Topics:
1. Discuss, Define Politics and Power Based on OB Understanding
2. Various Tactics Employed by Organisational Politicians
3. How to Remedy the Negative Impact of Organisational Politics and Power from Ethical Point of View

By:
Kingsley, Kingsmond Ehimare
Mat No:

Course Title: Group Dynamics
Course Code: (BUS 813)

Department of Business Administration
Faculty of Business Administration
University of Lagos

Introduction:
Organization Politics and power
Modern organizations are the fertile land for the politics to thrive, this term is very often heard from those who are working in organizations, be it large or small, public or private. When people in the organizations transform their power into action, then they are said to be engaged in politics. At times, it becomes one of the most disturbing elements for employees, and they might even decide to quit the organization if the political waters get above their heads. An employee who has a great deal of knowledge, skill & expertise, but does not have the ability to counter the political environment, will get easily disappointed and this will in turn affect his/her level of output.
Organization politics can be defined as the accomplishment of the individual motives and upholding of individual interest over the organizational interest, without regard to the impact on the organization. Although politics is generally regarded as negative and undesirable, but politics may be both sometimes good for the organization. Politics is inevitable in any organization.

The power play and the use of politics in the organization is demonstrated in the figure below, where people unduly create problems in the growth of an employee. As he/she rise up the success ladder in the career path, imposed problems comes in his or her way. Such problems are not genuine ones but are deliberately created to pull one down and hinder one’s growth.

Having gone through the concept, let us now consider a few definitions on politics in organizations.
Workplace politics is the process and behavior in human interactions involving power and authority. ... It is also known as office politics and organizational politics. It is the use of power and social networking within an organization to achieve changes that benefit the organization or individuals within it.

“Politics refers to the structure and process of the use of authority and power, to affect definition of goals, direction and other major parameters of the organization. Decisions are not made in a rational way, but rather through compromise, accommodation and bargaining.” -Tushman

“Politics is defined as those activities that are not required as a part of one’s formal role in the organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.” - Farrell and Peterson
Power

In day-to-day usage, the term power is often used synonymously with authority. But, they differ in literal sense. While, authority means the right of a manger to decide and command, the means to exercise authority is power. For example, in order to accomplish the organizational goals, a manager has a right to assign certain tasks to his subordinates and expect satisfactory performance from them. But, at the same time, it is also possible that the manager does not have any sort of means available to enforce his/her right. In this case, while he/she has authority (the right), he/she lacks power (the means). It is also possible that a manager has power to do something but he/she may lack authority. Authority is different from power because of its legitimacy and acceptance. Authority always flows downwards. A manager’s level of authority corresponds to the position he/she holds in the hierarchy of the organization. A person gets authority from the higher authorities. Lower or middle level managers get the authority from top-level managers. The top-level managers get their authority from the owners, who may be shareholders of the company.

The term ‘Power’ has been derived from a French word ‘Pouvoir’, which means power or to be able. Power basically refers to the capacity that one individual ‘X’ has to influence the behavior of other individual ‘Y’, so that ‘Y’ acts in the same manner as ‘X’ wishes. So in other words, power may be defined as the ability to get someone to do something that you want to be done and make things happen in the way you want.
The essence of power lies in the fact that one can regulate the behavior of other person according to his/her wish. Power is needed to get the work done in the organizations. Power exists naturally in any group or organization and is an indispensable base for management and leadership. It makes others dependent for execution of work. The figure below depicts how one individual is perceived to be stronger, greater and bigger than the others with the acquisition of power.

“Power is the potential ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance and to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do.”
-Pfeffner
“Power is the ability to influence people or things, usually obtained through the control of important resources.” -White and Blender
“The probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will, despite resistance.” -Max Weber

“Power is the potential ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance and to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do.” -Pfeffner
“Power is the ability to influence people or things, usually obtained through the control of important resources.” -White and Blender

Power and politics play a huge role in business, from governing how decisions are made to how employees interact with one another. In businesses big and small, the impact of power depends on whether employees use positive or negative power to influence others in the workplace.

Tactics Employed by Of Organizational Politicians
Both individuals and groups play politics in the organization for different reasons, like to safeguard their level of interest, to have a greater say in the process of decision-making, or to have a greater autonomy over the allocation of limited resources. The most commonly used power tactics that helps to translate some power bases into a specific action are:
1. Negotiation or bargaining: This tactic involves negotiation for sharing of benefits between the groups. Negotiating helps in avoiding the conflicts. The individual or group with higher bargaining power is able to get more benefits than the sacrifices made.
2. Competition for acquisition of power: Groups working in organizations compete regularly with each other to have a greater share of scarce resources. In order to achieve this, they often try to influence the criteria used for resource distribution.
3. Cooptation: Under this strategy, the power holder tries to associate the representatives of other groups in decision making so as to avoid the grounds of criticism about the misuse of power.
4. Alliance with other groups: Using this tactic, two or more groups in the organization may form a coalition or temporary alliance on the basis of the minimum common program. It serves as an interesting mix of competition and cooperation. Members of such groups cooperate in order to compete with other non-group members.
5. Rational persuasion: Persuasion can be used as a political strategy to exercise greater influence in the organization. In a persuasive attempt, people present logical arguments and factual evidence to others to demonstrate that their request is reasonable in nature. For example, a person who is likely to be considered for promotion to the post of Vice President (VP) of a company, may try to prove consistently that he/she is a deserving candidate, possesses the right skills, knowledge and expertise for the post, is able to handle matters dealt at the VP level with efficiency, in order to demonstrate rationally by providing evidence his/her suitability for the post.
6. Coercion or pressure: People using coercion or pressure use warnings, repeated demands or threats. Generally, when persuasion fails, coercive or pressure tactics are employed. For example, on the denial of the management to accept the demands of the trade union, the trade union might threaten to strike or slow down.
7. Control over the agenda of the meetings: A politically inclined person(s)may have the control over deciding the agenda of the meeting. Such person(s) can easily manipulate the things to suit their personal interest.
8. Ingratiation: It is one of the most common power tactics. People use flattery, praise or friendly behaviour prior to making any request. It is a tactic to make someone feel important or good before making a request to them. One can increase the chances of success by using such tactic.
9. Personal appeals: This tactic involves asking for compliance based on friendship and loyalty

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Hi there, I’m Kingsley, Kingsmond Ehimare (Dip., B.Sc., M.Sc., AHR.) Business-strategic Psychologist, Business cognitive Coach.
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How to Remedy the Negative Impact of Organisational Politics and Power from Ethical Point of View
Ethics can be defined as the moral concerns that an individual basically follows while taking any sort of decisions. This kind of aspects basically helps in governing the behaviour of any of the individual. Ethics basically depicts the moral correctness. And in terms of the organization, ethics can be defined as the systematic thinking of the consequences of any of the decision on the basis of morality.
It can be inferred that if the decision of the organization has the potential to harm any of the stakeholders be it the internal one or external, then we can say that the moral consequences of the decision are not up to the mark.

Code of Conduct
The misuse of organizational politics and power can disrupt the work environment and inflict mental, physical and/or emotional distress on the victim or victims. Examples of misuse of power include public humiliation, physical attacks, frequently undermining another's effort, disrespectful language, discriminatory comments, yelling or name calling, excluding or ignoring fellow employees, spreading insidious and untrue rumors, withholding or purposely giving wrong information, and intimidation. The misuse of politics and power is also used to promote self-interests rather than what’s best for the team. In your policy manual, define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Be specific about the type of behaviors that stem from the misuse of power. State that it is forbidden and that the consequences include termination.

Intervention Levels
If you see misuse of power or bullying, address the problem immediately. For an isolated case, have an informal intervention with the alleged bully. Explain that you expect all workers to behave in a professional manner. If she develops a pattern of misusing her authority, have another meeting showing all data compiled against her, including staff complaints. She might adjust her behavior to reduce the number complaints. If her behavior persists, implement a more authoritative intervention. If she has exhibited good leadership qualities in the past, there might be an underlying reason for her behavior, such as work stress or personal problems. Establish an evaluation plan with a timeline for her to improve. Explain the importance of accepting responsibility, then explain the outcome if she fails to meet the plan objectives.

Disciplinary Measures
In some cases, you might have to bypass the intervention level. Immediate termination might be necessary if the misuse of politics and power included physical abuse against another employee, or if the person in the position of power uses her authority to do something illegal, such as embezzlement or theft. The level of discipline depends on the impact the abuse of power has on the victim and/or the company. Regardless of the disciplinary measure taken, your policy should include consequences such as verbal and written warnings, suspension, termination and even legal prosecution.

Leadership Training
A true leader motivates and inspires his employees by leading by example. When subordinates consistently fail to perform satisfactory, it sometimes reflects poorly on the leader. This puts the leader in a precarious and stressful position. Offer leadership training to your supervisors and managers to help them develop the skills necessary to become a leader who treats his subordinates with fairness and respect.

Support System
The misuse of politics and power can hurt employee morale, lower productivity, cause high employee turnover and frequent absenteeism, cause stress-related illnesses, and harm the company’s reputation. These situations often happen when victims feel they have no one to turn to. Create a strong support system for your employees so they don’t feel isolated. Have employees complete anonymous surveys to gauge whether power is being misused in the company. In your policy manual, outline the steps employees can take to file a complaint. Assure staff that investigations into misuse of power will be handled promptly, fairly and confidentially. Listen impartially to the alleged perpetrator and victim and obtain as much proof as possible before arriving at a conclusion. If necessary, hire a workplace consultant to act as a mediator in employee disputes and to help you draft policies and procedures that address the misuse of power.

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Research carried out by:
(Kingsmond c 2018)