Power, Politics, and Ethics

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Power, Politics, and Ethics

• Chapter 9

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Learning Objectives

• Describe seven bases of power.
• List techniques to increase your power bases.
• Discuss the necessity of political behavior.
• State the Human Relations Guide to Ethical
  Decision Making.
• Identify techniques to develop effective human
  relations with superiors, subordinates, peers,
  and members of other departments.
• State how power, politics, and ethics affect
  behavior, human relations, and performance.

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Power

• Power a persons ability to influence another
  persons behavior.
• Position power
• Derived from top-level management and delegated
  down the chain of command.
• Personal power
• Derived from the follower.
• Performance is the key to gaining power.

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Seven Bases of Power

• Coercive power involves threats and/or
  punishment to influence compliance.
• Connection power is based on the users
  relationship with influential people.
• Reward power is based on the users ability to
  influence others with something of value to them.

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Seven Bases of Power

• Legitimate power is based on users position
  power.
• Referent power is based on the users personal
  power.
• Information power is based on the users
  information being desired by others.
• Expert power is based on the users skill and
  knowledge.

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Organizational Politics

• Politics the process of gaining and using power.
• Is a fact of organization life
• A medium of exchange
• Used to meet objectives
• Reciprocity creating obligations and debts,
  developing alliances, and using them to
  accomplish objectives.

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Developing Political Skills

• Follow the nine human relations guidelines
• Develop trust
• Use reciprocity
• Develop an ongoing alliances
• Develop networking

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The Nine Human Relation Guidelines

• Be optimistic.
• Be positive.
• Be genuinely interested in people.
• Smile and develop a sense of humor.
• Call people by name.
• Listen to people.
• Help others.
• Think before you act.
• Create win-win situations.

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Business Ethics and Politics

• Ethics the moral standard of right and wrong
  behavior.
• Type I ethics behavior that is considered wrong
  by authorities, yet not accepted by others as
  unethical.
• Type II ethics behavior that is considered wrong
  by authorities and the individual, yet conducted
  anyway.
• Ethical politics behavior that benefits both the
  individual and the organization.
• Unethical politics behavior that benefits the
  individual and hurts the organization.

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The Human Relations Guide to Ethical Decisions

• If, after making a decision, you are proud to
  tell all the relevant parties your decision, the
  decision is probably ethical. If you are
  embarrassed to tell others your decision, or you
  keep rationalizing the decision, it may not be
  ethical.

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The Human Relations Guide to Ethical Decisions

• The golden rule Do unto others as you want them
  to do unto you. or Dont do anything to anyone
  that you wouldnt want them to do to you.
• The Rotary Four-Way Test (1) Is it the truth?
  (2) Is it fair to all concerned? (3) Will it
  build goodwill and better friendship? (4) Will
  it be beneficial to all concerned?

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Vertical Politics

• Common expectations of bosses
• Loyalty
• Cooperation
• Initiative
• Information
• Openness to criticism
• Relations with subordinates
• Friendship
• Open-door policy (the practice of being available
  to employees)

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Horizontal Politics

• Relations with peers
• Cooperation
• Competition
• Criticism
• Relations with members of other departments
• Cooperation
• Compliance
• Creating win-win situations
• WIIFM? (Whats in it for me?)

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Power, Politics, and Ethics

• Chapter 9
• Questions, Comments???