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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
i.
B. Organizational Factors
a. Political activity is probably more a function of the organization’s
characteristics than of individual difference variables.
politics is more likely to surface.
c. Cultures characterized by low trust, role ambiguity, unclear performance
evaluation systems, zero-sum reward allocation practices, democratic
decision making, high pressures for performance, and self-serving senior
managers will create breeding grounds for politicking.
political in organizations.
f. The less trust there is within the organization, the higher the level of
political behavior and the more likely it will be illegitimate.
g. Role ambiguity means that the prescribed behaviors of the employee are
not clear.
h. Subjective criteria in the appraisal process.
i. Subjective performance criteria create ambiguity.
“look good.”
iii. The more time that elapses between an action and its appraisal, the
more unlikely that the employee will be held accountable for his/her
political behaviors.
i. The zero-sum approach treats the reward “pie” as fixed so that any gain
or group.
C. How Do People Respond to Organizational Politics?
1. For most people—who have modest political skills or are unwilling to play the
between organizational politics and individual outcomes.
politics are negatively related to job satisfaction.
3. The perception of politics leads to anxiety or stress. When it gets to be too
much to handle, employees quit.
i. Thus, although developing countries such as Nigeria are perhaps more
United States.
4. Researchers have also noted several interesting qualifiers.
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
a. The politics-performance relationship appears to be moderated by an
individual’s understanding of the “hows” and “whys” of organizational
politics.
b. Political behavior and work moderates the effects of ethical leadership.
c. When employees see politics as a threat, they often respond with
defensive behaviors—reactive and protective behaviors to avoid action,
blame, or change. (Exhibit 13-5)
i. Defensive behaviors are often associated with negative feelings toward
the job and work environment.
ii. In the short run, employees may find that defensiveness protects their
self-interest, but in the long run it wears them down.
iii. People who consistently rely on defensiveness find that, eventually, it
is the only way they know how to behave.
iv. At that point, they lose the trust and support of their peers, bosses,
employees, and clients.
D. Impression Management
evaluate them.
organizations.
4. Who engages in IM—the high self-monitor. (Exhibit 13-6)
for them.
b. High self-monitors are good at reading situations and molding their
appearances and behavior to fit each situation.
5. IM does not imply that the impressions people convey are necessarily false.
6. Excuses and acclaiming, for instance, may be offered with sincerity.
be discredited.
9. Most of the studies undertaken to test the effectiveness of IM techniques have
related it to two criteria: interview success and performance evaluations.
10. Let’s consider each of these.
a. The evidence indicates most job applicants use IM techniques in
interviews and that it works.
to engage in impression management.
c. In addition, the effectiveness of impression management depends on the
applicants’ ability to correctly identify what traits or skills the interviewer
is looking for.
d. In terms of performance ratings, the picture is quite different. Ingratiation
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skill are more likely to be hurt by their IM attempts.
iii. Another study of 760 boards of directors found that individuals who
ingratiate themselves to current board members (express agreement
with the director, point out shared attitudes and opinions, compliment
supervisors—likes to be treated nicely.
f. However, self-promotion may work only in interviews and backfire on the
job because, whereas the interviewer has little idea whether you’re
blowing smoke about your accomplishments, the supervisor knows
because it’s his or her job to observe you.
11. Almost all our conclusions on employee reactions to organizational politics
are based on studies conducted in North America. The few studies that have
included other countries suggest some minor modifications.
b. Other research suggests that effective U.S. leaders achieve influence by
focusing on personal goals of group members and the tasks at hand (an
people around them (a holistic approach).
II. The Ethics of Behaving Politically
A. Although there are no clear-cut ways to differentiate ethical from unethical
1. For example, what is the utility of engaging in politicking?
a. Sometimes we engage in political behavior for little good reason. Major
league baseball player Al Martin claimed he played football at USC when
in fact he never did.
b. As a baseball player, he had little to gain by pretending to have played
football.
c. Outright lies like this may be a rather extreme example of impression
management, but many of us have distorted information to make a
favorable impression.
B. One thing to keep in mind is whether it’s really worth the risk. Another question
to ask is this:
1. How does the utility of engaging in the political behavior balance out any
harm (or potential harm) it will do to others?
a. Complimenting a supervisor on his or her appearance in order to curry
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favor is probably much less harmful than grabbing credit for a project that
others deserve.
but its ethicality is clear.
a. The department head who inflates the performance evaluation of a favored
employee and deflates the evaluation of a disfavored employee—and then
uses these evaluations to justify giving the former a big raise and nothing
to the latter—has treated the disfavored employee unfairly.
away with unethical practices successfully.
D. When faced with an ethical dilemma regarding organizational politics, try to
consider whether playing politics is worth the risk and whether others might be
harmed in the process.
XI. Mapping Your Political Career
A. One of the most useful ways to think about power and politics is in terms of your
own career.
B. Think about your career in your organization of choice. What are your ambitions?
Who has the power to help you get there? What is your relationship with these
people?
depends.
D. Power and politics are a part of organizational life.
E. To decide not to play is deciding not to be effective.
F. Better to be explicit about it with a political map than to proceed as if power and
politics didn’t matter.
XII. Summary and Implications for Managers
organizationally derived.
E. Competence especially appears to offer wide appeal, and its use as a power base
results in high performance by group members.
F. An effective manager accepts the political nature of organizations. Some people
are significantly more politically astute than others, meaning that they are aware
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
G. Those who are good at playing politics can be expected to get higher performance
evaluations and, hence, larger salary increases and more promotions than the
politically naïve or inept.
ready substitute.
2. You will not be alone in attempting to build your power bases. Others,
you. The result is a continual battle.
3. Try to avoid putting others in a position where they feel they have no power.
4. By assessing behavior in a political framework, you can better predict the
actions of others and use that information to formulate political strategies that
will gain advantages for you and your work unit.
5. Consider that employees who have poor political skills or are unwilling to
play the politics game generally relate perceived organizational politics to
lower job satisfaction and self-reported performance, increased anxiety, and
higher turnover. Therefore, if you are adept at organizational politics, help
your employees understand the importance of becoming politically savvy.
Career OBjectives
Should I become political?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Written and oral communication; Diverse and multicultural work environments; Reflective
thinking
My office is so political! Everyone is just looking for ways to get ahead by plotting and
scheming rather than doing the job. Should I just go along with it and develop my own
political strategy?—Julia
Dear Julia:
There’s definitely a temptation to join in when other people are behaving politically. If
you want to advance your career, you need to think about social relationships and how to
work with other people in a smart and diplomatic way. But that doesn’t mean you have to
give in to pressure to engage in organizational politics.
Of course, in many workplaces, hard work and achievement aren’t recognized, which
heightens politicking and lowers performance. But politics aren’t just potentially bad for
the company. People who are seen as political can be gradually excluded from social
networks and informal communication. Coworkers can sabotage a person with a
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
reputation for dishonesty or manipulation so they don’t have to deal with him or her. It’s
also likely that a political person will be the direct target of revenge from those who feel
they’ve been wronged.
If you want to provide a positive alternative to political behavior in your workplace, there
are a few steps you can take:
• Document your work efforts, and find data to back up your accomplishments. Political
behavior thrives in an ambiguous environment where standards for success are subjective
and open to manipulation. The best way to shortcut politics is to move the focus toward
clear, objective markers of work performance.
• Call out political behavior when you see it. Political behavior is, by its very nature,
secretive and underhanded. By bringing politics to light, you limit this capacity to
manipulate people against one another.
• Try to develop a network with only those individuals who are interested in performing
well together. This makes it hard for a very political person to get a lot done. On the other
hand, trustworthy and cooperative people will be able to find many allies who are
genuinely supportive. These support networks will result in performance levels that a
lone political person simply cannot match. Remember, in the long run a good reputation
can be your greatest asset!
Sources: A. Lavoie, “How to Get Rid of Toxic Office Politics,” Fast Company, April 10, 2014,
http://www.fastcompany.com/3028856/work-smart/how-to-make-office-politicking-alame-duck; C. Conner, “Office Politics: Must
You Play?” Forbes, April 14, 2013, http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/04/14/office-politics-must-
youplay-a-handbook-for-survivalsuccess/; and J. A. Colquitt and J. B. Rodell, “Justice, Trust, and Trustworthiness: A Longitudinal
Analysis Integrating Three Theoretical Perspectives,” Academy of Management Journal 54 (2011): 1183–1206.
Myth or Science?
“Powerful Leaders Keep Their (Fr)Enemies Close”
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior
AACSB: Reflective thinking
This statement appears to be true.
We all have heard the term “frenemies” to describe friends who are also rivals, or people
who act like friends but secretly dislike each other. Some observers have argued that
frenemies are increasing at work due to the “abundance of very close, intertwined
company.
Is it really wise to keep your enemies close? And, if so, why?
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
behavior and performance.
The researchers also found that the “keeping enemies closer” effect was strong under
certain conditions—when the individual was socially dominant, when the individual felt
more competition from the team member, and when rewards and ability to serve as leader
were dependent on their performance.
Class Exercise
1. Divide the class into paired teams of three to five students each.
2. Ask the students to read two articles on frememies—the first on the notion of
China as a frenemy of the United States, and the second on the frenemy aspect of
college rivalries.
erican-job-market/
Go to Forbes, “Collene Frenemies Real Rivalry or Just Friendly Competition”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/specialfeatures/2013/07/29/college-frenemies-rea
l-rivalry-or-just-friendly-competition/
3. Using these articles as a starting point, ask each team to develop an argument on
the benefits and drawbacks of having frenemies.
Teaching Notes
This exercise is applicable to face-to-face classes or synchronous online classes such as
BlackBoard 9.1, Breeze, WIMBA, and Second Life Virtual Classrooms. See
(http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-education/wimba_classroom_for_higher_education),
(http://go.secondlife.com/landing/education/) and
(http://docplayer.net/19442732-Effective-use-of-collaboration-tools-for-online-learning-jennifer-pontano-k
e-anna-skipwith-drexel-university-e-learning-2-0-conference-march-2011.html) for more information.
An Ethical Choice
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
How Much Should You Manage Interviewer Impressions?
This exercise contributes to:
thinking
Almost everyone agrees that dressing professionally, highlighting previous
accomplishments, and expressing interest in the job are reasonable impression
management tactics to improve your presentation in an interview. Strategies like
flattering the interviewer and using positive nonverbal cues like smiling and nodding are
also often advised.
nonverbal cues improved interviewer moods, which also improved the applicant’s ratings.
Despite evidence that making an effort to impress an interviewer can pay off, you can go
too far. Evidence that a person misrepresented qualifications in the hiring process is
usually grounds for immediate termination. Even “white lies” are a problem if they create
but truthful way to manage impressions. Don’t be afraid to let an employer know about
your skills and accomplishments, and be sure to show your enthusiasm for the job. At the
same time, keep your statements as accurate as possible, and be careful not to overstate
your abilities. In the long run, you’re much more likely to be happy and successful in a
Psychology Today, March 25, 2014,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-dolife/201503/the-effective-ethical-and-lessstressful-job-interview.
MyLab Management
Watch It!
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
Power and Political Behavior
to complete the video exercise.
MyLab Management
Personal Inventory Assessments
Gaining Power and Influence
Do you like power and influence? Take this PIA to learn more about gaining both.
MyLab Management
Try It!
Power and Politics
to complete the video exercise.
Point/Counterpoint
Everyone Wants Power
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Point
We don’t want to admit to everything we want. For instance, one psychologist found
people would seldom admit to wanting money, but they thought everyone else wanted it.
They were half right—everyone wants money. And everyone wants power.
Why do we want power? Because it is good for us. It gives us more control over our own
lives. It gives us more freedom to do as we wish. There are few things worse in life than
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
please him, or to even get near him. One writer notes, “Inside his offices, vast fortunes
are won and lost. Careers are made and unmade. Type A egos are inflated and crushed,
sometimes in the space of hours.” All of this is bad for Steve Cohen, how?
Usually, people who tell you power doesn’t matter are those who have no hope of getting
to.
Counterpoint
Of course it is true that some people desire power—and often behave ruthlessly to get it.
For most of us, however, power is not high on our list of priorities, and for some, it’s
actually undesirable.
reason people wanted power was to earn respect. If they could get respect without
gaining power, that was preferred. In a third study, the authors found that individuals
desired power only when they had high ability—in other words, when their influence
helped their groups.
when we think it does good.
Another study confirmed that most people want respect from their peers, not power.
Cameron Anderson, the author of this research, sums it up nicely: “You don’t have to be
rich to be happy, but instead be a valuable contributing member to your groups,” he
comments. “What makes a person high in status in a group is being engaged, generous
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Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
business/2013/06/steve-cohen-insider-trading-case; C. Anderson, R. Willer, G. J. Kilduff, and C. E. Brown, “The Origins of
Deference: When Do People Prefer Lower Status?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 102 (2012): 1077–1088; C.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/sac-capital-agrees-to-plead-guilty-to-insider-trading/?_r=0.
Class Exercise
1. Divide the class into paired teams of three to five students.
2. Ask students to identify several business leaders whom they believe are very
powerful.
leaders would probably support, and why.
Teaching Notes
This exercise is applicable to face-to-face classes or synchronous online classes such as
BlackBoard 9.1, Breeze, WIMBA, and Second Life Virtual Classrooms. See
(http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-education/wimba_classroom_for_higher_education),
(http://go.secondlife.com/landing/education/) and
(http://docplayer.net/19442732-Effective-use-of-collaboration-tools-for-online-learning-jennifer-pontano-k
e-anna-skipwith-drexel-university-e-learning-2-0-conference-march-2011.html) for more information.
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