When you imagine yourself as a manager, how do you see yourself using the power of your position? Understanding the dimensions of power is critical to wielding it wisely and effectively. When introducing the topic of power, your course text asks the question: “Why do managers need to know about the two types and five bases of power?” (Kinicki, 2021, pp. 467-470). Whether or not you stopped to answer then, this week’s Discussion requires that you think about power and its influence in a work environment.
Referent Power “…is derived from personal characteristics and social relationships that effectively gain others’compliance” (Kinick, 2021, p. 468).
With your thoughts in mind:
By Day 3
Complete the Self-Assessment “What kind of Power Do I Prefer” (p. 470).
Respond to the following questions:
Which of the five bases of power do you prefer to use?
Describe how your preferred form of power helps you at school, at work, and socially.
Which of the five bases is your least preferred? What are the implications for you at school, at work and socially?
What two specific things can you do to increase your expert power? And what two things can you do to increase your referent power?
You may use the self-assessment and articles to support your response. Be sure to use APA formatting to reference your sources.
Required Readings:
Kinicki, A. (2021). Organizational behavior: A practical, problem-solving approach (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Chapter 9, “Communicating in the Digital Age” (pp. 336–377)
This chapter of your text begins with a section on organizational processes. The content introduces a process model of communication and examines barriers to effective communication, the elements of communication, and ideas to promote effective communication. As the title implies, the chapter also addresses communication through social media, including its impact, approaches, and best practices. The information related to social media is particularly relevant to the Assignment this week.
Chapter 12, “Power, InFluence and Politics” (pp. 464–505)
This chapter of your text addresses the roles of power and influence in an organization. The topics covered include soft and hard influence tactics; types and bases of power; the concept of empowerment and its relationship to delegating power; and the dimensions of, and impressions created by, organizational politics. Pay particular attention to the content on types and bases of power in preparation for the Discussion this week.
Chapter 13, “Leadership Effectiveness” (pp. 506-546)
This chapter of your text looks at research theories that offer perspective on types of leadership within organizations, differences in impact and effectiveness of forms of leadership, and how leading differs from managing. The content applies to the Discussion and Assignment this week.
Twitter. (2014). Grow your business with Twitter. Retrieved from http://business.twitter.com/
This section of the Twitter website is devoted to helping companies recognize the business applications of using Twitter as a social media platform for communicating with customers, employees, and other stakeholders. You will need to access and review the information available to complete the Assignment this week. Pay particular attention to the company profiles and recommended best practices featured on the site.