Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

Santa Cruz Main Campus
Santa Cruz, Laguna

Graduate Studies and Applied Research

Managing the Boss

Consequence of Using
Power

Professor: Ma. Victoria Cabigan

Discussant: Michelle R. Occidental
MANAGING
THE BOSS
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR BOSS
1. I tend to get into power struggles and control battles with
my boss.

2. I resent the fact that my boss has the power to direct my

activities.

3. I sometimes intentionally fail to do something that my

boss asks or expects.

4. I tend to feel somewhat anxious when I am with my boss.

5. I am very hesitant about expressing disagreement to my

boss.

6. I often keep my ideas and opinions to myself instead of

sharing them with my boss.
 Accept the fact that your boss has been given the power to direct your
activities.

Don't expect perfection.

Study your boss' management style and figure out what

makes her happy.

Try to make your boss look good.

Never, never, never complain to others about your boss.

Give your boss a sincere compliment from time to time.

Finally, don't forget the old saying "it's not your boss who
protects your job, it's your boss's boss".
EFFECTIVE WORKING
RELATIONSHIPS
By effectively managing your boss and
creating a good working relationship , you
can:
Improve your chances of being
successful in your job.

Reduce job related stress.

Enhance the effectiveness of

the organization.
The good news is - if you
can determine what causes
your boss's moods swings,
then you can develop "mood
radar" and be prepared to deal
with sudden changes in
temperament.
A GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH
YOUR BOSS WILL ELIMINATE STRESS

AND IMPROVE YOUR EFFECTIVENESS

 MANAGING YOUR BOSS
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR BOSS
(FromSecretstoWinningatOfficePoliticsbyMarie
G.McIntyre,Ph.D.)
All material on yourofficecoach.com is copyrighted to
Marie G. McIntyre.All rights reserved.
May be reproduced for non-commercial use with
copyright and attribution to www.yourofficecoach.com
Commercial use requires permission: email
mmcintyre@yourofficecoach.com
 Next topic

Consequence
of Using
Power
CONSEQUENCE OF
USING POWER
P O W E
R
What happens when we get power and
become leaders?

Power is not simply

something that can make us
feel superior, more unique
and different from others.
Research in psychology
suggests that power can
actually change the way we
perceive information and
process it.
POWER

Academic researchers typically define power as either the

capacity to influence others and stay uninfluenced, or as
having control over different types of resources (e.g.
financial resources).
Power can come not only from ones status in an
organization a legitimate form of power but also, for
instance, from an expertise in a certain area a form of
power known as expert power. Some individuals can thus
have power, even though they do not necessarily have a
high hierarchical status in an organization - think for
instance, of an IT person who has expert knowledge over
key resources used and needed by many in an
organization.
There are two types of power that is exercised in society, whether in the corporate world, government, academia
or the family.

Position Power is bestowed by the institution. It is indicated by level, or title, i.e., president, vice president,
director, manager, supervisor, police officer, professor, teacher, mother, coach, father, etc. These titles command
certain protocols are supported by policies, sanctions and authority within the systems of the institution
whether it's a large corporation, the military, government agency educational institution or family.

Personal Power is given by others. It comes from within the individual; in the way he or she attempts to
influence or persuade others to accomplish tasks and the respect he or she conveys towards other people. It's
based on an aura of charisma, their personality or the type of person they are; as well as their knowledge,
experience and connections in their network. We know what this is when we experience it in our interactions with
other people, i.e., that doctor has a good bedside manner or that salesperson has a bad attitude, etc.
Power play a huge role, from governing how decisions are made to how employees interact with one another. In
businesses big and small, the impact of power depends on whether employees use positive or negative power to
influence others in the workplace. Politics may directly influence who has the power and determine whether the
overall culture of the workplace encourages productivity.

Positive Types of Power

Positive power in an organization involves encouraging productivity. This includes giving employees the power to
make decisions, rewarding employees for strong performance and appointing employees who perform strongly to
supervise other employees. Positive power builds employee confidence and motivates employees to work harder.
It also results in those in higher-level positions gaining power through employee respect and communication,
rather than coercive efforts. Employee retention rates are higher when employees are given the power to express
concerns and work together in an organization.
Negative Types of Power
When leaders in an organization do not have the respect of the employees under them, they have a negative
power. This type of leader motivates employees to perform by threatening them with job loss and other
punishments or shows favoritism to certain employees rather than recognizing the hard work of multiple
employees. Not only does the quality of work produced decrease under this type of power, but it leads to higher
turnover rates in an organization.
Positive Workplace Politics
Employees who learn to navigate the politics of an organization are more productive than those who are left out
of the loop. To encourage productivity, organizations must develop a political culture easy for employees to
understand. Establishing clear policies and chains of command makes it easier for employees to find the
answers they need and spend more time on producing quality work. A climate focused on collaboration and equal
treatment prevents conflict that can reduce productivity.

Negative Workplace Politics

Organizations that develop climates of negativity and conflict suffer as a result. If employees are encouraged to
engage in dishonest or unethical behavior to get ahead and favoritism trumps the quality of work, an organization
faces decreases in productivity and higher turnover rates. An organization without clear policies and chains of
command leads to employees spending more time searching for answers and attempting to fix problems than
actually completing quality work.
Negative
Powerful people are prone to take risky, inappropriate, or unethical decisions and often overstep
their boundaries .
They tend to generate negative emotional reactions in their subordinates, particularly when there is a conflict in
the group.
When individuals gain power, their self-evaluation become more positive, while their evaluations of others
become more negative.
Power tends to weaken ones social attentiveness, which leads to difficulty understanding other peoples point
of view.
Powerful people also spend less time collecting and processing information about their subordinates and often
perceive them in a stereotypical fashion.
People with power tend to use more coercive tactics, increase social distance between themselves and
subordinates, believe that non-powerful individuals are untrustworthy, and devalue work and ability of less
powerful individuals.

The key is balance:
Balancing position and personal power. It means drawing upon
the appropriate power for the situation at hand and being able
to recognize or diagnose the situation and which way is best to
respond. When power is used inappropriately, the danger of
being stereotyped occurs.
Discussant: Michelle R.
Occidental