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POLITICS:Sources of Politics in Organizations, Final Word about Power

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Organizational Psychology­ (PSY510)
VU
Lesson 35
POLITICS
When people get together in groups, power will be exerted. People want to carve out a niche from which to
exert influence, to earn awards, and to advance their careers. When employees in organizations convert their
power into action, we describe them as being engaged in politics. Those with good political skills have the
ability to use their bases of power effectively.
For our purposes, we can define political behaviour in organizations as those 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 and disadvantages within the organization.
This definition encompasses key elements from what most people mean when they talk about
organizational politics. Political behaviour is outside one's specified job requirements. The behaviour
requires some attempt to use one's power bases. Additionally, our definition encompasses efforts to
influence the goals, criteria, or processes used for decision making when we state that politics is concerned
with "the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization." Our definition is broad
enough to include such varied political behaviour as withholding key information from decision makers,
whistle blowing, spreading rumours, leaking confidential information about organizational activities to the
media, exchanging favours with others in the organization for mutual benefit, and lobbying on behalf of or
against a particular individual or decision alternative.
It is important to note that legitimate political behaviour refers to normal everyday politics-complaining to
your supervisor, bypassing the chain of command, forming coalitions, obstructing organizational policies or
decisions through inaction or excessive adherence to rules, and developing contacts outside the organization
through one's professional activities.
However, there are also illegitimate political behaviours that violate the implied rules of the game. Those
who pursue such extreme activities are often described as individuals who play hardball. Illegitimate
activities include sabotage; whistle-blowing and symbolic protests such as wearing unorthodox dress or
protest buttons and groups of employees simultaneously calling in sick. All organizations, particularly large
ones are political.
The vast majority of all organizational political actions are of the legitimate variety. The reasons re
pragmatic: The extreme illegitimate forms of political behaviour pose a very real risk of loss of
organizational memberships or extreme sanctions against those who use them and then fall short in having
enough power to ensure they work.
Organizations are political for the following reasons:
1. Organizations have power structures that compete amongst themselves. Different coalitions are formed
in organizations between people who think alike in the organization. These coalitions then therefore
compete for power in the organization and politics stem from this competition.
2. Various groups within organization protect themselves. In order to achieve this protection they may
either try to acquire power themselves or join coalitions in the organization what help them gain power.
3. Power within an organization may be unequally distributed, which is dehumanizing. The unequal
distribution of power creates a sense of unfairness in the organization and causes the people to react by
yearning for power.
4. Organizations are faced with change which encourages politics.
Sources of Politics in Organizations
Politics within organizations comes from the following sources:
·  Limited resources
Resources in organizations are limited, which often turns potential conflict into real conflict. If
resources were abundant, then all the various constituencies within the organization could satisfy their
goals. But because they are limited, not everyone's interest can be provided for. Further, whether true
or not, gains by one individual or group are often perceived as being the expense of others within the
organization. These forces create competition among members of the organization which results in
politics.
·  Ambiguous decisions
Most decisions have to made in a climate of ambiguity in the organization-where facts are rarely fully
objective and thus are open to interpretation-people within organizations will use whatever influence
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they can to taint the facts to support their goals and interests. That, of course, creates the activities we
call politicking.
·  Ambiguous goals
Another potential source of organizational politics is ambiguity of goals. If goals in an organization are
ambiguous, the people may want to interpret them to meet their personal goals. This also causes politics
to stem up.
·  Change
In today's world, change is important for every organization; organizations need to adapt to the rapidly
changing environment in order to survive. People in the organization are often resistant to the change
and try to evade the change through acquisition of power. This also causes politics to stem up in
organizations.
Insight into Power in Organizations
Following is a detailed insight into power tactics in organizations:
1. Maintain alliance with powerful people
Formation of coalitions and alliances within organizations is a tactic of acquiring power. These
coalitions could be formed between the managers and the workers as well. Therefore, the influence of
the manger serves as the power for the worker. This power may be useful for the organization and if
used negatively can also be harmful for the organization.
2. Embrace or demolish
Embrace or demolish principle applies especially to organizations which have been acquired. The top
managers of acquired firms should either be sacked or embraced. If sacked they would do not harm but
if demoted or relegated, shall be a source of potential danger.
3. Divide and rule
It is a military strategy which can be applied in organizations as well; as organizations face politics, if
people are divided, they are less likely to form alliances and coalitions.
4. Manipulate classified information
Having key information about the organization is a potential source of power. Therefore, manipulation
of classified information serves to be a potential source of politics in organizations.
5. Look good on important projects
It is important to appear good on important projects to get the attention of higher ups in the
organization. Once the attention has been attained, better and more important projects shall be
assigned and will result in acquisition of power.
6. Collect and use IOUs
Power seeker in organizations should provide favours to people, help them, get them out of distress
and cause them to be thankful to him or her. These people shall pay back when needed.
7. Avoid decisive engagements
Not opting for revolutionary change in the organization but making the things to change gradually
should be the policy of power seeker in the organization. This is what is suggested by the strategy of
avoiding decisive engagements in the organization.
8. One step at a time (Camel's head)
This strategy is drawn from the story of the Arab and the Camel. It is important for power seeker to
make one move at a time and not to look for huge changes or achievements.
9. Wait for a crisis
It is important for a power seeker to wait and watch for a crisis which he or she can mange. It would
then be easy for him or her to take charge and become the leader.
10. Take counsel with caution
It is important for managers and power seekers to take advice with caution and to assay each and every
advice before acting upon it.
Final Word about Power
Power Ito be kept within "ethical" limits. The first question you need to answer addresses self-interest
versus organizational goals. Ethical actions are consistent with the organization's goals. Spreading untrue
rumours about the safety of a new product introduced by your company, in order to make that product's
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design team look bad, is unethical. However, there may be nothing unethical if a department head
exchanges favour with his division's purchasing manager in order to get a critical contract processed quickly.
The second question concerns the rights of other parties. If the department head described in the previous
paragraph went down to the mail room during his lunch hour and read through the mail directed to the
purchasing manger-with the intent of "getting something on him" so he'll expedite your contract-he would
be acting unethically. He would have violated the purchasing managers' right to privacy.
The final question that needs to bad dressed related to whether the political activity conforms to standards
of equity and justice. The department head who inflates the performance evaluation of a favoured employee
and deflates the evaluation of a disfavoured employee-then uses these evaluations to justify giving the
former a big raise and nothing to the latter-has treated the disfavoured employee unfairly.
It is important to keep power within ethical limit in the organization and to refrain from activities which
might hurt the organization.
REFERENCES
·  Luthans, Fred. (2005). Organizational Behaviour (Tenth Edition). United States: McGraw Hill Irwin.
·  Mejia, Gomez. Balkin, David & Cardy, Rober. (2006). Managing Human Resources (Fourth Edition).
India: Dorling Kidersley Pvt. Ltd., licensee of Pearson Education in South Asia.
·  Robbins, P., Stephen. (1996). Organizational Behaviour (Seventh Edition). India: Prentice Hall, Delhi.
·  Huczynski, Andrzej & Buchanan, David. (1991). Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text
(Second Edition). Prentice Hall. New York.
·  Moorhead, Gregory & Griffin, Ricky. (2001). Organizational Behaviour (First Edition). A.I.T.B.S.
Publishers & Distributors. Delhi.
FURTHER READING
·  Power (sociology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_(sociology) - 59k
·  Positive and Negative Power: Thoughts on the Dialectics of Power: Abell, Peter 1974: http://intl-
oss.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/1/1/
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHLOGY:Hawthorne Effect
  2. METHODOLOGIES OF DATA COLLECTION:Observational method, Stability of Measures
  3. GLOBALIZATION:Aspects of Globalization, Industrial Globalization
  4. DEFINING THE CULTURE:Key Components of Culture, Individualism
  5. WHAT IS DIVERSITY?:Recruitment and Retention, Organizational approaches
  6. ETHICS:Sexual Harassment, Pay and Promotion Discrimination, Employee Privacy
  7. NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONS:Flat Organization, Neoclassical Organization Theory
  8. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:Academy Culture, Baseball Team Culture, Fortress Culture
  9. CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:Move decisively, defuse resistance
  10. REWARD SYSTEMS: PAY, Methods of Pay, Individual incentive plan, New Pay Techniques
  11. REWARD SYSTEMS: RECOGNITION AND BENEFITS, Efficiency Wage Theory
  12. PERCEPTION:How They Work Together, Gestalt Laws of Grouping, Closure
  13. PERCEPTUAL DEFENCE:Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Stereotyping
  14. ATTRIBUTION:Locus of Control, Fundamental Attribution Error
  15. IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT:Impression Construction, Self-focused IM
  16. PERSONALITY:Classifying Personality Theories, Humanistic/Existential
  17. PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT:Standardized, Basic Categories of Measures
  18. ATTITUDE:Emotional, Informational, Behavioural,Positive and Negative Affectivity
  19. JOB SATISFACTION:The work, Pay, Measurement of Job Satisfaction
  20. MOTIVATION:Extrinsic motive, Theories of work motivation, Safety needs
  21. THEORIES OF MOTIVATION:Instrumentality, Stacy Adams’S Equity theory
  22. MOTIVATION ACROSS CULTURES:Meaning of Work, Role of Religion
  23. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:Criticisms of ‘Traditional’ Psychology, Optimism
  24. HOPE:Personality, Our goals, Satisfaction with important domains, Negative affect
  25. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:EI IS Related To Emotions and Intelligence
  26. SELF EFFICACY:Motivation, Perseverance, Thoughts, Sources of Self-Efficacy
  27. COMMUNICATION:Historical Background, Informal-Formal, Interpersonal Communication
  28. COMMUNICATION (Part II):Downward Communication, Stereotyping Problems
  29. DECISION MAKING:History, Personal Rationality, Social Model, Conceptual
  30. PARTICIPATIVE DECISION MAKING TECHNIQUES:Expertise, Thinking skills
  31. JOB STRESS:Distress and Eustress, Burnout, General Adaptation Syndrome
  32. INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS:Role Ambiguity/ Role Conflict, Personal Control
  33. EFFECTS OF STRESS:Physical Effects, Behavioural Effects, Individual Strategies
  34. POWER AND POLITICS:Coercive Power, Legitimate Power, Referent Power
  35. POLITICS:Sources of Politics in Organizations, Final Word about Power
  36. GROUPS AND TEAMS:Why Groups Are Formed, Forming, Storming
  37. DYSFUNCTIONS OF GROUPS:Norm Violation, Group Think, Risky Shift
  38. JOB DESIGN:Job Rotation, Job Enlargement, Job Enrichment, Skill Variety
  39. JOB DESIGN:Engagement, Disengagement, Social Information Processing, Motivation
  40. LEARNING:Motor Learning, Verbal Learning, Behaviouristic Theories, Acquisition
  41. OBMOD:Applications of OBMOD, Correcting Group Dysfunctions
  42. LEADERSHIP PROCESS:Managers versus Leaders, Defining Leadership
  43. MODERN THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP PROCESS:Transformational Leaders
  44. GREAT LEADERS: STYLES, ACTIVITIES AND SKILLS:Globalization and Leadership
  45. GREAT LEADERS: STYLES, ACTIVITIES AND SKILLS:Planning, Staffing