POWER AND ORGANIZATION

Organizational Behavior
RESEARCH REPORT

SUBMITTED TO:
FARUKH AHMED MIAN

SUBMITTED BY:
ASAD AFTAB

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 Table of Content:

• Introduction 3

• Hobbes and Power: 5

• Power Enhancers: 7

• Powerlessness: 8

• Power Types: 9

• Stages of Personal Power: 11

• Strategic Contingencies Theory: 13

• Three Dimensions of Power: 14

• Toffler's Three Forms of Power: 16

• Powerful People: 17

• Power in Organizations: 19

• Power in Politics: 22

• Conclusion 24

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Definition:
Power is the ability to get what you want. As what you want is often constrained by other
people, the use of power often includes changing or influencing what others think,
believe and do. It is at the heart of all techniques of changing minds.

French and Raven's Five Forms of Power

The most common description of power is French and Raven (1960). This divides power
into five different forms.

Coercive power

This is the power to force someone to do something against their will. It is often physical
although other threats may be used. It is the power of dictators, despots and bullies.
Coercion can result in physical harm, although its principal goal is compliance.
Demonstrations of harm are often used to illustrate what will happen if compliance is not
gained.

Coercion is also the ultimate power of all governments. Although it is often seen as
negative, it is also used to keep the peace. Parents coerce young children who know no
better. A person holds back their friend who is about to step out in front of a car.

Other forms of power can also be used in coercive ways, such as when a reward or
expertise is withheld or referent power is used to threaten social exclusion.

Reward power

One of the main reasons we work is for the money we need to conduct our lives. There
are many more forms of reward -- in fact anything we find desirable can be a reward,
from a million dollar yacht to a pat on the back.

Reward power is thus the ability to give other people what they want, and hence ask them
to do things for you in exchange.

Rewards can also be used to punish, such as when they are withheld. The promise is
essentially the same: do this and you will get that.

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Legitimate power

Legitimate power is that which is invested in a role. Kings, policemen and managers all
have legitimate power. The legitimacy may come from a higher power, often one with
coercive power. Legitimate power can often thus be the acceptable face of raw power.

A common trap that people in such roles can fall into is to forget that people are obeying
the position, not them. When they either fall from power or move onto other things, it can
be a puzzling surprise that people who used to fawn at your feet no long do so.

Referent power

This is the power from another person liking you or wanting to be like you. It is the
power of charisma and fame and is wielded by all celebrities (by definition) as well as
more local social leaders. In wanting to be like these people, we stand near them, hoping
some of the charisma will rub off onto us.

Those with referent power can also use it for coercion. One of the things we fear most is
social exclusion, and all it takes is a word from a social leader for us to be shunned by
others in the group.

Expert power

When I have knowledge and skill that someone else requires, then I have Expert power.
This is a very common form of power and is the basis for a very large proportion of
human collaboration, including most companies where the principle of specialization
allows large and complex enterprises to be undertaken.

Expert power is that which is used by Trades Unions when they encourage their members
to strike for better pay or working conditions. It is also the power of the specialist R&D
Engineer when they threaten to leave unless they get an exorbitant pay rise or a seat by
the window.

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Hobbes and power
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was a 17th century thinker who sought to apply the new
methods of science and the Greek rigor of logic to sociology. In his 1660 masterwork,
'Leviathan', he describes power and promotes the notion of a commonwealth as an
effective society.

Hobbes divided motivation into appetites and aversions, predating Freud and his
pleasure-pain principle by a couple of centuries.

Natural Power

Hobbes defined power as the ability to secure well-being or personal advantage 'to obtain
some future apparent well'. He saw people as having 'Natural Power' that come from
internal qualities such as intellectual eloquence, physical strength and prudence.

Instrumental Power

He also noted that we have 'Instrumental Power' which has the sole purpose of acquiring
more power. This includes wealth, reputation and influential friends.

He thus saw the quest for power as the quest for command over the power of others. If I
can get you to use your power on behalf of my purpose, then I can add your power to my
arsenal. In its most simple form, we buy the compliance of others.

'The value or worth of a man is, as of all other things, his Price; that is to say, so much as
would be given for the use of his Power.

Relative power

Hobbes noted that power is relative only to the power of others. If I have less power than
you, then I am effectively powerless in your presence. This leads us to a perpetual power
struggle with other people, each vying for ever greater power and each seeking to acquire
the power of others.

He also noticed that there are some people who can never get enough power, and who
seek to use others rather than cooperate and live in harmony with them. This he
considered a dysfunction.

Ceding power

Hobbes found that many of us find a balance in life and gaining 'sufficient power' is
adequate for us. We also seek to co-operate and share power with others to escape from
an endless escalation.

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'that a man be willing when others are so too, as farre-forth as for Peace and defense of
himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down the right to all things; and be contented
with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.'

He considered the most effective use of personal power in society is to cede it to a central
authority that can use this power without question back on the people who give the
power. This effectively leads to an elected monarch and commonwealth, which Hobbes
called the 'Leviathan'.

The Leviathan, by the way, is monstrous and fearsome sea creature in the book of Job.
Going against the Leviathan was an act of great peril.

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Power Enhancers
Although there are many different types or power, there are a number of things that may
be considered which will increase the power you have.

Scarcity

The Scarcity Principle makes anything that is not easily available more desirable. If the
power I have is something that other people do not have, then I am the only wielder of
this power and hence I can choose how it is used.

Desirability

If what I have is more desirable, then I can make greater demands, asking more for it and
so on.

A negative form of this is where my power is undesirable, such as the power to punish.
Again, the greater the undesirability of my power the stronger the power is (although it
will create very different reactions to a positive and desirable thing).

Skill

Some people have power but are not good at wielding it. Like a swordsman with a sharp
cutlass, a skilful user of power uses just enough to get what they want and no more.

Impact

If my power has a great impact on people, then they will pay greater attention to it. Thus
a bank robber acquires great power (and money) from the use of a gun.

Acquisition cost

Sometimes power costs a great deal to acquire, such as expert power, for which takes
time and money to get through college.

Burn rate

Power, when used, may be used up or it may retain its 'full strength'. Thus when a teacher
shouts at a class, it will only work for a while and if they keep it up, before long the
children will ignore the loud thing at the front of the class. A good teacher only needs to
hint or raise an eyebrow.

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Powerlessness
The opposite of having power is powerlessness, which is a remarkably common illusion.

Self-image

Many people have a self-image of powerlessness, believing that they are not able to
achieve anything. This may take the form of needing to ask for approval before taking
any action (I am not authorized to decide). It may also come from a self image of being
unable to achieve goals (I do not have the skill or knowledge to do anything).

A low self-image can thus have a cripplingly paralyzing on a person, preventing them
from even beginning any action.

Fear of failure

Another root of powerlessness is the fear of failure. This is often based in the fear of
persecution and rejection and may be related to the paranoid-schizoid position.

The person typically projects forward into the future, sees themselves failing and then
continues to imagine others criticizing and ostracizing them. The illusion may continue
into feelings of guilt, shame and loneliness.

Internal conflict

Internal conflict can lead to powerlessness, for example where a manager wants to
discipline an employee but also wants to be liked -- the result can be a stasis of inaction.

When equal and opposite forces pull against one another, the net movement is zero.
Internal conflict thus can create significant internal tension but no real movement.

The power of powerlessness

Curiously, powerlessness is a form of power. If I feel powerless, then this gives me the
power to ask for help. I can be powerless like a child and hence demand help from an
adult-figure.

Begging uses powerlessness to persuade.

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Types of Power
Although the French and Raven list is common, here is a composite and extended list that
is perhaps easier to use.

Ownership

If I own something then I can also use it in any way I like. If I own a chair I can set fire to
it, which I couldn't do if I had borrowed it from you. If I own money, I can spend it any
way I choose.

Position

Where you occupy a recognized position, then I will obey the rules regarding that
position (rather than obeying you, per se).

Formal positions include managers, policemen, and so on. These may well have formal
authority vested in them by the company or the country.

Informal positions also exist, such as social leaders or team roles such as the Belbin Team
Types. If you hold a creative social position such as a 'plant' then I will listen carefully to
your ideas.

Access control

Another form of ownership is where you are the gatekeeper to something that is desired.
Bouncers at night clubs and company receptionists are gatekeepers to entire
organizations. Personal assistants control access to the managers they serve. Librarians
control access to knowledge.

Knowledge

Knowledge is power, as they say. If I know something, then I can use it to my advantage.
Knowledge may come in several forms:

• Technical knowledge is knowing how things work. It is the power of experts and
academics.
• Social knowledge is knowing things about people. This may include secrets that
could be used for blackmail.

The degree of power that a knowledge user has depends even more than other forms of
power on a supply and demand situation. If nobody wants the knowledge or cares about
it, then there is little power. But if the world is being invaded by aliens and I know how
to repel them, I can demand a high price for my services.

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Skill

Skill is closely related to knowledge, but is the ability to do something rather than just
know it.

As with knowledge, there is technical skill and social skill. Engineers have technical
skills. Sales people have social skills, which include the ability to communicate and the
ability to persuade others.

Obligation

If I feel obligation towards you, you can tip the scales by reminding me of that obligation.
Obligations may come from:

• Favors you did me in the past and which I must now repay.
• Rules that I must follow, such as social rules to help a person in distress.
• Responsibilities that I feel, for example as a parent, friend or a manager.

Trust

If you earn my respect then I will trust you and this gives you far greater power to ask me
for things, as I will not need to wonder whether you may take advantage of me.

Self determination

I am the only person who can decide what I say and do. As such I have power, which can
be much greater than is suspected. I can, for example, always choose to say no and to
walk out. This is of course, the basic power of Trade Unions.

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Stages of Personal Power
Janet Hagberg, in her book 'Real Power: Stages of Personal Power in Organizations',
describes six stages through which people go when developing their power within a
company.

1. Powerlessness

We start from a position of powerlessness. When we join an organization we know

nobody and are totally dependent on others for initial assistance in understanding how
things work, how to influence others and how to get things done.

2. Power by association

Power by association is the power we gain by being able to utilize the power that others
already have.

As we get to know people and gain their respect and trust, we may leverage their power,
for example in asking them to ask others to do things or asking them for introductions.
The secret of gaining associative power is hence in being able to create bonds and draw
on relationships.

We can also join teams, clubs and form other associations and coalitions, thereby gaining
the power of the group.

3. Power by achievement

Power by acquisition is that power which we gain through what we do and the persuasive
evidence that others perceive in this.

Achievement leads to achievement. If we do well at work then we are given more

important work and may also get promoted. The power we get from this multiplies, as
people cede power to those who prove their ability, which then allows them to achieve
further still.

4. Power by reflection

In a curious reversal of depending on others for power, we can gain power through
internal reflection and realizing we have all personal power on which we can draw.

A person at this stage is competent and has sound integrity. They are widely respected
and this strength draws others to them, on whose ability and power they may
consequently depend. Paradoxically, as they let go of their ego, they gain more power.

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5. Power by purpose

People at this stage are driven by their purpose. Their power comes from within. Their
inner power is so much greater than the power of those around them, they can influence
decisions of many others.

Great leaders show this purpose in stirring speeches and powerful and symbolic action.
They succeed because they believe in a greater purpose beyond themselves. They are
visionary and self-accepting, humble and spiritual.

6. Power by wisdom

Stage six people feel a deep connection to the greater universe. They may often spend
time in solitude, connecting and reflecting. They may have been through great pain and
crisis on more than one occasion, yet have used these events to learn and grow.

They have found contentment and live on an 'even keel'. The purpose they work to is very
high. They know and accept powerlessness and in doing so find ultimate power. They
embrace paradox and do not need to take sides.

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Strategic Contingencies Theory
Description

Intraorganizational power depends on three factors: problem skills, actor centrality and
uniqueness of skill.

If you have the skills and expertise to resolve important problems, then you are going to
be in demand. And by the law of supply and demand, that gives your the upper hand in
negotiations. It also gives you power from the reciprocity created.

If you work in a central part of the workflow of the organization, then what you do is
very important. This gives you many opportunities to be noticed. It also means you are on
the critical path, such that if your part of the company fails, the whole show stops. Again
creating attention and giving you bargaining power.

Finally, if you are difficult to replace, then if you do make enemies up the hierarchy, then
they cannot just move you out or sideways.

Example

A production manager in an organization is in charge of a key manufacturing operation

(centrality), and understands its complexities very well (uniqueness). From a long
experience, when things go wrong, he is very good at fixing things, both mechanically
and with the unions.

So what?
Using it

Get a job on the critical path through the organization. Become expert in problem solving
in it. Acquire and defend knowledge and skills that nobody else has.

Defending

Do not let any one person become indispensable.

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Three Dimensions of Power
There are three dimensions of power in action, with two, two and three possible states.
This gives 2 x 2 x 3 possible combinations, which gives 12 ways of using power.

Channels

The channels of power are the way in which power is enacted. They can perhaps more
readily be remembered as 'head, hands and heart'.

Physical power

This is power derived from material or physical advantage. Individually, it can come
from strength or skill, such as the power of a wrestler. It can also come from having
weapons, which can be the ultimate power of groups and governments.

Physical power also comes from having things that are not designed to hurt people.
Owning a building or a machine or even a sewing needle are forms of physical power.

Informational power

This is derived from knowledge. For example if I know your weaknesses I could leverage
this knowledge when trying to persuade you, or maybe help you learn and shore up those
weaknesses.

Power often comes from the control of access to information, where you can permit or
offer access to others. Knowledge is power, as they say.

Emotional power

This is the social power of affect, using emotion to get what you want. Charisma is a
form of emotional power, including the power of oratory and the use of subtle body
language.

Threats are often emotional in the effect they have. In fact most interactions between
people include some form of emotional power.

Intent

These form the intent of the person using power, helping or hurting others.

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Positive power

This is power used for good, with the intent of helping others. It is used to protect and
nurture, or at least do no harm. It is based on love, care, concern and pro-social values.

Negative power

This power that is used either to directly harm other people or with no care or concern
about them. It is based either on greed and selfishness or on other negative emotions such
as fear and hate.

Deliberateness

These are the deliberateness of power, the triggers which lead to power being used.

Reactive power

This is power that is used in response to situations, for example where a person has the
power to say no or to restrict access in some form. This power cannot be utilized that
until someone else wants something that can be blocked.

In some countries, crimes are considered as being less so when they are deemed as being
reactive. Thus, in France, 'crimes of passion' are dealt with more leniently than over the
water in Britain.

Proactive power

This is power used consciously and deliberately, for example using your physical
strength to attack someone. This is where Values, Morals and Ethics are more significant,
as they imply deliberate intent, premeditation and forethought.

Uses of power

Put together, these three domains of power can be used to create the table below. It's a
neat way of understanding how different forms of power appear.

Uses of power Physical Informational Emotional

Open book Respond to calls for
Positive Do no harm
Allow access help
Reactive
Do not inform Ignore
Negative Allow harm
Deny access Reject calls
Proactive Inform, teach Comfort
Positive Defend
Warn of danger Nurture
Negative Attack Withhold information Taunt

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 Do harm Blackmail, deceive Seduce

Toffler's three forms of power

Futurist Alvin Toffler describes three forms of power and shows how these have changed
over time.

Violence

The most basic form of power is violence, or physical forms of power. 'Might is right' is
their watchword and it is close to the law of the jungle in operation.

The basic promise is 'do as you are told and you won't get hurt'.

Those who gain the power of violence do so by controlling the mechanisms of physical
domination, from armies and police forces to the ownership of specific weapons.

Wealth

Money is a more flexible form of power than violence as it can be exchanged for pretty
much anything you want, from goods to services of all kinds.

Money can be viewed as 'stored time/action': you work and are given money, then give
the money to others to save time/action. The trick in acquiring wealth is to invest the
money in ways that it provides a maximum return on investment.

Those who gain wealth do so largely through a superior ability (or sometimes luck) in
investment, taking controlled risks and gaining disproportionate returns.

Knowledge

Knowledge is the ultimate form of power and can be used to acquire both wealth and
violence, if applied in the right way. 'Knowledge is power' is a common saying that
highlights this.

The evolution of power

Toffler indicates how violence was the basic power of the nobility in ancient times,
where powerful elite worked largely through domination that threatened violence to those
who did not comply.

In the industrial revolution, violence gave way to wealth, as the merchant classes became
more powerful and gained control of critical resources and channels.

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Powerful People
How do powerful people behave? Here are some of the things they do, and why. In
particular powerful people act either to get what they want or simply to sustain and
enhance their power.

Using symbols

Powerful people often use the symbols of power to demonstrate to others that they are
powerful. They dress in expensive clothes, drive new and powerful clothes. They have
powerful friends and let others know this.

Power is often illusory, and is as much about confidence as anything else, with power
being ceded by those who believe they have less. Symbols are consequently a part of the
toolkit that 'powerful' people use to persuade others that they have more real power than
they perhaps have.

Truly powerful people are often understated in how they dress and how they use symbols.
By an almost reverse psychology, they say 'I do not need symbols' and they live more by
their reputation and the quiet knowledge that they can get everything they need. The
symbols of power are still significant but in their absence rather than their presence.

Speaking more or less

Depending on whether they have a psychological need to be heard or not, powerful

people will speak more or less. The more extraverted people will take the stage and
pronounce for a long as they like, quite possibly in a louder voice.

Others will wait quietly then speak briefly but forcefully. Speaking at the end, after others
speak is a distinct technique as it allows the person to take account of the useful
information gained by listening to others. It also allows the powerful person to praise or
criticize other speakers. As others have already spoken, it also allows the powerful person
to close the conversation or change topic.

Rule-breaking

When speaking, powerful people will interrupt more. When they want to speak, they will
speak rather than waiting politely for others to end. Speaking when they want is an
example of how powerful people will break rules.

Rule-breaking may be deliberate, to demonstrate the person's power. It may also enhance
power, for example when they interrupt another person, thus showing they are more
powerful, pushing themselves up the hierarchy and the other person down.

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Rule-breaking may also be unthinking as the powerful person is so accustomed to getting
what they want that without criticism, they act like a bull in a china shop, damaging all
around them.

Thinking less

People with less power may be harmed by people with power so they think carefully
before speaking to powerful people. And because powerful people do not have to worry
about what others might think about them, they think less before speaking.

Also, because they have the power to change decisions, they often think less before
making decisions. On the other hand, if the decision might affect their power then they
will be more cautious. For example a rich person will spend a smaller sum (which seems
large to the average person) with impunity, whilst they will be more cautious spending
large sums.

Trusting more

When less powerful people trust more powerful people they may be putting themselves in
danger, as if conflict arises between them the powerful person will likely win. Less
powerful people consequently are less trusting of more powerful people.

In the reverse case, powerful people know they punish others if they are not trustworthy
and that they have the means to extricate themselves from a damaging situation. In
consequence there is less risk for them to trust and so they trust more.

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Power in Organizations
Here is a list sources of power that may be found in organizations (Morgan, 1986), with
further commentary

Formal authority

The simplest form of power is that vested in the position of 'manager'. A manager has
subordinates who must do his or her bidding, only within legal and organizational rules.
The basic employment transaction is 'we give you money, you do as your are told'.

Of course there are many more ways that power can be exerted, and in particular in
motivating people more effectively such as is found in transformational leadership.

Control of scarce resources

Other than directing employees, managers control budgets and the assets and other
resources that the firm holds, from technology to people. A part of this control is the
ability to allocate these resources to projects and other work.

It is not unsurprising that many of the political battles in organizations is over control of
resources and 'empire-building' is a classic game, with a significant risk that
organizational goals get forgotten in the cut and thrust of winning and losing control of
resources.

Use of organizational structure, rules and regulations

Organizations have hierarchies, departments, teams and other structures, often each with
its own rules as well as the rules that govern the action within the organization as a
whole. Many people do not know all of these rules, which makes them a source of power
for those who care to take time to learn their detail.

Power can also be gained from quoting rules that do not exist or misquoting rules by
overstating or understating their meaning.

Control of decision processes

Work is selected and resources are allocated by decisions, many of which are decided in
some form by groups of people. By managing how decisions are made, for example by
requiring consensus or senior-manager signoff, the power of some people may be
curtailed whilst others gain the ability to shape decisions.

When decisions are made in committee or other meetings, the person who chairs the
meeting or keeps the minutes may have notable power to control decisions.

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Control of knowledge and information

Knowledge is power, as they say, and how you gather and distribute it is a source of
power, whether it is technical or social information.

Experts often work in this way, protecting their elevated status by hiding the sources of
their knowledge and exacting high prices (whether financial or social) for their learned
opinions.

Control of boundaries

The structures and groups of the organization are only so because they have boundaries
which people cross in order to access resources and meet people. Thus, for example, an
executive's Personal Assistant may have disproportionate power in the ability to allow
access or not to the executive. Likewise security guards, though not paid very much can
allow, bar or hassle people crossing their boundaries.

Ability to cope with uncertainty

A quite different source of power is personal resilience, the ability to handle uncertainty
and stress that might debilitate others. Such people can gain position by taking on work
that others fear and is a common route for upwardly-mobile go-getters who seek early
promotion.

Control of technology

Technology is (or should be) an enabler, providing data, analysis, information, access and
other benefits. Those who control what technology is used by the organization or who
gets the latest computers and software has significant power, and the person who used to
be the 'IT Manager' may now be the 'Chief Information Officer'.

Having the latest technology can also be a status symbol, thereby giving the holder social
power in the way they can show themselves to be influential and clever.

Interpersonal alliances, networks and control of ‘informal

organization’

Who you know makes a lot of difference. We naturally help our friends and those who
have helped us in some way in the past. Social networks are the glue of organizations and
those who build and work their informal associates can thereby gain significantly more
power.

In the time when smoking was allowed but only in special 'smoking rooms', it was often
said that this became a 'club' where the low and the high in the organization rubbed
shoulders, which no doubt gave power to the lower people in the name-dropping they
could use and and help they might get.

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Control of counter-organizations

Not to every organization is there an equal and opposite counter-organization, but in the
battlefield of businesses, whole ecologies spring up, include local opposition to factory
expansion, trade unions seeking ever-increasing pay and benefits and so on. If you can
infiltrate or otherwise hold some sway over the groups who might oppose you, you may
at least be able to damp the danger they power and possibly neutralize them completely.

Symbolism and the management of meaning

We live a lot, more than perhaps we realize, in the sway of the symbols and semiotics of
the workplace. If you can recognize the subtlety and understand the workings of how
meaning is created, then you have a surprisingly powerful tool for change and influence.

Symbols and meaning-making is a particular pattern of culture, and those who would
change the underlying culture of an organization can make use of these.

Gender and the management of gender relations

In a balanced workplace, around half the people are men and half are women. In practice,
some women gravitate towards particular roles whilst men seek other work positions. The
'glass ceiling' still exists in many companies and, perhaps due to life breaks such as
having children, fewer women make it to the higher echelons.

This can lead to frustrations and energy that can be put to good and destructive use. If
you can harness this, you have power. There is also the power of sexual attraction, and
tall and shapely people continue to make good use of their physical assets.

Structural factors that define the stage of action

The 'stage of action' in organizations is set up by the organizational purpose, vision,

mission, strategy and other high-level shaping activities that lead to scenarios of activity,
from driving into new markets to struggling with organizational change.

If you can shape the direction of the organization, you have tremendous power to affect
much of what it does and consequently the futures (and power) of others in the firm.

The power one already has

Last, but certainly not least, is the power of the individual. We can be charming, willing,
obstinate and more. And we have feet we can use to leave the company at any time we
choose.

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Power in Politics:
Power and politics are often seen as synonymous and most certainly it is important to
gain and maintain the diverse forms of power you have.

Coalitions
When threatened or otherwise stressed, people form into groups to defend against a
common enemy. They may also band together to achieve a common goal.

This can be bad news and the bottom line is that if you are trying to get something done
in an organization, you really do not want to have to do battle with a coalition.

Avoiding coalitions

It is best if you can first act to avoid coalitions starting, for example by:

• Managing information to demonstrate that they are not needed.

• Managing the sequence of information to guide their thinking and at least
avoiding the worst forms of coalition.
• Increase the visibility of specific issues to show the irrelevance of a coalition.
• Break down the problem into separated issues, so a coalition cannot form around
impossibly big issues.

Handling coalitions

Coalitions are more powerful than individuals, not only because they represent mass
action, but because they also build in social obligations such that individual coalition
members will be loathe to act individually and against the interests of the coalition as a
whole.

This makes handling them very dangerous. Macmillan and Guth (1985) suggest the
following tactics:

• Form a pre-emptive coalition, including some of the key people who would
otherwise join the opposition.
• Form a counter-coalition if the opposing coalition appears anyway, although
watch out for this causing war games.
• Change the power of the coaltions leaders, for example by restructuring their jobs
beneath them, removing their position power.
• Co-opt coaltion members onto plum jobs, especially the waverers and key people.
• Increase communication and persuasion, because it is surprising how often just
talking works.
• Remove coalition leaders, for example by sacking them or sending them overseas.

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Political power
Political power is gained with care, cunning...and political power. Good politicians invest
now to get more power later.

Alliances and coalitions

When people band together into coalitions they become more powerful. 'Together we
stand, divided we fall', as they say. The trick with coalitions is to build a core idea around
which people cluster. This may be negative, for example stopping a hated change, or may
be positive, such as pushing through a change.

Favors and back-scratching

Political power often is build on a system of exchange, where people in a power

relationship support one another as needed and perhaps in different ways (possibly even
by breaking the rules).

Bribery, blackmail and corruption

Politics can indeed have a shadow side to it, and such negative means may be gained to
garner power. A surprising number of people have skeletons and more in their closet.
Digging out the dirt is a popular political ploy. What you do with it next depends on your
style. A political animal will hide the information. A politically naive person will
squander the power it could give, either by not talking about it or by turning it into office
gossip.

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Conclusion:
Understand the power you have as well as the power of other people. Use your own
power carefully. Perhaps the greatest power you can have is to get others to use their
power on your behalf.

Beware of sleeping dragons: many people will only use their power when aroused. The
most effective power is that used so subtly that people do not realize it is being used.

Power does not have to be used directly: threats are often effective, especially when
accompanied by displays of power. Like gorillas thumping their chests, we seldom need
to fight.

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