Organizational Behavior: Power and Conflict

This cheat sheet explores the dynamics of power and conflict within organizations, detailing various sources of power, political behaviors, and strategies for managing conflict effectively.

Core Principles

Power is the ability to direct and control organizational goals and activities, or to get others to act in ways they might not otherwise.
Influence is the process of affecting another person's thoughts, behavior, and feelings.
Authority is the right to influence another person, often conferred by position.
Personal power (expert and referent) is generally more effective than formal power (reward and coercive).
Organizational politics involves the use of power and influence to achieve personal or organizational goals.
Conflict can be functional (constructive) or dysfunctional (destructive).
Conflict arises from both structural and personal factors within an organization.
Effective conflict management involves strategies that promote cooperation and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

Key Terms

Power: The ability to direct and control organizational goals and activities, or to get others to do something they might not otherwise do.
Influence: The process of affecting the thoughts, behavior, and feelings of another person.
Authority: The right to influence another person, typically based on position or mutual agreement.
Organizational Politics: The use of power and influence in organizations, often to achieve personal goals.
Political Behavior: Actions not officially sanctioned by an organization taken to influence others for personal goals.
Functional Conflict: Healthy, constructive disagreement that leads to innovation and positive change.
Dysfunctional Conflict: Unhealthy, destructive disagreement that drains energy and leads to negative outcomes.
Zone of Indifference: The range of orders an employee is willing to accept without conscious questioning.

Real World Examples

Elon Musk: Example of legitimate power based on position and mutual agreement.
Steve Jobs: Example of referent power based on interpersonal attraction.
Indra Nooyi: Demonstrates referent and expert power as a leader.
Coca-Cola Marketing Department: Illustrates a central sub-unit with significant power due to its role in information flow.
Jeffrey Skilling (Enron): Associated with the negative face of power (personal power used for personal gain).
Boyan Slat (The Ocean Cleanup): Associated with the positive face of power (social power used for group goals).

People

Elon Musk: Example of legitimate power.
Steve Jobs: Example of referent power.
Indra Nooyi: Leader demonstrating referent and expert power.
Satya Nadella: Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, associated with political skill.
Sheryl Sandberg: Former COO of Facebook, associated with political skill.
Jeffrey Skilling: Former CEO of Enron, example of negative power.
Boyan Slat: Founder & CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, example of positive power.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Faced character assassination attempts, an ineffective conflict management technique.