Exam 13: Conflict, Power, and Politics

Goal incompatibility can be a kind of "built-in" conflict between departments--especially marketing and manufacturing--that are faithfully attempting to accomplish their own missions.

Network centrality means that managers have access to information and people that are critical to the company's success, and thereby increase their power base.

Dependency power is derived from:

Why will the rational choice model not always work? Under what circumstances will it work?

Resources symbolize power and influence within an organization.

Differentiation refers to the dependence of one unit on another for materials, resources, or information.

A win-win strategy means that both departments adopt a positive attitude and strive to resolve the conflict in a way that will benefit each other.

Horizontal power is not defined by the formal hierarchy or the organization chart.

_____ is rivalry among groups in the pursuit of a common prize, whereas conflict presumes direct interference with goal achievement.

____ is a mechanism for arriving at consensus when uncertainty is high and there is disagreement over goals or problem priorities.

Legitimate power is the authority to punish or recommend punishment, whereas expert power derives from a person's greater skill or knowledge about the tasks being performed.

The sources of intergroup conflict are goal incompatibility, differentiation, task interdependence, and limited resources.

Collective bargaining:

A certain amount of conflict is good for an organization.

During your job interview for a position in purchasing with Ideal Corporation, the interviewer poses the following question for you to answer: If the two departments of marketing and manufacturing have been experiencing considerable conflict, what explanation could you offer for the likely conflict areas?

____ is defined as the behavior that occurs among organizational groups when participants identify with one group and perceive that other groups may block their group's goal achievement or expectations.

____ involves activities to acquire, develop, and use power and other resources to influence others and obtain the preferred outcome when there is uncertainty or disagreement about choices.

When goals are in alignment, there is little differentiation, departments are characterized by pooled interdependence, and resources seem abundant. Managers can use ____ of organization.

What are similarities and differences between power and politics in organizations?

What political tactics are recommended for using power?