MGMT20001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Ingratiation, Social Capital, Job Satisfaction
25 May 2018
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Potential to change someone's attitudes or behaviour
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Based on the target's perception that the power holder controls a valuable resource that can help
the target achieve his or her goals
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Countervailing power is the capacity of a person, team or organisation to keep a more
powerful person or group in the exchange relationship
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Asymmetric dependence of one party on another party
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Depends on some minimum level of trust
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Power is the capacity of a person, team or organisation to influence others
The Meaning of Power
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Legitimate power is an agreement among organisational members that people in certain roles can
request certain behaviours of others
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Formal job descriptions
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Informal rules of conduct
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Perceived right or obligations originates from
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The zone of indifference is the set of behaviours that individuals are willing to engage
in at the other person's request
Size of the zone increases with the level of trust
Gives power holder the right to ask for a range of behaviours from others
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Restrictions
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Norm of reciprocity is a felt obligation and social expectation of helping or otherwise giving
something of value to someone who has already helped or given something of value to you
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Information is a resource so those who need that information depend on the gatekeeper to
provide that resource
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Information gatekeepers gain power by selectively distributing information so those
receiving the information perceive the situations differently
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Legitimate power through information control
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Legitimate power:
Reward power is derived from the person's ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by
others and to remove negative sanctions
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Pay
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Promotions
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Time off
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Vacation schedules
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Work assignments
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Formal authority that gives managers power over the distribution of organisational rewards
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Employees have reward power over their bosses through their feedback and ratings in 360
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degree
feedback systems
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Reward power:
Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment
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Managers may threaten employees with dismissal
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Employees may be sarcastic towards co
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workers or threaten to ostracise them if they fail to
conform to team norms
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Coercive power:
Expert power is an individual's or work unit's capacity to influence others by possessing
knowledge or skills valued by others
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Originates from within the power holder
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Organisations are more effective when they operate in predictable environments
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One form is the perceived ability to manage uncertainties in the business environment
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Prevention
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most effect strategy is to prevent environmental changes from occurring
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Forecasting
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predicting environmental changes or variations
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Absorption
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people and work units may absorb or neutralise the impact of environmental
shifts as they occur
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Expertise can help companies cope with uncertainty in three ways
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Expert power:
Sources of Power in Organisations
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shifts as they occur
Referent power is the capacity to influence others on the basis of an identification with and
respect for the power holder
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Originates within the power holder
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A function of the person's interpersonal skills
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Associated with charisma
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a personal characteristic or special "gift" that serves as a form of
interpersonal attraction and referent power over others
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Referent power:
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