IMPACT OF POWER AS A STRATEGY TO ENHANCE STAFF PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIZATION

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IMPACT OF POWER AS A STRATEGY TO ENHANCE STAFF PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIZATION

Abstract

In one aspect, power can be used to get a job done, on the other hand, it can also be used for the wrong reasons and politics is the influence gained from power. The effect of power in modern organizations depend on whether an employee uses the positive or negative type of power to control other employees. There is a focus on developing and using power in an organization because political behavior penetrates organizational life, and it often gives power to people who do not have it from their organizational position. There should be a balance in the use of power and politics in achieving organizational goals and objectives. Keywords: Political Behavior, Organizational life, Politics, Power, and Organization

Background of the study

According to an old saying: “It is not the knowledge or skill you possess, it is about who you know.” The power play and politics in an organization is all about being noticed and liked by the right people – ‘the powers that be’ – to be able to get the right promotions and influence at the right time.

Power may be defined as the ability, capability or right to be able to control people or things. It can also be defined as the political control of a country or a specific area, or an organization or a person that has a lot of influence and/or control over other people or organizations. It is also the ability to influence the flow of the available energy and resources towards certain goals as opposed to other goals.

Power means different things to different people. Power is seen as corrupt for some people, while for others, the more or the greater the power they have, the more successful they always feel; while for others, they have no single interest in it. Power is an important concept, dynamic or variable in the behavior of an organization. It is the enablement to make someone to do things you want done or make something happen in the way you like or want it.

The concept of power needs to be clearly distinguished from influence and authority. Influence is the ability to change the actions of other people in general ways by changing their criteria of satisfaction and therefore improving their performance and productivity. Influence is the outcome of exercising power. It is expressed by other’s behavioral response to your exercise of power.

While authority is the right of directing others and asking them to do things that they would not naturally want to do, but it is legitimate and can be only exercised during the working hours of organizations.

Pfeffer (1992, p.30) defined politics as the processes, the actions, and the behaviors through which potential power is utilized and realized. Organizations are highly political and power is the name of the game. Power and politics must be recognized as an important dynamic in an organization.

Workers have the same ambition in the organization – that is, getting to the peak of their career (i.e. getting to the top of the company). This desire or ambition is not always borne out of financial reasons alone but majorly to get power. Work place politics most times have a negative undertone due to the negative dominant behaviors connected to employees scheming to achieve their aims of getting to the top.

One can make a choice of separating oneself from destructive office politics by separating oneself from people who gossip about other employees and/or others who tend to take credit of work not done by them. Organizational politics can be disruptive when employees go as far as undermining the reputation of each other’s office as they compete for one promotion or the other.

Organizational Power

According to Max Weber (1947),”Power is the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance.”

The acquisition and maintenance of power is one of the most socially motivating processes that occur in modern organizations. Three categories of people are always involved in the powergame of an organization (especially in small and medium enterprises): the owner(s) of the businesses can influence the decision-making process in their favor and also influence promotions of workers. The top level management are also involved in the power-play as they oversee daily activities and have high influence on the decision making of the organization. The third category are the ‘top performers.’ The company can actually not do without them due to the high productive input they bring into the organization, and that enable them to wield some decision making powers in the organization.

According to John French and Bertram Raven (1959), there are five (5) different types of power in businesses; they are as listed and explained below:

(a) Coercive power: It is the most primordial type of power in a workplace or in an organization. Coercive power takes place when someone in higher authority threatens a subordinate with different punishments if certain tasks or duties is not performed or completed in time and correctly. This power is conveyed through fear of being demoted, losing one’s job, or receiving a poor review of performance. It is gotten through threatening others. It is of great importance to know that coercive power is most effectively used in cases where the business is in a serious crisis. It can also be used when there is going to be a cut in personnel due to shift in management and transitions. For example, a Vice President of sales who threatens sales officers to either meets their goals or otherwise gets replaced.

(b) Legitimate power: This power comes from having a position of power in an organization; example is being a boss in the organization or a key member of a leadership team. It exists when subordinates of someone in authority obeys orders given to them because they have the believe that the person is in a position of power to be able to give them such orders. For example, it is the CEO who decides on the overall direction of the company and also determines the resource needs of the organization.

(c) Reward power: subordinates are rewarded and given incentives for carrying out tasks and orders given by a superior. Example of reward power includes promotion, bonuses, increase in salaries, extra-time off from work, public praise, and so on. The main aim of reward power is spurring up subordinates for effectiveness and productivity.

(d) Referent power: this power comes from being respected and trusted. Leaders in the business industry have gained referent power by entrusting their employees with so much tasks and responsibilities in performing their jobs. This type of power is best achieved in the organization when the turnover of the employee is low and also in a work environment where a personal relationship exists.

(e) Expert power: this is a type of power that comes from one’s skills, knowledge and experience. People naturally respect and follow those who are experts in a certain field. Subordinates who know that their superior has an expert power feel so relaxed because they believe that he will guide them correctly due to his many experiences.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1979) argues that power is the last dirty word used by Americans. She stated that it is far easy to talk about money and also about sex, than to talk about power. According to her, the effectiveness that power bring evolves from the two types of capacities which are; access to resources and information and support necessary to carry out a task; and ability to get cooperation in doing what is necessary. She assessed the effect that power has on different levels of organization; and according to her, power is derived from three (3) lines which are: lines of supply; lines of information; and lines of support.

Henry Mintzberg theory (1983) was based on the fact that the behavior in an organization is a power game in which there are many players called Influencers, who seek to control the actions and decisions of an organization. According to him, there are two groups of influencers which are the internal influencers which consist of techno-structure, support staff, and the ideology of the organization; the second groups are the external influencers which consist of associates, employee association, owners and publics.

J. V. Baldridge (1971) noted that there are many conflicting goals in an organization; and as the balance of power changes among different coalitions, different set of goals become a priority.

Acquiring and Using Power and Influence

A considerable portion of any manager’s time is directed toward power-oriented behavior; which is an action directed at developing or using relationships in which other people are willing to defer wholly or partially to one’s wishes.

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