Chat with AIExam 10: Power and Influence in the Workplace
Suppose you have formal authority to allocate performance bonuses to your employees.What contingencies must exist before this source of power will translate into actual power?
(34) 
VerifiedThis question requires students to consider all four contingencies of power and to apply these concepts to this situation.
Nonsubstitutability.Employees cannot receive performance bonuses from any other source; for example, another supervisor cannot give the same bonuses to the same employees.
Centrality.The performance bonus decision significantly affects employees.For example, power would increase as the performance bonus represents a larger percentage of each employee's paycheck; your power would also increase with the number of employees affected by your reward decisions.
Discretion.Your potential power increases with the extent that bonus allocation decisions are non-programmed, that is, there are no clear guidelines or procedures to direct the decision.
Visibility.Your potential power increases with the extent that employees realize that you (rather than regimented procedures or other people in the organization) determine the size of their performance bonus.
Which of the following is NOT identified in the textbook as a form of hard influence tactics?
(35) VerifiedC
Coping with uncertainty is an important source of power in organizational settings.Identify two jobs in your university that have power because they cope with uncertainty and discuss the reasons why this power exists.
(43) VerifiedStudents might identify any two of several jobs in a university.One common example may be the people who forecast enrolments for the upcoming year.They help the school to anticipate the number of students entering various programs, which makes it easier to shift resources as required.The university vice-chancellor copes with uncertainty through all three strategies.The vice-chancellor might prevent uncertainties from occurring, such as by discouraging governments or alumni from changing practices that affect the university.The vice-chancellor might forecast uncertainties by serving as a listening post in the external environment.For example, the vice-chancellor might learn that other universities are changing their curriculum and warn various departments about these changes.Third, the vice-chancellor might absorb concerns raised by stakeholders (e.g.government, alumni or community).For example, alumni might demand more emphasis placed on technology-based courses, so the vice-chancellor would mobilize other executives and administrators to make these changes, if warranted.
Whichever jobs students identify when answering this question, you should keep in mind the three strategies for coping with uncertainty:
Prevention.The most effective strategy is to prevent environmental changes and variations from occurring.For example, financial experts acquire power by preventing the organization from experiencing a cash shortage or defaulting on loans.
Forecasting.The next best strategy is to be able to predict environmental changes or variations.In this respect, marketing specialists gain power by predicting changes in consumer preferences.
Absorption.People and work units also gain power by absorbing or neutralizing the impact of environmental shifts as they occur.A classic example is the ability of maintenance crews to come to the rescue when machines break down and the production process stops.
Networking can potentially leverage a person's power by increasing the person's visibility and centrality.
(36) Which of these refers to the degree and nature of interdependence between the powerholder and others?
(33) You have just graduated from a specialized program in an emerging and little-known field of engineering and are currently looking for a job that will apply your valuable skills.This is the only program of its kind in your country and has very limited enrollment.Your recently acquired knowledge offers great potential for organizations although few people are aware of this.Name and describe the sources and contingencies of power you and other graduates from this program have in the labor market.
(34) Legitimate power is an agreement between people that one person has the right to request specific behaviors from the other person.
(36) You have just been hired as a brand manager of toothpaste for a large consumer products company.Your job mainly involves encouraging the advertising and production groups to promote and manufacture your product more effectively.These departments are not under your direct authority, although company procedures indicate that they must complete certain tasks requested by brand managers.Name and describe the sources of power you can use to ensure that the advertising and production departments will help you make and sell toothpaste more effectively.
(43) Which of the following statements about countervailing power in organizational relationships is TRUE?
(33) Which source of power originates from the powerholder's own characteristics?
(44) When the issue is extremely important to listeners, the speaker's personal characteristics are more important than the message content in persuading listeners.
(26) Jason is effective at forming friendships with other people in the organization.Over time, he becomes well known and respected by numerous people in key positions in the organization.Through his networking, Jason has:
(40) According to persuasive communication research, getting an employee to accept a new policy is more easily done when:
(36) Women have difficulty getting into senior management because they are usually excluded from male networks.
(39) A coalition attempts to influence people outside the group by pooling the resources and power of its members.
(33) People who have more power over others tend to engage in more automatic rather than mindful thinking.
(40) 
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