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... y 270 volts, each shock is met with a scream... 345 volts brought the most terrifying development of all, silence (web id = 1459474). This is a frightening example of the fundamentally obedient nature of humans. Religion is another prime example of how power can impact politics.
The Catholic Church is one of the most powerful entities in the world. Over time as the church has grown in size, naturally they have increased in power and become overwhelmingly political. Many incidents have been swept under the rug, however with the help of brave people and the media they have been brought to the forefront. Very rarely is anyone held accountable since the Catholic Church answers to no one on this earth. The power within religion is so immense that it has infiltrated the U. S.
government and education. The label "In God We Trust" written on money and the debate for prayer in schools are both examples of the effect of power on politics in religion. When an entity becomes difficult to manage due to its size, people can lose sight of the original intent. This is when power can truly effect the decision making process. The amount of money or power which is often a byproduct of the increasing size can be seductive and overwhelming. Maintaining strong morals and a grass roots philosophy can aid in not losing sight of the original goals.
These same ideas and concept can be seen when looking at power and politics in the business world of today. In an article published by Texas Tech University (Division of Outreach and Extended Studies, Copyright 1998 by the Texas Tech University, Available: web files/ 0012. htm), power is described as an interpersonal relationship in which one individual (or group) can cause another individual (or group) to take an action that it would not otherwise take. Power involves changing the behavior of another by using implied, not actual, force. Person "A" has power over person "B" only if "B" believes "A" can force "B" to comply. Power is closely related to leadership and authority.
As a manager, it is important to know where one begins and the other ends. There are two bases of power; personal power and position power. Personal power results from personal attributes and expertise. Positional power is derived from official power.
According to this week's reading, personal power resides in the individual and is independent of that individual's position. On the other hand, positional power stems solely from his or her position within the organization. There are six important aspects of position power: reward, coercive, legitimate, process, information, and representative power. The three bases of personal power are expertise, rational persuasion, and reference. (Schermerhorn, John R. , Hunt, James G. , Osborn, Richard N. Organizational Behavior, pgs 1 - 31). In the same article published by Texas Tech University (Division of Outreach and Extended Studies, Copyright 1998 by the Texas Tech University, Available: web files/ 0012.
htm) politics is described as those activities taken within an organization to acquire, develop, and use power and other resources to obtain a preferred outcome in a situation where there is uncertainty of the outcome. The article hits the nail right on the head when it states that power is a force or a store of political influence through which events can be affected. When an individual says "Oh, he is very political! Or "Ooops, more office politics, " it is very easy to have thoughts of shadiness, favors, and the building of special relationships. Politics also conjure thoughts of dishonesty. (Schermerhorn, John R. , Hunt, James G. , Osborn, Richard N. Organizational Behavior, pgs 1 - 31) Politics involves activities or behaviors through which power is developed and used in organizational settings.
Let's not forget that all organizations are made up of alliances and coalitions. Groups can choose to work together or against each other to achieve results or gain resources. When it comes to resources, if one group gets more another will automatically get less. Within an organization, these groups and alliances often use power as avenue to achieve their goals and get what they want.
This will often result in a political power struggle. To conclude the topic of power and politics, the story of Smucker's comes to mind. This family owned and operated company, founded over one-hundred years ago could have had a very large political power struggle on their hands. When Timothy P. Smucker and Richard K. Smucker were faced with who would win the top spot to run the company they solved their problem by picking one over the other, they decided to divide their duties.
Timothy is the chairman and co-CEO, while Richard is the president, co-CEO. This could have been a political nightmare if they both didn't agree to share the top spot or didn't act rational. Instead, the Smucker's chose to share the power in different political aspects to minimize organizational politics and promote the basic values, people ethics, growth and independence that Smucker's has built its reputation on. (Schermerhorn, John R. , Hunt, James G. , Osborn, Richard N. Organizational Behavior, pgs 1 - 31). What can you do to thrive in a political environment? There's no magic formula, but common sense, fair play and sound judgment are good starting points.
Work hard; absolutely. But instead of keeping your head down, keep your antenna up. Instead of keeping your nose clean and not getting involved in any of the politics, use it to sniff out information and opportunities. Instead of seeing power and politics as dirty words, put them to good use for yourself and others.
One thing is for sure, power and politics will always survive in the business world, and it is imperative that we as employees find a way to use them to our advantage, because if we do not someone else will. As it is pointed out in one article, the great philosopher Plato once said "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber" (Martinez, 2000). References Martinez, M. N. (2000).
Politics Come With The Office. Information retrieved on August 27, 2005 from web
Free research essays on topics related to: personal power, catholic church, organizational behavior, james g, texas tech
Research essay sample on Organizational Behavior Texas Tech
