Exam 5: Gaining Power and Influence

River Woods Plant Manager Heritage Appliance Company recently announced plans to construct the River Woods manufacturing plant, replacing the company's original, flagship facility adjacent to the company headquarters in Edgemont. In announcing the new plant, the company stated that to the extent possible it would be staffed by Edgemont plant personnel and that the excess personnel would be transferred to other Heritage plants in neighboring states. Heritage management views the River Woods facility as the plant of the future, featuring new methods of production and lower processing costs and manpower requirements. In a recent press release, the Heritage CEO noted that they were replacing one of the least automated plants in the industry with a plant using new forms of production not previously seen in appliance manufacturing. Heritage Appliance is also using the River Woods plant to pilot a new decentralized management structure. In the past, the firm's marketing activities were directed from the home office by a vice president. Manufacturing operations and certain other departments were under the control of the company's senior vice president. In this centralized, functional arrangement, none of the company's four plants had a general manager. Instead, each department in a plant reported on a line basis to its functional counterpart at the home office (e.g., director of production, director of engineering). In contrast, the new River Woods plant manager will be responsible for the management of all functions and personnel except marketing and sales. There is general consensus among the top management team that the long-term viability of the firm depends on the success of this initiative. However, some have expressed concerns about the difficulty of the task facing the River Woods general manager. They point to the shift from functional lines of communication and accountability to a plant-level focus, as well as the challenges of upgrading the skills of the Edgemont plant personnel, working out the bugs in new applications of advanced manufacturing processes to appliance design and production, and dealing with the inevitable complaints from employees in a small company town who are not satisfied with their new assignments and who might serve as the catalyst for unionizing the only nonunion U.S. appliance manufacturing firm. -What could you do to maintain position power if you were the plant manager?

If you would like to expand your power base horizontally,what could you do?

The task force has been meeting for several weeks on distributing bonuses for employees but has become hopelessly stalled.You were added to the committee to influence the group's decision.What will this do to your influence?

A friend came to you and stated,"I am flunking my management class.I need to pass or I won't graduate.Will you please help me?" Your friend is using which influence strategy?

Which of the following advice is consistent with centrality as a power base?

Empowerment uses sufficient amounts of personal power to achieve high levels of effectiveness.

The strength of one's personal powers would impact which influence strategy the most?

Going to lunch with other departments can increase your centrality power.

Which influence strategy respects the rights of others,honors the concept of fairness,and attempts to strengthen the ongoing relationships between parties?

If you ask your employees to work overtime in exchange for an extended weekend,you are utilizing the retribution influence strategy.

The ability to transform power into influence hinges on securing the consent of others in ways that engender support and commitment instead of resistance and resentment.

Mini-Case: Channel Surfing. You know you should be studying for that management test tomorrow, but you have decided to take a break. With the remote control firmly in your hand, you hit the TV waves. On channel 53 some sports athletes are discussing the importance of being a team player. Striving for individual honors will hurt the team and eventually you, they say. On channel 13 beautiful people are at the beach playing volleyball, water skiing, and dancing. They are also drinking beer (well, there is beer in their hands even if you didn't see anyone take a drink). You wonder why your friends don't look like that ... maybe it's the beer you drink, you think. On channel 44 an entrepreneur is discussing how she took this idea of hers to a multimillion dollar company in less than two years. She says the key is to be diligent and know your product. You wonder if she is hiring. On channel 23 some ex-PGA golf pro is explaining the usefulness of a golf club that falls apart in your back swing if you swing the club incorrectly. He says it did wonders for his game. You wonder, if it did wonders for his game why isn't he back on the tour? Finally, you decide you have had enough and go to bed wishing now that you had studied. Well ... you think ... if I get up at 5:00 a.m., I can ... -Explain the determinants of position power.Provide an example of each determinant.

Disadvantage(s)to using reciprocity are (1)considerable time required to build trust,(2)engenders resentment,and (3)encourages people to feel the terms of assignments are open for negotiation.Which statements are correct?

Building networks that are rich in structural holes comes easy for most people because we have a natural tendency to seek connections that give us unique information.

If you are looking to improve your flexibility,what should you do?

What is the difference between personal power and position power?

One should use reciprocity when (1)there is sufficient time to reach satisfactory agreements,(2)no other alternatives exist,and (3)quality and innovation are not important.Which statements are correct?

Which of the following is not an appropriate technique for neutralizing reason strategies?

If you use an influence strategy that makes others want to do what you say,which influence strategy are you using?

Because reason strategies involve trusting the good intent of other people,it is not appropriate to neutralize these attempts by appealing to a higher authority in the organization.