"Make sure you describe the purpose of your request" is a suggested guideline for using ________ power.
- legitimate
- coercive
- referent
- reward
- expert
When using legitimate power, stay within the rights your position holds, communicate your request politely, and make sure you describe the purpose of your request.
Legitimate Power: A form of organizational power based on authority or position.
Legitimate power gives a person the right to ask employees to do something outside the scope of their jobs or roles within the organization.
Legitimate power doesn't generally give a person the right to ask employees to do something outside the scope of their jobs or roles within the organization.
Legitimate Power: A form of organizational power based on authority or position.
By virtue of being vice president in charge of operations at Standard Plastics, Inc., Tom has ________ power.
- collaborative
- substitutable
- diplomatic
- legitimate
- referent
Legitimate power derives from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as "formal authority." People with legitimate power have some title-some term on an organizational chart or on their door.
Legitimate Power: A form of organizational power based on authority or position.
As manager and team leader, Sandra calls her subordinates together and says, "Okay, this week I'll need each of you to work a few extra hours because we need to get out those brochures that were back-ordered." She is exercising her ________ power.
- legitimate
- coercive
- referent
- reward
- expert
Legitimate power derives from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as "formal authority." People with legitimate power have some title-some term on an organizational chart or on their door.
A brilliant designer of computer programs, Darren has often been compared to the late Apple Computers cofounder Steve Jobs not only because of his abilities in the digital realm, but also his charisma. Like Jobs, he is not a lone techie writing code in a windowless room; he serves in an executive role at DiaTech, the company he and his partners founded. But now he has a problem: there is a special project for which he needs the help of a few key subordinates. They will need to work extra hours, and because of the top-secret nature of his new design, they will need to keep the nature of their work to themselves. The best way for Darren to get these employees on board for the project is to tell each one of them that
- working on this project may give them an opportunity to learn about the skills that helped create the company.
- as the founder and one of the leading executives in the company, he has the power to demand their compliance.
- they will get extra pay above their ordinary salary, as well as a strong recommendation for advancement in the company.
- after the project is over, he will take them to lunch and give them a one-hour career planning and question and answer session.
- he does, after all, have the power and the means to make life very difficult for them if they do not offer him their absolute loyalty.
Darren possesses all five types of power in the both the organizational and personal dimensions. Therefore he could couch his request in terms of his organizational power: legitimate (as the founder and one of the leading executives in the company, he has the power to demand their compliance), reward (they will get extra pay above their ordinary salary, as well as a strong recommendation for advancement in the company), and coercive (he does, after all, have the power and the means to make life very difficult for them if they do not offer him their absolute loyalty). But generally speaking, the personal forms of power are more strongly related to organizational commitment and job performance than are the organizational forms. However, the statement based on his expert power-working on this project may give them an opportunity to learn about the skills that helped create the company-is rather vague, whereas the entreaty rooted in his referent power is a concrete, definable offer. Given his charisma and expertise, what upwardly mobile employee would not welcome an opportunity to spend an hour one-on-one with him to learn some of his secrets for success? When the project is over and it comes time for him to make good on his promise, Darren must be sure to do so: one of the guidelines for using referent power is to "follow through on commitments."
Needs: Groupings or clusters of outcomes viewed as having critical psychological or physiological consequences.
The type of power sometimes referred to as "formal authority" is ________ power.
- structural
- legitimate
- political
- reward
- expert
Legitimate power derives from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as "formal authority." People with legitimate power have some title-some term on an organizational chart or on their door.
Power derived from a position of authority inside the organization is ________ power.
- structural
- legitimate
- political
- reward
- expert
Legitimate power derives from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as "formal authority." People with legitimate power have some title-some term on an organizational chart or on their door.
When a leader draws on legitimate sources of power, a stronger emotional bond can be created with the employee, boosting affective commitment.
When a leader draws on personal sources of power, such as expert power and referent power, a stronger emotional bond can be created with the employee, boosting affective commitment. The effective use of such power should increase job satisfaction and a sense of trust in the leader, all of which are associated with increased commitment levels.
Affective Commitment: An employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of emotional attachment.
As manager of a twelve-person team, Andre has legitimate power over his employees. But he would be abusing his legitimate power if he asked one of his employees to
- take over somebody else's job while waiting for a replacement to be hired.
- take a five-minute break while waiting for further instructions.
- deliver a message to one of the other managers.
- take out the trash and recycling at his house.
- answer the phones at the front desk.
Legitimate power does have its limits, however. It doesn't generally give a person the right to ask employees to do something outside the scope of their jobs or roles within the organization. For example, if a manager asked an employee to wash their car or mow their lawn, it would likely be seen as an inappropriate request.
As executive vice president in charge of sales and marketing, Josephine heads a large international team. Her position gives her a great deal of ________ power.
- legitimate
- coercive
- referent
- reward
- expert
Legitimate power derives from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as "formal authority." People with legitimate power have some title-in Josephine's case, executive vice president in charge of sales and marketing.
Employees are willing to manipulate and deceive others to acquire power are referred to as having ________ tendencies.
- utopian
- egoistic
- Napoleonic
- Machiavellian
- Brobdingnagian
People with "Machiavellian" tendencies manipulate and deceive others to acquire power.
Power: The ability to influence the behavior of others and resist unwanted influence in return.
A personal characteristic that fosters organizational politics is the
- desire to help.
- need for power.
- drive to be a vision-holder.
- requirement for participation.
- tendency to need to socialize.
Some employees have a strong need for power that provides them with an incentive to engage in political behaviors. Still others have "Machiavellian" tendencies, meaning that they are willing to manipulate and deceive others to acquire power.
Expert Power: A form of organizational power based on expertise or knowledge.
Organizational factors that are the most likely to increase politics are those that raise the level of ________ in the environment.
- self-awareness
- participation
- uncertainty
- energy
- strife
Organizational factors that are the most likely to increase politics are those that raise the level of uncertainty in the environment.
Financial Uncertainty: Uncertainties with regard to the potential for loss of livelihood, savings, or the ability to pay expenses.