Navigating Power Dynamics in Organizations

1. Chapter 10The Effect of Power, Politics, and Collective Bargaining on Organizational Climate

2. Introduction • POWER • The capacity to act or the strength and potency to accomplish something • AUTHORITY • The right to command

3. Understanding Power • Feared, worshipped, or mistrusted • Misunderstood • Adult views often influenced by family dynamics • Familial power experience greatly affect ability to deal with power when adult

4. Gender and Power • Dominance versus submission • Personal qualities versus accomplishment • Personal or physical attributes versus skill • Female characteristics now viewed as strengths • Glass ceilings • Once created barrier, now welcomed

5. Power and Powerlessness • Feelings of powerlessness can create ineffective, petty, dictatorial and rule-minded management. • Oppressive leaders, punitive and rigid, withhold information. • As gain power, less coercive and rule bound • Negative: dominance versus submission • Positive: exert influence on behalf of versus over

6. Types of Power • Reward power • Grant favors or rewards with whatever they value • Develop loyalty and devotion toward the leader • Coercive power • Fear of punishment • Threats of transfer, layoff, demotion, or dismissal • Shuns or ignore, berates or belittles

7. Types of Power (cont.) • Legitimate power • Position power • Gained by title or official position in the organization • Create feelings of obligation or responsibility • Expert power • Gained through knowledge, expertise, experience • Limited to specialized area

8. Types of Power (cont.) • Referent power • Others identify with that leader or what the leader symbolizes • One gives another feelings of acceptance or approval. • May be based on charisma, actions, organizations, people he or she associates with • Gained through association with others

9. Types of Power (cont.) • Charismatic power • Similar to referent power • More personal type • Informational power • Have information someone else wants or need to accomplish goals

10. Sources of Power

11. Question • Authority can also be referred to as: • A. Reward power • B. Referent power • C. Coercive power • D. Legitimate power

12. Answer • D. Legitimate power • Rationale: Legitimate power is position power. Authority is also called legitimate power. It is the power gained by a title or official position within an organization.

13. The Authority–Power Gap

14. Bridging the Authority–Power Gap • Make genuine effort to know and care about each unique individual • Provide enough information • A manager must be credible. • Future promising • Never guarantee future rewards if no control over situation • Underpromise

15. Empowering Subordinates • Communicate vision • Complex process • Delegate assignments to provide learning opportunities • Allow employees to share in satisfaction of achievement • Subordinates believe they have some input and control over the environment

16. Reflective Thinking How might cultural diversity be a challenge when empowering nurses? How are authority positions viewed in other cultures?

17. Question • Organizational chaos may develop if there is a wide authority–power gap. • A. True • B. False

18. Answer • A. True • Rationale: If every order is questioned because the employees do not feel the individual giving the orders has the authority to do so, then organizational chaos may develop. This results in little productivity because every order is questioned.

19. Personal Power-Building Strategies • Leaders and managers must build personal power base. • Maintain personal energy • Take care of self • Let go of what you cannot control • Present a powerful picture to others • Take time for self-care • Stand tall, poise, assertive, articulate, well groomed

20. Personal Power-Building Strategies (cont.) • Pay the entry fee • Do more, work hard, contribute to the organization • Attend meetings, committee work, share of shifts • Determine the powerful in the organization • Be cognizant of limitations • Seek counsel appropriately • Know names of formal and informal power

21. Personal Power-Building Strategies (cont.) • Learn the language and symbols of the organization • Must understand culture and value system • Avoid embarrassment • Learn how to use the organization’s priorities • Be cognizant of organizational goals • Use those priorities and goals to meet management needs

22. Personal Power-Building Strategies (cont.) • Increase professional skills and knowledge • Increase to expert level • Excellence reflects knowledge and demonstrates skill. • Maintain a broad vision • Always look upward and outward • How does the individual unit fit in the organization • How does the organization fit in the community

23. Personal Power-Building Strategies (cont.) • Use experts and seek counsel • Seek out role models • Observe and imitate positive role models • Demonstrate willingness to be team players • Be flexible • Develop reputation willing to compromise • Uncompromising viewed as insensitive to the organization

24. Personal Power-Building Strategies (cont.) • Develop visibility and a voice in the organization • Become active in committees • Do not monopolize committee time • Develop observational, listening, and verbal skills • Learn to toot your own horn • Accept compliments • Let others know when special professional recognition has been achieved • Reflect self-respect not bragging

25. Personal Power-Building Strategies (cont.) • Maintain a sense of humor • Appropriate humor very effective • Most important—ability to laugh at self • Empower others • Empowering each other, gain referent power • Share knowledge, maintain cohesiveness, value profession, support each other

26. Leadership Strategies: Developing Power and Political Savvy

27. Leadership Strategies: Developing Power and Political Savvy (cont.)

28. Question • Which of the following would not be effective to build power? • A. Have a broad vision • B. Maintain a sense of humor • C. Maintain current knowledge level • D. Be flexible

29. Answer • C. Maintain current knowledge level • Rationale: Increasing professional skills and knowledge is important to augment a person’s power base. It also enables the nurse to maintain maneuverability within the job market.

30. The Politics of Power • Politics: the art of using legitimate power wisely • Requires clear decision making, assertiveness, accountability, willingness to express one’s own views • Proactive rather than reactive • Learn to read the environment • Must be able to function effectively within the environment • Must deal effectively with the institution’s inherent politics

31. The Politics of Power (cont.) • Political strategies • Become an expert handler of information and communication • Become artful in acquiring information and questioning others • Delay decisions until adequate and accurate information is gathered • Lying destroys trust • Never underestimate the power of trust

32. The Politics of Power (cont.) • Political strategies (cont.) • Be a proactive decision maker • Get the job done better, faster, more efficiently • Prepare for the future • Assume authority • See a need and start to meet it • Will be held accountable

33. The Politics of Power (cont.) • Political strategies (cont.) • Expand personal resources • Prepare for the future • Economic stability, higher education, broadened skill base • Avoid limited options • Have political freedom of maneuverability

34. The Politics of Power (cont.) • Political strategies (cont.) • Develop political alliances and coalitions • Network with others, especially outside organization • Keep up with current happenings • Local and state nursing associations • Group power can be very useful.

35. The Politics of Power (cont.) • Political strategies (cont.) • Be sensitive to timing • Recognize the best time to make a request • Recognize the best time to say and do nothing • Learn when to stop making request • Promote subordinate identification • Call attention to extra efforts in front of others • Rewarding excellence

36. The Politics of Power (cont.) • Political strategies (cont.) • View personal and unit goals in terms of the organization • Use activities to meet organizational goals • Look at the larger picture • Take the problem and the proposed solution to the supervisor • “Leave your ego at home in a jar” • Avoid taking personally • Be prepared to make errors

37. Collective Bargaining • Activities that occur between organized labor and management that concern employee relations • Impact organization and affect organizational climate • Unions influence wages, personnel, and staffing decisions. • Need to view as positive and work together cooperatively • Many view these forces with resentment and hostility.

38. Nursing Unionization in America • Collective bargaining slow to enter health care • Membership increases during high employment and prosperity. • Membership decreases during economic recessions and layoffs. • Demand for nurses tied to national economy

39. Collective Bargaining and the ANA • Dual role • Represent interests of the nation’s RNs through constituent member nurses associations, organizational affiliates, and workforce advocacy affiliate • NLRB recognizes ANA as a collective bargaining agent. • Conflict of interest • Recent splitting away of state associations from parent ANA organization

40. Motivation to Join or Reject Unions • Reasons why nurses join unions • To increase the power of the individual • To increase their input into organizational decision making • To eliminate discrimination and favoritism • Because of a social need to be accepted • Because they are required to do so as part of employment • Because they believe it will improve patient outcomes and quality of care

41. Motivation to Join or Reject Unions (cont.) • Reasons why nurses do not want to join unions • A belief that unions promote the welfare state and oppose the American system of free enterprise • A need to demonstrate individualism and promote social status • A belief that professionals should not unionize • An identification with the management’s viewpoint • Fear of employer reprisal • Fear of lost income associated with a strike or walkout

42. Managers’ Role During Union Organizing • Know and care about your employees • Establish fair and well-communicated personnel policies • Use an effective upward and downward system of communication • Ensure that all managers are well trained and effective • Establish a well-developed formal procedure for handling employee grievances • Have a competitive compensation program of wages and benefits

43. Managers’ Role During Union Organizing(cont.) • Have an effective performance appraisal system in place • Use a fair and well-communicated system for promotions and transfers • Use organizational actions to indicate that job security is based on job performance, adherence to rules and regulations, and availability of work • Have an administrative policy on unionization

44. Effective Labor–Management Relations • Acceptance • Management accepts union with reluctance and suspicion. • Believe they must continually guard against union encroachment • Accommodation • Full acceptance of union • Mutual respect • Establish mutual goals

45. Question • The American Nurses Association is seen to have a dual role in collective bargaining that to some presents a conflict of interest. • A. True • B. False

46. Answer • A. True • Rationale: Many state constituent member associations of the ANA are recognized by the NLRB to be a collective bargaining agent.