Using Power Politics and Collaboration Power in organizations

Using Power, Politics and Collaboration • Power in organizations is used through individual political behavior. • Today’s discussion will summarize tactics that managers can use to: – increase the power base of their departments – political tactics – tactics for increasing collaboration. 41 1

Tactics for Increasing Power 1. Enter areas of high uncertainty: 1. 2. Create dependencies: 1. 2. 3. for material, information, knowledge, skills doing additional work for other departments creates dependencies E. g. IT department Provide Resources: 1. 2. 4. build expertise and capabilities to cope with uncertain situations and increase departmental power base external research funds in a university department will generate resources for all departments in that university also same in sales department Satisfy strategic contingencies: 1. 2. 3. Contingency is a critical event, a task for which there is no substitute departments meeting these contingencies will increase the power base 2

Tactics for Increasing Power • • In short the allocation of power in an organization is not random. Power is the result of organizational processes that can be understood and predicted. 3

Political Tactics for Using Power • In organizations many decisions are made through political processes because – Rational decision processes do not fit – Uncertainty or disagreement is too high 4

Political Tactics for Using Power • 1. Political tactics for using power to influence decision outcomes include: Build coalitions: 1. 2. Expand networks: 1. 3. bring in a dissenter or reach out to other departments to help them Control decision premises: 1. 4. good interpersonal relationships put your best foot forward, agenda formation and order of agenda items can control decision premises Enhance legitimacy and expertise: 1. a finance director firing an HR manager by hiring a consultant to evaluate HR projects is an example of creating legitimacy 5

Tactics for Enhancing Collaboration 1. Create integration devices 1. teams, task forces, project managers, full time integrator, horizontal structures for permanent integration, Labor-management teams 2. Use confrontation and negotiation 1. win-win strategy 3. Third party consultation 4. Member rotation 5. Create shared mission and goals 6