There are two parts of this topic that is discussed. The first are the five bases of power used normally in Organizational Politics. There are two categories that split into two, Formal and Personal Power. So what are these five bases of power and which category is the best one. We will look at these powers and will be comparing them to our scenarios. The second part will cover the relationship between dependency and power. We will then look at our scenarios for examples of these relationships.
Two Social psychologist, French and Raven, had developed the five bases of power. (Robbins 2007). The two categories are Formal and Personal Power. Both of these categories has their own powers. Formal Power has Coercive, Reward and Legitimate Powers. Personal Power has two powers, Expert and Referent. Often different combinations of these powers are used.
The first category is Formal Power, which is a person’s position in an organization. This person can use their power in a coercive, reward or a formal authority way.
So what is Coercive Power, it is a person who gains their power by creating fear-base influence on other of what might occur if one fails. This fear is a threat of physical sanctions such as the infliction of pain, restriction of movement, or by the controlling of force of basic physiological or safety needs. Any person that has knowledge that is over others makes others dependent on them. Using guilt to influence a situation will turn into an unpleasant situation. Resentment and resistance are two things that build tension when using coercive power over them.
The second power in the Formal category is Reward Power. People comply because of the positive benefits it gives. A person allows another person to ...
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...rismatic personality gave him power. He created himself as Important, and Scarcity which gave him the edge.
If everyone can possess what you have easily, it will not increase your power. If everyone is intelligent, intelligence gives no significant advantage. To keep more power in your hands, you can expand your options. For this reason is why many people want to be independent of others, so that others will not have power over them.
With the five bases of power and the dependency of power, they go hand in hand for individuals and organizations. Everyone wants power, and to have control of their own actions. However, to have power; one need to know how to use it wisely, otherwise; it can backfire on them.
Works Cited
Stephen P. R. & Timothy A. J. (2007). Motivation Concepts. Organizational Behavior (12th Ed.)(p. 208). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
power is not based solely upon always having the upper hand, but rather it is knowing when to
Power is held and exerted or ignored by those with the ability to act upon other people or cause an event. The scientific community held power over hospitals, scientists, and scientific progress because it can deem work valid, scientific, ethical, and otherwise. John Hopkins held power over its patients not only because they were under its care, but also because many could not pay for medical care. Individual doctors at Hopkins held power over their specific patients for the same reasons although they held more extensive powers over the specific patient. Henrietta held power over whether or not she received treatment. Zakariyya held power over the boy he murdered because he h...
Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control. When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).
Power is a difficult concept to identify; it has been defined in several ways by many scholars. Hinings et al. (1967) state that power is analogous to bureaucracy, while Bierstedt (1950) and Blau (1964) state that it is purely coercion (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Moreover, Hall and Tolbert (2005) identify that there are five types of power, reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert (Stojkovic et al, 2008). According to studies these five types of power are important and needed in a criminal justice agency for greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Our society often confuses personal power, our power within, with our power over, which is about controlling others. There is a vast difference between personal power and control.
The five sources of power, as identified by French and Raven, are legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, and referent power. The first three sources of power are positional powers,
They are not only its inert or consenting target; they are always also the elements of its articulation” (Foucault, “Two Lectures” 34). Power may take various forms, all of which are employed and exercised by individualsand unto individuals in the institutions of society. In all institutions, there is political and judicial power, as certain individuals claim the right to give orders, establish rules, and so forth as well as the right to punish and award. For example, in school, the professor not only teaches, but also dictates, evaluates, as well as punishes and rewards.
There are several sources of power, some of them are authority, reward, expertise, and coercion.
In the video Eric Liu spoke of the systems of power that society has structured. Eric defines power as the ability to make others do what you would have them do. He sees power as being found with family, at your workplace, and in relationships. He defines the six main sources of civic power as being Control of physical force, wealth to buy results and other power, State action (government) to have control over people and what they do. An example for this would be that in a democracy the citizens give government power through elections, and in contrast dictatorship expresses power through force. The fourth civic power is known as social norm, which means what others believe that is okay, and what is not okay. The fifth civic power is ideas meaning
C. Wright Mills in his article “ The Structure of Power in American Society” writes that when considering the types of power that exist in modern society there are three main types which are authority, manipulation and coercion. Coercion can be seen as the “last resort” of enforcing power. On the other hand, authority is power that is derived from voluntary action and manipulation is power that is derived unbeknownst to the people who are under that power.
Some theorists believe that ‘power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere… power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society. (Foucault, 1990: 93) This is because power is present in each individual and in every relationship. It is defined as the ability of a group to get another group to take some form of desired action, usually by consensual power and sometimes by force. (Holmes, Hughes &Julian, 2007) There have been a number of differing views on ‘power over’ the many years in which it has been studied. Theorist such as Anthony Gidden in his works on structuration theory attempts to integrate basic structural analyses and agency-centred traditions. According to this, people are free to act, but they must also use and replicate fundamental structures of power by and through their own actions. Power is wielded and maintained by how one ‘makes a difference’ and based on their decisions and actions, if one fails to exercise power, that is to ‘make a difference’ then power is lost. (Giddens: 1984: 14) However, more recent theorists have revisited older conceptions including the power one has over another and within the decision-making processes, and power, as the ability to set specific, wanted agendas. To put it simply, power is the ability to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In the political arena, therefore, power is the ability to make or influence decisions that other people are bound by.
The political frame relies on the assumption that organizations are alliances of unique people and interest groups. The people are unique due to their different views of the world, their morals, faith and activities and the information they have given these characteristics. The political frame also assumes that all key decisions arise from the need to allocate scarce resources such as time, money and information. These scarce resources and differences amongst people are what make conflict the core of organizational dynamics and make power such a crucial asset. Finally, the political frame assumes that all objectives and conclusions are e...
According to the paper presented, I believe that power is the most essential element for the human progress, since it’s about changing intentions to actions. In organization it’s about sharing information, about working together and running the company in the best interest of everyone. According to my learning, I believed that it changes nothing, no one can predict the result of a decision and we spend more time living with the consequence of our decision than making them. In turn we should focus on getting things done rather than thinking of the consequence.
Power is defined in the course study notes as the “ability of individuals or groups to get what they want despite the opposition”. Power is derived from a variety of sources including knowledge, experience and environmental uncertainties (Denhardt et al, 2001). It is also important to recognize that power is specific to each situation. Individuals or groups that may be entirely powerful in one situation may find themselves with little or no power in another. The county Registrar of Voters, who is my boss, is a perfect example. In running the local elections office, she can exercise the ultimate power. However, in a situation where she attempted to get the county selected for a desirable, statewide pilot project, she was powerless, completely at the mercy of the Secretary of State. Power is difficult to measure and even to recognize, yet it plays a major role in explaining authority. In organizations, power is most likely exercised in situations where “the stakes are high, resources are limited, and goals and processes are unclear” (Denhardt et al, 2001). The absence of power in organizations forces us to rely on soley hierarchical authority.
Legitimate Power – This is power that comes from holding a position within an organization