On what is a manager's power based? What might a manager need to consider when attempting to use power to accomplish something at work?

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On what is a manager’s power based?  What might a manager need to consider when attempting to use power to accomplish something at work?

In an attempt to answer these questions, it is necessary to understand what makes managers effective and this requires a through analysis of the complexities of power relationships and influence processes found in organisations.  I will seek to examine the different sources of power, the relationship of these power sources to a manager and the ways in which managers can use power to accomplish goals be it their own or the organisations.

Power has been described and defined in different ways by different people.  

A definition of power by Tawney (1931) is:

“The Capacity of an individual, or group to modify the conduct of other

individuals or groups in a manner which they desire and without having to     modify their own conduct in a manner they do not desire.”

People can interpret power differently.  Some love the talk of power and welcome it and on the other hand some hate it and despise the thought of someone having power over them.  Power is often seen as a dirty word that politics is based upon, “this is a misconception” (Hales, 2003).  Power is what makes the process of management possible and it exists and operates in organisations all the time whether or not it is apparent.  

Different types of power exist and are used in different ways to achieve different desired goals.  Power is central to management; it is the leverage that makes management possible. An understanding of power is essential to understanding management.  It is a vast, complex and confusing area to understand and analyse.

Power, also described as influence and authority are the means for carrying out managerial responsibilities and functions.  Power is the capacity that stems from resources enabling you to change people’s behaviour.  Influence is the actual process of getting people to do things you need done.  Authority is the actual power bestowed to managers which gives them the right to influence this over a person, which is deemed acceptable and right.

Robert Dahl in his early article, ‘The Concept of Power’, described his ‘intuitive idea of power’ as A having power over B to the extent that he gets B to do something which B wouldn’t normally do. (Lukes, 1974).  This model has ambiguities, as it is simplistic and circular.  It ignores perception; it does not show what B thinks of A.  It also doesn’t indicate as to what A and B are, individuals or subunits of people.    

A person or group has power if the other group is dependant on them; this comes from an unequal distribution of resources.  If you have what they want or you can do what they wish to avoid.  How power operates is contingent on circumstances.

Conditions apply such as resources being scarce, important or non-substitutable.  Scarce means no one can have it.  Important implies being central to others needs, what they want but have not got. Some stakeholders offer more to a company so become most important, therefore having the most power.

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Non-Substitutable are when resources cannot be obtained anywhere other than from you.  

Bass (1960) and Etzioni (1961) talk of the dichotomy between positional and personal power.  Power comes about in part from the opportunities inherent in a person’s position in the organisation and in part from the attributes of the manager and manager-subordinate relationship.  Research by Yukl and Flabe (1992) demonstrated that these two types of power are quite independent and each includes some distinct but partially overlapping components.  

There are two dimensions in which a Managers power can be based in relation to their subordinates, ...

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