Fluent Essays

Weeks 15 & 16 - Overview & Learning Objectives Attached Files: ·  Chapter 14. Conflict, Power, and Politics.pptx  Chapter 14. Conflict, Power, and Politics.pptx - Alternative Formats (513.36 KB) Assigned Readings: Chapter 14. Conflict, Power, and Politics. Overview: Chapter 14 examines the nature of conflict and use of power and political tactics to reduce conflict.  First, intergroup conflict, characteristics of organizations that contribute to conflict, and the use of a political versus a rational model of organization to manage conflict interests are explored, as well as tactics for reducing conflict and enhancing collaboration. Subsequently, there is an examination of individual and organizational power, the vertical and horizontal sources of power, and how power is used to attain organizational goals. Next comes a look at empowerment, or sharing power with lower-level employees. Politics, the application of power and authority to achieve desired outcomes, will also be covered, as well as tactics managers can use to influence others and accomplish goals. Chapter 14. Conflict, Power, and Politics Learning Objectives 1. After reading this chapter you should be able to: 2. Identify organizational characteristics that can cause intergroup conflict. 3. Compare and contrast the rational and the political models of organization. 4. Describe the vertical sources of power in organizations. 5. Explain the concept of strategic contingencies as it relates to horizontal power in organizations. 6. Define politics and explain why political activity is necessary. 7. Identify tactics for increasing and for using power. Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 14 Assigned Readings: Chapter 14. Conflict, Power, and Politics. Initial Postings:  Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion. Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions: 1. A financial analyst at Merrill Lynch tried for several months to expose the risks of investments in subprime mortgages, but he couldn’t get anyone to pay attention to his claims. How would you evaluate this employee’s power? What might he have done to increase his power and call notice to the impending problems at the firm? [Your post must be substantive and demonstrate insight gained from the course material. Postings must be in the students own words - do not provide quotes!]  [Your initial post should be at least 450+ words and in APA format (including Times New Roman with font size 12 and double spaced). Post the actual body of your paper in the discussion thread then attach a Word version of the paper for APA review] Submitting the Initial Posting: Your initial posting should be completed by Thursday, 11:59 p.m. EST.  Response to Other Student Postings :  Respond substantively to the post of at least two peers, by Friday, 11:59 p.m. EST. A peer response such as “I agree with her,” or “I liked what he said about that” or similar comments are not considered substantive and will not be counted for course credit. [Continue the discussion through Sunday,11:59 p.m. EST by highlighting differences between your postings and your colleagues postings. Provide additional insights or alternative perspectives] Evaluation of posts and responses:  Your initial posts and peer responses will be evaluated on the basis of the kind of critical thinking and engagement displayed. The grading rubric evaluates the content based on seven areas: Content Knowledge & Structure, Critical Thinking, Clarity & Effective Communication, Integration of Knowledge & Articles, Presentation, Writing Mechanics, and Response to Other Students. Activity 14 Give an example from your personal experience of how differences in tasks, personal background, and training lead to conflict among groups. How might task interdependence have influenced that conflict? The assignment is to answer the question provided above in essay form. This is to be in narrative form and should be as thorough as possible. Bullet points should not to be used. The paper should be at least 1.5 - 2 pages in length, Times New Roman 12-pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins and utilizing at least one outside scholarly or professional source related to competitive strategy. The textbook should also be utilized. Do not insert excess line spacing. APA formatting and citation should be used Chapter 14 Conflict, Power, and Politics Organization Theory and Design Thirteenth Edition Richard L. Daft Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. 14 Chapter 1 Learning Objectives Identify organizational characteristics that can cause intergroup conflict. Compare and contrast the rational and the political models of organization. Describe the vertical sources of power in organizations. Explain the concept of strategic contingencies as it relates to horizontal power in organizations. Define politics and explain why political activity is necessary. Identify tactics for increasing and for using power. 2 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Interdepartmental Conflict in Organizations Intergroup conflict requires three ingredients: Group identification Observable group differences Frustration This type of conflict is similar to competition but more severe Intergroup conflict can occur horizontally across departments or vertically between different levels of the organization 3 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Sources of Conflict Sources of intergroup conflict are: Goal incompatibility Differentiation Task interdependence Limited resources 4 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Marketing-Manufacturing Areas of Potential Goal Conflict MARKETING Versus MANUFACTURING Goal Conflict Operative Goal Is Customer Satisfaction Operative Goal Is Production Efficiency Conflict Area Typical Comment Typical Comment 1. Breadth of product line “Our customers demand variety.” “The product line is too broad—all we get are short, uneconomical runs.” 2. New product introduction “New products are our lifeblood.” Unnecessary design changes are prohibitively expensive.” 3. Product scheduling “We need faster response. Our customer lead times are too long.” “We need realistic commitments that don’t change like wind direction.” 4. Physical distribution “Why don’t we ever have the right merchandise in inventory?” We can’t afford to keep huge inventories.” 5. Quality “Why can’t we have reasonable quality at lower cost?” “Why must we always offer options that are too expensive and offer little customer utility?” 5 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Rational Versus Political Model The rational model is an ideal that is not fully achievable in the real world, though managers strive to use rational processes whenever possible Goals are clear, and choices are made logically The political model involves the push and pull of debate to decide goals and reach decisions This is how organizations operate much of the time because purely rational procedures do not work for many circumstances 6 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Sources of Conflict and Use of Rational versus Political Model 7 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. 7 Top 10 Problems from Too Much Conflict 8 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. 8 Tactics for Enhancing Collaboration Tactics for enhancing collaboration include: Create integration devices, such as labor-management teams Use confrontation and negotiation Schedule intergroup consultation, such as workplace mediation Practice member rotation Create shared mission and superordinate goals 9 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Negotiation Strategies Win-Lose Strategy Define the problem as a win-lose situation. Pursue own group’s outcomes. Force the other group into submission. Be deceitful, inaccurate, and misleading in communicating the group’s needs, goals, and proposals. Use threats (to force submission). Communicate strong commitment (rigidity) regarding one’s position. Win-Win Strategy Define the conflict as a mutual problem. Pursue joint outcomes. Find creative agreements that satisfy both groups. Be open, honest, and accurate in communicating the group’s needs, goals, and proposals. Avoid threats (to reduce the other’s defensiveness). Communicate flexibility of position. 10 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Power and Organizations Power is the potential ability of one person or department to influence other people When referring to the influence of a single person, power can be categorized as either hard or soft: Individual hard power includes legitimate power, reward power, and coercive power Personal soft power includes expert power and referent power Organizational power is the result of structural characteristics 11 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Power Versus Authority Authority achieves desired outcomes but only as prescribed by the formal hierarchy and reporting relationships: Authority is vested in organizational positions Authority is accepted by subordinates Authority flows down the vertical hierarchy Authority is exercised downward along the hierarchy while power can be exercised upward, downward, and horizontally 12 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Vertical Sources of Power Formal position is the legitimate power accrued to top positions Resources can be used as a tool for power Control of information, a primary business resource, can influence how decisions are made Network centrality—being centrally located in the organization and having access to critical information and people—provides more effectiveness and influence Loyal and supportive managers help top executives achieve their goals for the organization 13 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Information Flow for IT System Decision at Clark Ltd. 14 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. An Illustration of Network Centrality 15 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. The Power of Empowerment Empowerment is power sharing, the delegation of power or authority to subordinates Empowering employees enables them to act more freely to accomplish their jobs: Employees receive information about company performance Employees have knowledge and skills to contribute to company goals Employees have the power to make substantive decisions 16 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Horizontal Sources of Power Horizontal power pertains to relationships across departments, divisions, or other units It is not defined by the formal hierarchy or the organization chart Departments involved with strategic contingencies tend to have greater power than departments not involved in such events and activities Such departments have one or more power sources: interdepartmental dependency, financial resources, centrality, nonsubstitutability, and coping with uncertainty 17 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Ratings of Power Among Departments in a Technology Firm 18 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Strategic Contingencies That Influence Horizontal Power Among Departments 19 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Political Processes in Organizations Politics is the use of power to influence decisions toward goals Organizational politics involve activities to acquire, develop, and use power to influence others Politics is a mechanism for arriving at consensus when there is high uncertainty and disagreement over goals or priorities The domains of political activity in most organizations are: Structural change Management succession Resource allocation 20 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Using Soft Power and Politics Managers can rely on “hard power” which stems from a person’s position of authority Effective managers often use “soft power” which is based on personal characteristics and building relationships 21 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Power and Political Tactics in Organizations Tactics for Increasing the Power Base Enter areas of high uncertainty. Create dependencies. Provide scarce resources. Satisfy strategic contingencies. Political Tactics for Using Power Build coalitions and expand networks. Assign loyal people to key positions. Control decision premises. Enhance legitimacy and expertise. Make a direct appeal. Create a higher purpose. 22 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Organizational Design Essentials (slide 1 of 2) Managers use power and politics to manage and resolve conflict. Although conflict and political behavior can be used for beneficial purposes, managers should enhance collaboration so that conflict between groups does not become too strong. Individuals in organizations may use sources of hard or soft power, but power in organizations is also the result of structural characteristics. Sources of power can be vertical or horizontal. 23 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part. Organizational Design Essentials (slide 2 of 2) Politics is often needed to achieve the legitimate goals of a department or organization. Managers need political skills to exercise soft as well as hard power. Tactics for increasing power include entering areas of high uncertainty, creating dependencies, providing scarce resources, and satisfying strategic contingencies. 24 Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 13e. © 2021 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or part.