Question

The power and politics school of thought expresses concerns over how to define “power and politics.” Delineate the differences between the terms “power and politics.” What are the types of power found in public organizations? How is power achieved in the organization? How does power become authority? How may power and politics be balanced?

Answer 1

(a) The difference between power and politics is as follows:

• Power can be described as an ability to control and influence the things that are valuable to others where as politics is legitimate and sanctioned by the organization.
• Power brings changing in the behavior and politics regulate behavior. Power is purely based upon force whereas politics based on laws and rights.

?(b) Types of power found in public organization are as follows:

• Legitimate power: It is a positional power that depends on the position a person has in the organization. People at top positions describe job descriptions for the others below them in the hierarchy of the organization.
• Expert Power: This type of power comes from knowledge and can be derived from the expertise in particular subject or area.

(c) The power is achieved in a following way:

• Eliminate the dependency: In order to be in power, you will first to eliminate your dependency on others for love, complements, money etc.
• Develop power: Develop power of confidence, power of knowledge and power of connections within the organizations.

?(d) To balance power and politics:

• Focus: Be focus on each and every aspect of power and politics.
• Openness: Listen actively with an open mind to both the aspects of power and politics.