Management Chapter 12 Homework The Significance This Particular Meetingand Now Watching

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Exhibit 12.7: Guidelines for Ethical Action

There are some criteria that can guide ethical actions. First and foremost is the question of

whether the action is motivated by self-interest or whether it is consistent with the organization’s

goals. Once a leader answers this primary question, there are several other questions that can

help determine whether a potential influence action is ethical, including whether it respects the

rights of individuals and groups affected by it, whether it meets the standards of fairness, and

whether the leader would want others to behave in the same way.

The most important point is for leaders to be aware of the ethical responsibilities of having

power and take care to use their power to help rather than harm others.

Discussion Question #1: Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth century, said that

“power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” suggesting that a person’s sense

of morality lessens as his or her power increases. Do you agree? Considering this idea, is it

ethical for leaders to try to increase their power? Discuss.

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Discussion questions

1. Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth century, said that “power tends to

corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” suggesting that a person’s sense of morality

lessens as his or her power increases. Do you agree? Considering this idea, is it ethical for

leaders to try to increase their power? Discuss.

Students’ answers will vary. However, the statement, “power tends to corrupt; absolute

power corrupts absolutely”, is often true. However, if leaders increase their power to reach

2. How do you feel about personally using Machiavellian-style leadership? What do you see

as some positive and negative aspects of Machiavellian-style leadership?

Students’ answers may vary. Although Machiavellian-style leadership is associated

with unscrupulous, even diabolical behavior aimed at increasing one’s power for

3. What do you consider the most important difference between transformational leadership

and transactional leadership? Between transformational and charismatic leadership? How

is transformational leadership similar to charismatic leadership?.

The basis of transactional leadership is a transaction or exchange process between leaders

and followers. Transactional leaders focus on the present and excel at keeping an

4. Assume you are on a search committee to replace the CEO of a large financial services

firm that is recovering from problems related to the mortgage crisis. Which do you think

would be more valuable for a new top leader trying to solve the problems within the

organization—charismatic, transformational, coalitional, or Machiavellian-style

leadership? What about for a new top leader of a small private university? Discuss.

Students’ answers will vary. Some of them may find that to replace the CEO of a large

financial services organization, transformational leadership would be the most valuable for

solving problems. In view of the financial crisis that has taken place in the United States, a

5. Which of the four organizational frames of reference do you most admire? How do you

think this frame of reference could be beneficial or detrimental to your leadership

capability?

Students’ answers will vary. Following are the four organizational frames of reference:

• The structural frame places emphasis on plans, goal setting, and clarifying

expectations as a way to provide order, efficiency, and stability.

• The human resource frame considers people as the organization’s most valuable

6. A recent magazine article suggested that young college graduates just entering the

workforce are refusing to “play the political game.” Why might this be the case? If politics

is important for getting things done, can these people succeed as leaders? Discuss.

Many people have a negative view of politics because leaders with a political frame of

reference strive to build a power base and they use both position and personal power to

achieve desired results.

7. Which types of power would you rely on to implement an important decision quickly?

Which types would you consider most valuable for sustaining power over the long term?

Students’ answers will vary. Power, which is the potential ability of one person to

influence others to bring about desired outcome, can be categorized as either hard power or

8. Describe ways in which you might increase your personal power.

Following are some influence tactics which can be used to increase personal power:

• Appeal to a vision or higher purpose. Providing people with meaning can help them

see that the effort of doing what the leader asks is worthwhile.

9. Which of the six influence tactics would you be most comfortable with as leader of a study

group? Of a work team? Discuss.

10. A leadership observer said in an interview that most women leaders view power differently

than men do and prefer a collaborative, relationship-oriented use of power. If this is the

case, what does it suggest about women leaders’ abilities to accomplish goals? What does

it suggest about women’s ability to rise to higher organizational levels? Discuss.

A collaborative, relationship-oriented use of power suggests that women would be

successful at forming coalitions and using coalitional power to accomplish goals. As

Teaching tools and exercises

1. Leader’s Bookshelf: Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t by Jeffrey

Pfeffer

Managers may be granted positions of authority, but real power doesn’t just fall into a

person’s hands. It takes ambition, resolve, energy, and skill to accumulate the power a

leader needs to be effective and successful, Jeffrey Pfeffer says in Power: Why Some

People Have It and Others Don’t.

To accumulate power, you need to get noticed. Here are some of Pfeffer’s tips for doing so.

• Play Up to the Boss

• Master the Art of Networking

3. Role Play: In pairs or small groups, role-play the following scenario using Exhibit 12.6:

Six Principles for Asserting Leader Influence.

You are a member of a committee that wishes to build a replica of a bridge designed by

Leonardo DaVinci over 500 years ago. One such bridge has been built in Oslo, Norway,

and the plan is to build similar bridges all over the world. None has been built in the United

The Center for Ethical Leadership believes that an ethical leader is a person who acts with

integrity. We define ethical leadership as: knowing your core values and having the

courage to act on them on behalf of the common good.

This exercise will help you clarify your core values. It is a challenging exercise, and it will

be more meaningful if you do it silently and on your own.

5. Read and Discuss: Machiavelli’s “The Prince”.

6. Leadership at Work: Circle of Influence

How do you personally try to influence others? Think carefully about how you get others

to agree with you or do something you want. Watch the way you influence others in a

team, at home, or during your work.

• Make a list of your influence tactics.

• Of the influence and political tactics discussed in the chapter, which ones do you

typically not use?

In Class: The instructor can ask students to sit in small groups of three to five people and

share the circles of influence they identified for themselves. After listing the circle of

influence at work or school, students can also talk about the circles of people who might

influence them in their professional, social, or family activities. Key questions for this

discussion are, what are the common themes in the students’ circles of influence? When

and how could the circle idea be applied to influence someone? How might it be

misapplied and backfire on your effort to influence another?

Leadership development: cases for analysis

I. The Suarez effect

Synopsis

After weeks of speculation, interviews, on-site visits by top execs, and endless waiting, a

decision on the new CIO was to be made and announced by CEO Blount this week during the

The word politics was odious to Pat Talley, and he considered office politics a waste of time.

However, at company gatherings such as this, he also carried a slight chip on his shoulder, aware

that, despite his importance to the company, he was only on the periphery of this group—not

excluded, but not really included either. The significance of this particular meeting—and now

Case questions and answers

1. Who do you think the CEO should appoint as CIO? Why?

Students’ answers may vary. Most of them say that the CEO should appoint Carmelita

Suarez as CIO as she is a natural relationship builder and seems like a charismatic leader

2. Is Pat sabotaging his career by thinking of relationship building as “office politics” that

takes the focus away from day-to-day work? What advice would you give Pat, who is not a

natural relationship builder?

Students’ answers may vary. Pat is sabotaging his career by thinking of relationship

building as “office politics”. One might advice Pat to be politically skillful. Politically

skillful leaders strive to understand others’ viewpoints, needs, desires, and goals, and use

their understanding to influence people to act in ways that help the leader accomplish his or

3. What sources of power do Pat and Carmelita seem to use in the company? Which person

do you believe will be more influential as CIO? Explain.

Students’ answers may vary. Pat uses his technical expertise and his long tenure and

experience in the company as his sources of power. He holds expert power, in which a

leader’s power results from the special knowledge or the skill he holds regarding tasks

performed by followers. Carmelita is politically skillful and a natural relationship builder.

She holds referent power, which is a kind of power that comes from a leader’s personality

II. Waite Pharmaceuticals

Synopsis

Amelia Lassiter is chief information officer at Waite Pharmaceuticals, a large California-based

company. After about eight months on the job, Lassiter suggested to company president James

Hsu that Waite implement a new global knowledge-sharing application that promises to cut

development time and costs in half. Hsu presented the idea to the board of directors, and

everyone agreed to pursue the project. He has asked Lassiter to investigate firms that could assist

Waite’s IT department in developing and implementing a global knowledge-sharing application

that would be compatible with Waite’s existing systems. Hsu explained that he wants to present

the information to the board of directors for a decision next month.

executives, and the IT staff to explain their services and give demonstrations. Lassiter had

suggested that the board of directors attend these presentations, but Hsu said they wouldn’t have

the time and he would need to evaluate everything and make a recommendation to the board. At

the end of these meetings, Lassiter prepared a final report evaluating the pros and cons of going

Case questions and answers

1. How would you explain the board’s selection of Standard Systems?

The board deferred to Hsu’s recommendation because as president, he has legitimate

power, the authority granted from a formal position at Waite. Certain rights,

2. Discuss the types, sources, and relative amount of power for the three main characters in

this story.

Hsu has legitimate power because he is the president and his sources of power include

control over information. Legitimate power is the authority granted from a formal position

in an organization.

Lassiter has expert power. She is the chief information officer and the knowledge-sharing

application was her idea. She has done the research on the three firms and knows their

Standard and can distribute her research to others, although she risks making an enemy out

of her boss.

Lee has reward power and coercive power. She rewards her boss with deferential treatment

and makes him feel important while condescending to other organizational members. A

quid pro quo arrangement is implied because Standard Systems is owned by her uncle. If

3. How might Lassiter have increased her power and influence over this decision? If you

were in her position, what would you do now?

Lassiter could increase her power by using the following tactics. She could gain allies,

taking time to talk to other department heads within Waite to explain problems and

describe their point of view. She could use assertiveness by being clear about which firm

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