Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
Craig E. Johnson, Organizational Ethics, Third Edition
Instructor Resource
Lecture Notes
Chapter 5
Exercising Ethical Inluence
Organizational Ethics: A Practical Approach (3rd ed.)
Introduction
•
•We spend considerable time inluencing others in organizational
settings.
•
•Exercising inluence is NOT an option.
•
•Must inluence others to carry out our roles
•
•Our inluence choices will help determine the ethical health of our
organizations
Questions of Power
•
•Power = the capacity to control the behavior of others
•
•The greater the power, the more likely that others will comply
•
•To wield power ethically, must answer these questions:
•
•Are some forms of power more ethical than others?
Craig E. Johnson, Organizational Ethics, Third Edition
Instructor Resource
•
•Is it possible to have too much power?
•
•Should I play politics?
•
•What factors contribute to empowerment?
•
•How do I overcome barriers to empowerment?
Question 1: Are Some Forms of Power More Ethical Than Others?
•
•Sources of Power:
•
•Coercive power: based on penalties or punishments
•
•Reward power: deliver something of value to others (tangible or
intangible)
•
•Legitimate power: resides in the position
•
•Expert power: knowledge, skills, education
•
•Referent (role model) power: rests on admiration of another person
Are Some Forms of Power More Ethical Than Others?
•
•No form of power is inherently immoral
•
•Must draw upon a variety of power sources to be efective
Craig E. Johnson, Organizational Ethics, Third Edition
Instructor Resource
•
•Should employ power towards worthy objectives
•
•Hard power linked to organizational position (coercive, reward,
legitimate) is more dangerous than soft power linked to the person
(expert, referent)
•
•Coercive power is most dangerous and should only be used as a last
resort.
Question 2: Is It Possible to have too much power?
•
•Concentration of power produces unethical behavior.
•
•“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord
Acton
•
•Positional power is most susceptible to abuse
•
•Why unfettered power is abused:
•
•Powerful individuals project their inner darkness
•
•Powerful individuals are more susceptible to judgment biases
•
•The powerful attack those they perceive as threats
•
•Powerful individuals rely more heavily on positional power
To reduce the dangers of concentrated power:
Be open to inluence
Craig E. Johnson, Organizational Ethics, Third Edition
Instructor Resource
Enact formal mechanisms to limit the exercise of power
Is it possible to have too much Power?
•
•Powerlessness also poses ethical dilemmas
•
•The powerless focus on maintaining limited power
•
•Powerless individuals take out their frustrations on others and the
organization
•
•Powerlessness impairs cognitive functioning
•
•How to cope with a low power position
•
•Highlight your interdependence with the powerful person
•
•Be persistent
•
•Stay actively engaged with the person in power
Question 3: Should I play Politics?
•
•Deinition: use of informal (non sanctioned) power to achieve
personal and/or organizational objectives
•
•Informal power is a fact of organizational life
•
•While informal power is often misused we need to use informal power
to achieve worthy objectives
Craig E. Johnson, Organizational Ethics, Third Edition
Instructor Resource
Should I play politics?
•
•Abandon negative politics and practice positive politics
•
•Negative politics: self-centered, controlling, manipulative; win at all
costs; violates ethical standards; focus on eiciency
•
•Positive politics: supports the group; power used to serve; focus on
shared vision and values; collaborative; considers ethical implications
and following moral standards
Question 4: What Factors Contribute to Empowerment?
•
•Giving power away supports ethical values and boosts the bottom line
•
•Empowerment can increase your power
•
•Psychological empowerment—the increased motivation to carry out
tasks associated with work roles
•
•Factor 1: meaning (values placed on the task)
•
•Factor 2: competence (belief that can do the job required)
•
•Factor 3: self-determination (choice over how to carry out the
task
•
•Factor 4: Impact (extent of inluence over the larger
organizational environment)
Craig E. Johnson, Organizational Ethics, Third Edition
Instructor Resource
Question 5: How do I Overcome Barriers to Empowerment?
•
•Empowerment barriers
•
•Keeping authority is often rewarded
•
•Risk of a new approach
•
•Managers lose control
•
•Requires a new skill set
•
•Follower anxiety about a new system
•
•Stages of Empowerment
•
• Stage 1: Starting and orienting the process of change
•
• Stage 2: Making changes and dealing with discouragement
•
• Stage 3: Adopting and reining empowerment to it the
organization
Ethical Issues in Inluence
•
•Importance of choosing the right inluence tactic
•
•Ethical considerations should play a central role
•
•Overview of Organizational Inluence Strategies
