Chapter 13 Power and Politics Page
Questions for Review
13-1. How is leadership different from power?
Answer: Power refers to a capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B, so
perceives and the importance that B places on the alternative(s) that A controls. A
person can have power over you only if he or she controls something you desire.
leadership has focused on style. Research on power has focused on tactics for
gaining compliance.
Learning Objective: Contrast leadership and power
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13-2. What are the similarities and differences among the five bases of power?
Answer:
power.
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13-3. What is the role of dependence in power relationships?
Learning Objective: Explain the role of dependence in power relationships
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13-4. What are the most often identified power or influence tactics and their
contingencies?
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Answer:
agree.
Learning Objective: Identify power or influence tactics and their contingencies
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13-5. What are the causes and consequences of abuse of power?
Learning Objective: Identify the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13-6. How do politics work in organizations?
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the zero-sum or win–lose approach to reward allocations, the more employees
will be motivated to engage in politicking.
Learning Objective: Describe how politics work in organizations
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13-7. What are the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior?
are most vulnerable to ethical lapses because they are more likely to get away
discretion to exploit.
Learning Objective: Describe how politics work in organizations
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
Experiential Exercise
Comparing Influence Tactics
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Contrast leadership and power
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Students working in groups of three are each assigned to a role. One person is the
influencer, one will be influenced, and one is the observer. These roles can be randomly
determined.
To begin, students create a deck of cards for the seven tactics to be used in the exercise.
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ingratiation, and pressure (defined in the chapter). Only the influencer draws cards from
the set, and no one else may see what has been drawn.
influencer confirms or denies the approach used.
Change the roles and cards throughout the rounds. Afterward, the class discusses:
13-8. Based on your observations, which influence situation would probably have
resulted in the best outcome for the person doing the influencing?
13-9. Was there a good match between the tactics drawn and the specific role each
13-10. What lessons about power and influence does this exercise teach us?
Ethical Dilemma
Sexual Harassment and Office Romances
This exercise contributes to:
employee into sexual behaviors. For example, when a manager asks to a female
subordinate to go on a date with him, the female subordinate is more likely to say yes
because he has control over resources in the organization. If she declines his request, he
could retaliate and withhold privileges from her.
skill to harm another employee’s career.
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supervisor.
Is it even worth discouraging office romances? The same survey revealed that almost
one-third of office relationships resulted in marriage. And what should you do if the
Cupid’s arrow strikes you in the breakroom? National workplace expert Lynn Taylor has
this advice, “Policy or no policy, love happens. So in the absence of written rules …
Questions
13-11. Do you think offices should include rules about office romances in their sexual
harassment policies? Why or why not?
13-12. Is it ever okay for a supervisor to date a subordinate? What if someone becomes
their romantic partner’s supervisor after the relationship is already initiated?
13-13. Why might 36 percent of the survey respondents say they hid their romantic
relationships from coworkers? How does this relate to what we learned about
office gossip in Chapter 9?
Answer: Again, students will respond to this question in different ways
work effectively.
Case Incident 1
Should Women Have More Power?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify power or influence tactics and their contingencies; Describe how politics
work in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
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We mentioned in this chapter that women tend to have less power in organizations than
for business.
In Chapter 9, we learned that diverse groups may be more creative and innovative, and
that decision-making is more accurate when a group has a variety of perspectives. This
principle appears to be true when it comes to diverse executive boards. A recent review of
140 studies found that having women on an executive board boosted returns, especially in
in the organization. However, this is only true when the company is not threatened by low
performance.
Many countries are trying to improve their economies by creating “pink quotas” that
promote more gender diverse boards. As of 2008, Norway requires women to hold 36%
2013.
Sources: M. Farber, “Justin Trudeau Perfectly Sums Up Why We Need More Women in Power,” Fortune, April 7, 2017,
http://fortune.com/2017/04/07/justin-trudeau-women-in-the-world-summit-2017/; S. H. Jeong and D. Harrison, “Glass Breaking,
Strategy Making, and Value Creating: Meta-Analytic Outcomes of Females as CEOs and TMT Members,” Academy of Management
Journal, in press; C. Post and C. J. Byron, “Women on Boards and Firm Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis,” Academy of
ml.
Questions
13-14. Why do you think firm performance changes the effects of having women with
greater power on a board?
Management. Student responses will vary.
13-15. Do you think using a quota system to promote gender diversity is a good idea?
Why or why not?
Management. Student responses will vary.
13-16. Why do you think some countries have more gender diverse boards than other?
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Answer: This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyLab
Management. Student responses will vary.
Case Incident 2
Where Flattery Will Get You?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Identify the causes, consequences, and ethics of political behavior; Describe how
politics work in organizations
Learning Outcome: Explain the effects of power and political behavior on organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
In this chapter, we learned about the various impression management techniques people
may use in the workplace. One of those techniques was flattering or complimenting a
person. Many people believe that flattery has a positive impact on career prospects. Vicky
Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Questions, suggests using flattery to ask
talk about a salary raise.
Does flattery always work? The answer is, yes and no. Flattery may influence someone in
power, but only if they see the flattery as sincere. Seeming sincere may be especially
difficult, though, because people who have the most power are often the hardest to fool.
After all, they have more experience with people flattering them. Recent research
obtain their goal through flattery.
Even if an employee is successful, there is one major drawback to using flattery. Another
recent study found that executives who flatter their CEOs are more likely to resent their
CEO later on. Though CEOs do not require their employees to compliment them, many
employees feel demeaned when they go to great lengths to suck up to the boss.
September 12, 2012, D1, D3.
Questions
13.17. What are some other consequences of using flattery at work? Why do these
consequences occur?
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Management. Student responses will vary.
13.18. Studies have shown those prone to complaining or “whining” tend to have less
power in an organization. Do you think whining leads to diminished power and
influence, or the other way around? How can Barry avoid appearing to be a
“whiner”?
Management. Student responses will vary.
13.19. The study described above also found that executives resented directing flattery
towards female and minority CEOs more than white males. Why do you think
they found this?
Answer: This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyLab
Management. Student responses will vary.
MyLab Management
as the following Assisted-graded questions:
13.20. In Case Incident 1, how would you encourage companies to have more female
board members in the short term? In the long term?
13.21. Based on the chapter and Case Incident 2, what are some ways employees can
make sure they use impression management techniques effectively?
13-22. MyLab Management Only—comprehensive writing assignment for this chapter.
Instructor’s Choice
Applying the Concepts
For a number of years, Scott McNealy has been Sun Microsystems’ leader and champion.
today. McNealy’s leadership style—optimism, daring, humor, and even outrageousness—
that served Sun so well in the 1990s do not seem to be what Sun needs in the more
cost-conscious 2000s. Friends have pleaded with McNealy to back off of his old
approach a notch or two, but have failed to sway him. Is there any way out for Sun and
Scott McNealy?
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years.
Review current periodicals to determine views on Mr. McNealy’s
leadership style and managerial decisions at Sun. Summarize your findings.
Assuming that you were hired as a consultant to the Sun board of
directors, write a one-page brief describing what should be done with the Sun
success.
Instructor Discussion
Students will find an abundant amount of material on the Internet and in current
periodicals about Sun and Scott McNealy. The difficulties will also be reported. An
excellent source is “A CEO’s Last Stand” by Jim Kerstetter and Peter Burrows in
managerial decisions become difficult.
Exploring OB Topics on the Web
1. Knowing about “personal power” is one thing—applying it to everyday work life is
a short reaction paper describing the power tactics he uses to influence his customers.
not?
2. Are smart people overrated? That was the question put forth by New Yorker Magazine in
management techniques you plan to develop in the next years. Bring list to class for
discussion.
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3. Go to Its Time “Power Map,” http://www.itstime.com/oct97map.htm and develop
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