Power and Politics in Organizations
This resource provides an overview of power and politics, considers the effect of conformity, and reviews studies on the effects of conformity. The text explores the relationship between dependency and power. It uses Steve Jobs as an example of all six types of power, including legitimate power, expert power, reward power, information power, coercive power, and referent power. Because leaders can abuse power, the text also examines the direction of influence.
Organizational Politics
Key Takeaway
Organizational politics is a natural part of organizational life. Organizations that are driven by unhealthy levels of political behavior suffer from lowered employee organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and performance as well as higher levels of job anxiety and depression. Individual antecedents of political behavior include political skill, internal locus of control, high investment in the organization, and expectations of success. Organizational antecedents include scarcity of resources, role ambiguity, frequent performance evaluations and promotions, and democratic decision-making.