Case Study- Power &Politics
In 2007, Fortune named Steve Jobs the “Most Powerful Person in Business.” In 2009, the
magazine named him “CEO of the Decade.” Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), has
transformed no fewer than five different industries: computers, Hollywood movies, music,
retailing, and wireless phones. His Apple II ushered in the personal computer era in 1977, and
the graphical interface of the Macintosh in 1984 set the standard that all other PCs emulated. His
company Pixar defined the computer-animated feature film. The iPod, iTunes, and iPhone
revolutionized how we listen to music, how we pay for and receive all types of digital content,
and what we expect of a mobile phone.
Learnings From OB
1. Legitimate power.
Legitimate power is defined as authority derived from one's organisational job or position. A
boss, for example, can assign projects, a police officer can make an arrest, and a teacher can
assign grades. Others comply with these folks' requests because they recognise the legitimacy
of the stance, regardless of whether they like or agree with the request.As Apple's CEO,
Steve Jobs has had real power.He could establish deadlines and his people would stick to
them, even if they thought the deadlines were unrealistic.
2. Expert power.
Expertise is valuable.His achievement has given him a great deal of expert power.A job is
known for being able to come up with markets and goods for demands that people aren't
even aware of.
3. Reward power.
Give yourself a boost.Jobs, as one of the wealthiest people in the United States, has clout
both inside and outside Apple. He can also give people his time and attention as a reward.
4. Information power.
The power of information.In each field that Jobs has altered, he has been able to use
knowledge to his advantage.
5. Coercive power.
According to Stanford social psychologist Roderick Kramer, who deems Jobs one of the
"great intimidators," forcefulness is beneficial when dealing with enormous, intractable
problems."The degree to which individuals in Silicon Valley are scared of Jobs is
astonishing," writes Robert Sutton.Jobs have a reputation for berating employees to the
point of tears.
6. Referent power.
At the same time, "he motivates his people to put forth extraordinary effort and
ingenuity."Jobs instils staff with a "messianic zeal" and may make them feel like they're
working on the greatest product in the world, according to Andy Herzfeld, the primary
designer of the first Mac operating system.
Jobs is said to be difficult to satisfy by those who work with him.They also claim that this
means Apple employees strive extremely hard to gain his favour.Cordell Ratzlaff, who
worked closely with Jobs on OS X for 18 months, says, "He has the capacity to bring the
best out of people.""From him, I learned a great deal."The capacity of Jobs to convince
and influence people has been dubbed a "reality distortion field.""Reality is malleable in
his presence," said Bud Tribble.He can persuade practically anyone of almost
anything.""A perplexing mélange of a compelling rhetorical style, an indomitable will,
and a propensity to distort any fact to serve the objective at hand," Hertzfeld describes his
manner.Even when you're not aware of it, the effect works, and it even works on
"enemies":"No other high-tech magnate could go into one of his greatest adversaries'
annual sales gathering and receive a standing ovation," as Jobs did in 2002 from Intel
Corporation (an ally of Apple archrival Microsoft in the Wintel: Windows + Intel
relationship).Jobs’s power is not infallible—he was ousted from his own company in
1987 by the man he hired to help him run it. But he returned in 1997 and brought the
company back from the brink of failure. The only years that Apple was unprofitable were
the years during Jobs’s absence. Many watched to see how Apple and Jobs succeed with
the iPad in 2010
Learnings:
The ability to influence others' behaviour in order to achieve your goals is known as
power."Power is just the power to get things done the way one wants them done," say
Gerald Selznick and Jeffery Pfeiffer (Selznick & Pfeiffer, 1989). If you ask for a greater
budget to open a new store in a big city, and you receive it, you've used your position to
sway the decision.
-POLITICS : POWER IN ACTION “Organizational politics involves those activities by
organizations to acquire, develop, and use power and other resources to obtain one’s preferred
outcomes in a situation in which there is uncertainty or dissent about choices.”
CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOR CAUSES Survival or Success
is at stake Professional Jealousy Scarcity of resources and Ego Clashes Mixing of personal and
professional life Wrong perception
CONSEQUENCES Decrease in overall productivity Spoils the Ambience Wrong Information
Demotivated employees Increases Stress
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
Individual Factors
High self –monitors Internal locus of control High mach personality Organizational investment
Perceived job alternatives Expectations of success Organizational Factors Reallocation of
resources . Promotion opportunities Low trust Role ambiguity •Unclear performance evaluation
system Zero sum reward practices Democratic decision making •High performance pressures
Self serving senior mangers Political behavior Low High Favorable outcomes .Reward Averted
punishments
EMPLOYEE RESPONSES TO ORGANIZTIONAL POLITICS
• Individuals who successfully engage in politicking are met with favorable outcomes. • People
with modest politicking skills , or those who are unwilling to play politics game met with not so
favorable outcomes. • Organizational politics seen as a threat to employees. • There is a strong
evidence that relates the effect of politics on the individuals on a personal level . Organizational
politics may threaten employees Decreased job satisfaction Increased anxiety and stress
Increased Turnover Reduced Performance
DEFENSIVE BEHAVIOR
. When people see politics as a threat rather than an opportunity, they act in a certain way.
Behaviours that are reactive and protective. Avoid taking action, blaming others, or making
changes. Negative emotions are linked to this word. In the short term, defensiveness serves to
safeguard one's own self-interest. Defensiveness wears one down in the long term. The only way
out is to be defensive.
DEFENSIVE BEHAVIOR TYPES
Action Blame Change • Over confirming Stretching • Buck Passing Stalling Buffing
Scapegoating Playing safe Misrepresenting Prevention Self protection
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT.
The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them is called
impression management (IM). Within seconds of seeing a person for the first time we decide
their: Etiquette , Social status ,Approachability ,Education ,Religion ,Sexuality ,Friendliness
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Conformity Favors Excuses Apologies Self-
promotion Enhancement Flattery Exemplification
ETHICS OF BEHAVING POLITICALLY
Organization ethics relates to how an organisation should respond to its external
environment.Organizational ethics refers to a set of rules and principles that determine how
employees should act in the workplace.The Eleventh Element Honour Integrity Respect.
Customer-centricity Result-driven Taking Chances Persistent Dedication.
Conclusion:
Organizations are rife with power and politics. Each concept is, in most situations, necessary and
performed with expertise and precision. Unfortunately, authority can lead to conformity among
those we interact with, and this conformity can generate corruption. The amount of power you
wield is directly proportional to how much others rely on you. If you are regarded as a valued
resource within a company, you can use your dependability to make demands and persuade
people to comply with your wishes. There are various social dimensions of power to draw on, in
addition to having a natural or acquired influence over specific resources.
