Organizational Conflits and power politics

8/10/2019 Organizational Conflits and power politics

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Lecture 15 & 16

Organizational Conflict and Politics


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Organizational Conflict and Politics

Conflict, power, and politics are natural outcomes of

organizing.

Differences in objectives, tasks and employees

backgrounds are necessary for organizational excellence.

But these differences can throw group conflicts.

Managers use power and politics to manage and resolve

conflict.


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Intergroup Conflicts in Organization

Intergroup conflict is the behavior that occurs among

organizational groups when participants identify withone group and perceive that other group may block

their groups goal achievement.

It can occur horizontally and vertically in organizations.

It requires three ingredients:

Group Identification: Employees have to perceive

themselves as part of a group or department.

Observable differences: Observable group differences of

some form.

Frustration: It means that if one group achieves it goals then

other will not; it will be blocked.


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Sources of Intergroup Conflict

Goal Incompatibility: Goal of one department

may interferes with another department's goals,

leading to conflict.

Differentiation: Functional specialization

requires people with specific education, skills,

attitudes etc.

Task Interdependence: Dependence of one unit

on another for materials, resources, or

information.

Limited Resource: the desire to achieve goals,

groups want to increase their resources.


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Rational Vs Political Model of Organization

The rational model of organization assumes that

organizations have specific goals and that problems can belogically solved.

Departments have pooled interdependence, and resourcesseem abundant.

Managers try to use rational process.

Behavior is not random or accidental.

Goals are clear and choices are made in logical way.

The other view, the political model of an organization.

This view assumes that the goals of an organization are not

specific or agreed upon. Departments have different values and interests, so managers

come into conflict.

Decisions are made on the basis of power and politicalinfluence.

Bargaining, negotiation, and coalition building decide outcomes.


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Power and Organization Power is often defined as the potential ability of

one person (or department) to influence otherpeople or department to carry orders.

Powerful managers are often able to get biggerbudgets, favorable production schedules, more

control of organization's agenda.

Power exists only in relationship between two ormore people, and it can be exercised in either

vertical or horizontal directions. When one is dependent on another, a power

relationship emerges in which the side with theresources has greater power.


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Authority Vs Power

Authority is a force for achieving desired

outcomes, but only as prescribed by the formalhierarchy and reporting relationship.

Power on the other hand, can be exercised

upward, downward, and horizontally inorganizations.

Managers can have authority but little power.


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Vertical Sources of Power

In general, managers at the top of the organizational

hierarchy have more power than people at lower levels. However, positions all along the hierarchy can be designed

to increase the power of employees.

Vertical sources of power include:

Formal position (right of top managers to set goals, makedecisions etc)

Resources (top managers control resources)

Control of decision premises (top level sets goals oforganization and lower level achieve those goals.)

Information (top level has more access to information) Network centrality (means centrally located in the

organization and having access to information and peoplethat are critical to the organizations success).

People ( surrounding themselves with a group of loyal

executives).


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The Power of Empowerment As organizations face increased competition and

environmental uncertainty, top executives arefinding that increasing the power of middle

managers and lower level employees can help

the organization be more competitive.

Empowerment is a popular trend in today's

organizations.

Empowering employees means giving them

three key elements:

Information and resources.

knowledge and skills.

The power to make substantive decisions.


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Horizontal Power

It pertains to relationship across departments,

divisions or other units.

Research has revealed that certain

characteristics make some departments more

powerful than others. Differences in power can be understood using

the concept of strategic contingencies.

Departments responsible for dealing with keyresource issues and dependencies are more

powerful.


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Sources of Horizontal Power

Dependency (interdepartmental dependency is

a key element underlying relative power)

Resources (department that provide financialresources have something that other

departments want) Centrality (departments role in primary activity

of an organization)

Non-substitutability (departments functionscannot be performed by any other department)

Dealing with uncertainty (department thatreduces uncertainty is more powerful)


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Organizational Politics

Managers need political skills. Political behavior is common in all organizations.

It is likely to occur at top level of organization.

Many people distrust political behavior, fearingthat it will be used for selfish ends that benefit

the individual but not the organization.

However, politics is often needed to achieve thelegitimate goals of a department or

organization.


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Political Processes in Organization

Politics is the use of power to influence decisions

in order to achieve outcomes.

There are two ways to define politics:

Self serving behavior (involves activities that are not

sanctioned by the organization, like dishonesty,deception for individual interest).

Natural organizational process for resolving

differences among organizational interest groups. The

process of bargaining and negotiation that is used to

overcome conflicts and differences.


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Areas of Politics Three areas in which political behavior often

plays a role are: Structural change (in structural change managers try maintain

the power they have).

Management succession (managers try to maintain strong

alliances by putting their own people in key positions).

Resource allocation because these are areas of high

uncertainty.


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Political Tactics for Using Power

Managers use political tactics, including:

Building coalitions (relationships throughout theorganization to build alliance)

Assign key positions to loyal people

Controlling decision premises (only forward thatinformation which is favorable )

Enhancing legitimacy (managers can exertinfluence in area where they have recognizelegitimacy)

Making a direct appeal (if manager dont ask,they seldom receive).


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Collaborations Although conflict and political behavior are

natural and can be used for beneficial purposes,managers also strive to enhance collaboration so

that conflict between groups does not become

too strong. Tactics for enhancing collaboration include:

Integration devices.

Confrontation and negotiation. Intergroup consultation.

Member rotation.

Shared mission and superordinate goals.

Organizational Conflits and power politics

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