for the
engine which stopped the production. This was due to non
arrival of the casting from the party. But he also informed
MD that party supplying the castings was not paid money by
Finance MD called Finance head, who informed him that he
stopped the payment as there is dispute regarding the
past supplies and he has asked the company to send their
accountant for accounts reconciliation. Mr Bali also informed
that Audit has taken objection last year on such payments to
parties when disputes are not resolved.

19. Thanks for Listening
Patiently!