Who has the Power in the Organization?
King or Bishops or Pawns
Happy day, amazing people!!!
Power actually lies in the hands of one who influences the behavior of another. So, it’s not solely based on hierarchy.
Another reason for a person being powerful is that others depend on him/her for something.
Dependency is a major aspect of power.
Ok guys… enough of lecture
Let’s play some games to understand the concept of power and its kinds. (Answers are at the end)
Nod your head “yes or no” for the following questions:
- Is leadership and power the same?
- Do leaders need power?
- Can a manager be more powerful than another manager (lateral organizational structure)?
Pair the person with the power he holds:
| A | B |
| 1. Jimmy is a very demanding boss. He always threatens his sub-ordinate. He would even fire people for not meeting the requirement. | Reward power |
| 2. Kabir is a happy go lucky person. He occupies one of the major positions in the company. He treats his sub-ordinate very well. Everyone likes him and aspires to be like him. | Coercive power |
| 3. Levi is a hard-working man. As a boss he is very respectable. He would always believe that people work best only with positive reinforcement. | Legitimate power |
Circle the odd one out:
Expert power is bestowed upon a person when he/she has a special skill or knowledge about a particular subject.
With reference to the above statement, choose the ones who has the most expert power
| 1. Assistant Professor | Associate Professor | Professor |
| 2. General | Brigadier | Colonel |
With reference to the above statement, choose the ones who has the least expert power
| 1. Head Chef | Sous Chef | Station Chef |
| 2. Fellows | Residents | Attending Physician |
Given below are two scenarios, choose the suitable ones which depicts the referent power:
- Nathan is a renowned chef, who is known for creating healthy and nourishing recipes. He has become the talk of the town due to his appearance in a cooking show as a judge. Since then, he has been advertising many products related to his course of business one such is an organic sauce. Nathan endorsed this organic sauce on television advertisements.
- Oscar is a singer, dancer, actor and producer. He is one of the famous pop stars in the country. He has composed some amazing songs which people love and admire. Oscar became an ambassador for a clothing company. He endorses this company’s products on television.
Option 1
Option 2
Both 1 and 2
Neither
Next topic is Power tactics
Power tactics in short means ways and means of how to get things done.
Match the following tactics with its situation
| A | B |
| 1. Legitimacy | Manager reviewed the reports of last month’s sales and asked his sub-ordinates to improve |
| 2. Rational persuasion | ABC company outsourced its labour for construction work |
| 3. Inspirational appeals | Employers invited labour union for negotiation |
| 4. Consultation | Manager demanded and threatened his employees to complete the project |
| 5. Exchange | Production manager gave a motivational speech in order to increase the production |
| 6. Personal appeals | Owner of the company praised the employees for doing a great job |
| 7. Ingratiation | CEO Jack has more power in the company to manage the resources |
| 8. Pressure | Production manager asked finance manager to prepare an invoice ASAP |
| 9. Coalitions | Falcon got a bonus for showing an increase in the company’s sales |
Answers
Nod your head “yes or no” for the following questions:
- No, because leaders and followers have goal compatibility but power doesn’t
- Yes, because leaders need to influence the behavior of their followers to achieve the common goal
- Yes, because power is not confined to direction specific
Pair the person with the power he holds:
- Jimmy – Coercive power
- Kabir – Legitimate power
- Levi – Reward power
Circle the odd one out:
- Professor
- General
- Station chef
- Residents
Given below are two scenarios, choose the suitable ones which depicts the referent power:
- Both
Because both has the power to influence people’s purchase behavior. Though Chef has expert power for his skill, referent power also plays a major role due to his popularity. And needless to say, Oscar definitely holds referent power with that he could make people buy things.
Match the following tactics with its situation:
| A | B |
| 1. Legitimacy | CEO Jack has more power in the company to manage the resources |
| 2. Rational persuasion | Manager reviewed the reports of last month’s sales and asked his sub-ordinates to improve |
| 3. Inspirational appeals | Production manager gave a motivational speech in order to increase the production |
| 4. Consultation | Employers invited labour union for negotiation |
| 5. Exchange | Falcon got a bonus for showing an increase in the company’s sales |
| 6. Personal appeals | Production manager asked finance manager to prepare an invoice ASAP |
| 7. Ingratiation | Owner of the company praised the employees for doing a great job |
| 8. Pressure | Manager demanded and threatened his employees to complete the project |
| 9. Coalitions | ABC company outsourced its labour for construction work |
We hope you guys have understood about power in organization and its nuances
Ok then before signing off
Love what you do, do what you love…. Bye
From,
Simply grasp