Organizations exist to get things done and in the process of doing this, people or
groups exercise power. Directly or indirectly, the use of power in influencing behaviour
is a pervading feature of organizations, whether it is exerted by managers,
specialists, informal groups or trade union officials.
Power is the capacity to secure the dominance of one’s goals or values over others. Four different types of power have been identified by French and Raven (1959):
● reward power – derived from the belief of individuals that compliance brings rewards; the ability to distribute rewards contributes considerably to an executive’s power;
● coercive power – making it plain that non-compliance will bring punishment;
● expert power – exercised by people who are popular or admired and with whom the less powerful can identify;
● legitimized power – power conferred by the position in an organization held by an executive.
Politics
Power and politics are inextricably mixed, and in any organization there will inevitably be people who want to achieve their satisfaction by acquiring power, legitimately or illegitimately. Kakabadse (1983) defines politics as ‘a process, that of influencing individuals and groups of people to your point of view, where you cannot rely on authority’.
Organizations consist of individuals who, while they are ostensibly there to achieve a common purpose, are, at the same time, driven by their own needs to achieve their own goals. Effective management is the process of harmonizing individual endeavour and ambition to the common good. Some individuals genuinely believe that using political means to achieve their goals will benefit the organization as well as themselves. Others rationalize this belief. Yet others unashamedly pursue their own ends.
Conflict
Conflict is inevitable in organizations because they function by means of adjustments and compromises among competitive elements in their structure and membership. Conflict also arises when there is change, because it may be seen as a threat to be challenged or resisted, or when there is frustration – this may produce an aggressive reaction; fight rather than flight. Conflict is not to be deplored. It is an inevitable result of progress and change and it can and should be used constructively
Conflict between individuals raises fewer problems than conflict between groups. Individuals can act independently and resolve their differences. Members of groups may have to accept the norms, goals and values of their group. The individual’s loyalty will usually be to his or her own group if it is in conflict with others.
Interaction and networking
Interactions between people criss-cross the organization, creating networks for getting things done and exchanging information, which is not catered for in the formal structure. ‘Networking’ is an increasingly important process in flexible and delayered organizations where more fluid interactions across the structure are required between individuals and teams. Individuals can often get much more done by networking than by going through formal channels. At least this means that they can canvass opinion and enlist support to promote their projects or ideas and to share their knowledge
People also get things done in organizations by creating alliances – getting agreement on a course of action with other people and joining forces to get things done.
Communications
The communications processes used in organizations have a marked effect on how they function, especially if they take place through the network, which can then turn into the ‘grapevine’. E-mails in intranets encourage the instant flow of information (and sometimes produce information overload) but may inhibit face-to-face interactions, which are often the best ways of getting things done.
Power is the capacity to secure the dominance of one’s goals or values over others. Four different types of power have been identified by French and Raven (1959):
● reward power – derived from the belief of individuals that compliance brings rewards; the ability to distribute rewards contributes considerably to an executive’s power;
● coercive power – making it plain that non-compliance will bring punishment;
● expert power – exercised by people who are popular or admired and with whom the less powerful can identify;
● legitimized power – power conferred by the position in an organization held by an executive.
Politics
Power and politics are inextricably mixed, and in any organization there will inevitably be people who want to achieve their satisfaction by acquiring power, legitimately or illegitimately. Kakabadse (1983) defines politics as ‘a process, that of influencing individuals and groups of people to your point of view, where you cannot rely on authority’.
Organizations consist of individuals who, while they are ostensibly there to achieve a common purpose, are, at the same time, driven by their own needs to achieve their own goals. Effective management is the process of harmonizing individual endeavour and ambition to the common good. Some individuals genuinely believe that using political means to achieve their goals will benefit the organization as well as themselves. Others rationalize this belief. Yet others unashamedly pursue their own ends.
Conflict
Conflict is inevitable in organizations because they function by means of adjustments and compromises among competitive elements in their structure and membership. Conflict also arises when there is change, because it may be seen as a threat to be challenged or resisted, or when there is frustration – this may produce an aggressive reaction; fight rather than flight. Conflict is not to be deplored. It is an inevitable result of progress and change and it can and should be used constructively
Conflict between individuals raises fewer problems than conflict between groups. Individuals can act independently and resolve their differences. Members of groups may have to accept the norms, goals and values of their group. The individual’s loyalty will usually be to his or her own group if it is in conflict with others.
Interaction and networking
Interactions between people criss-cross the organization, creating networks for getting things done and exchanging information, which is not catered for in the formal structure. ‘Networking’ is an increasingly important process in flexible and delayered organizations where more fluid interactions across the structure are required between individuals and teams. Individuals can often get much more done by networking than by going through formal channels. At least this means that they can canvass opinion and enlist support to promote their projects or ideas and to share their knowledge
People also get things done in organizations by creating alliances – getting agreement on a course of action with other people and joining forces to get things done.
Communications
The communications processes used in organizations have a marked effect on how they function, especially if they take place through the network, which can then turn into the ‘grapevine’. E-mails in intranets encourage the instant flow of information (and sometimes produce information overload) but may inhibit face-to-face interactions, which are often the best ways of getting things done.
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