This document summarizes key concepts around power and politics from a presentation. It defines power as one's ability to influence another's behavior, and notes that dependency is important for gaining power over others. It contrasts leadership, which focuses on goals and downward influence, with power, which is used to gain compliance through dependency. Different bases of power are described, as well as tactics for gaining influence upward, downward, and laterally. Political behavior in organizations and impression management techniques are also outlined.

2. Power and Politics
Presented By
Fatima Zahoor
Iqra Ameen
Ammara Farooq
Zain ul Abideen
Muhammad Ghufran
Samad A. Pirzada
Fahad Butt

3. Power
A capacity that A has to influence
the behavior of B so that B acts in
accordance with A’s wishes.
Dependency
B’s relationship to A when
A possesses something
that B requires.

4. Contrasting Leadership and Power
Leadership
Focuses on goal
achievement.
Requires goal
compatibility with
followers.
Focuses influence
downward.
Research Focus
Leadership styles and
relationships with
followers
Power
Used as a means for
achieving goals.
Requires follower
dependency.
Used to gain lateral and
upward influence.
Research Focus
Power tactics for
gaining compliance

5. Formal Power
Is established by an individual’s position in an
organization; conveys the ability to coerce or reward,
from formal authority, or from control of information.
Coercive Power
A power base dependent on fear.
Reward Power
Compliance achieved based on
the ability to distribute rewards
that others view as valuable

6. Legitimate Power
The power a person receives as a
result of his or her position in the formal
hierarchy of an organization.

7. Expert Power
Influence based on special
skills or knowledge.
Referent Power
Influence based on possession
by an individual of desirable
resources or personal traits.

8. 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.
What Creates Dependency
 Importance of the resource to the organization
 Scarcity of the resource
 Nonsubstitutability of the resource

9. Influence Tactics: :
Influence Tactics
• • Legitimacy
Legitimacy
Power Tactics
Ways in which
individuals translate
power bases into
specific actions.
• • Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
• • Inspirational appeals
Inspirational appeals
• • Consultation
Consultation
• • Exchange
Exchange
• • Personal appeals
Personal appeals
• • Ingratiation
Ingratiation
• • Pressure
Pressure
• • Coalitions
Coalitions

10. Upward Influence Downward Influence
Lateral Influence
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
Rational persuasion
Inspirational appeals
Consultation
Pressure
Ingratiation
Consultation
Exchange
Ingratiation
Legitimacy
Exchange
Personal appeals
Legitimacy
Coalitions

11. Defining of Organization Politics
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.
Illegitimate Political Behavior
Extreme political behavior that violates the implied
rules of the game.

12. “Political” Label
“Effective
Management” Label
1.Creating conflict vs.
change and innovation
Encouraging
2. Whistle blowing vs.
efficiency
Improving
3. Scheming vs.
Planning ahead
4. Overachieving
and capable
vs.
5. Ambitious vs.
Career-minded
6. Cunning
Practical-minded
vs.
Competent

13. Which factor contributing to
political behavior:
Recent researches show that number of factors that
appear to encourage political behavior.
Both are individuals and organizational factors can
increase political behavior and provide favorable
outcomes.
In individual factors researches found certain
personality trait, needs and other factors likely to be
related to the political behavior.
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.
13–13

15. How employees respond to
organization politics:
We know that the most people who have the modest
political skill or un willing to play the politics game.
And have a response is negative.
Organizational politics may threaten employees and
it causes these following effects.
When both politics and understanding are high,
performance is likely to increase because the
individual will see political actions as an opportunity.
But when understanding is low, individuals are more
likely to see political threaten, which would have a
negative effect on job performance.
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.
13–15

17. Impression Management
The process by which
individuals attempt to
control the impression
others form of them.
IM Techniques: :
IM Techniques
• • Conformity
Conformity
• • Excuses
Excuses
• • Apologies
Apologies
• • Self-Promotion
Self-Promotion
• • Flattery
Flattery
• • Favors
Favors
• • Association
Association

18. Avoiding Action: :
Avoiding Action
• • Overconforming
Overconforming
• • Buck passing
Buck passing
• • Playing dumb
Playing dumb
• • Stretching
Stretching
Avoiding Blame: :
Avoiding Blame
• • Playing safe
Playing safe
• • Justifying
Justifying
• • Scapegoating
Scapegoating
• • Misrepresenting
Misrepresenting
Avoiding Change: :
Avoiding Change
• • Prevention
Prevention
• • Self-protection
Self-protection

19. A major theme of this chapter is that power and
political behavior are natural process in any group or
organization given that you need to know how power
is acquired and exercised if you are to fully understand
organizational behavior although you may heard the
phrase POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER
CORRUPTS ASLOUTELY Power is not always bad as
one author has noted that medicine can kill if taken in
the wrong amount. Moreover learning how power
works in organization you will be better able to use
your knowledge to become a more effective manager