StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Power and organizations: Knowledge is power - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
POWER AND ORGANIZATIONS «Knoweledge is power» Panos Dantis Date: 7/10/11 Word Count: 2.824 Contents Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 2 EXCHANGE THEORY 4 Interpersonal sources of power 5 Situational and Structural powers 6 Organizational use of power 6 Reciprocal expectations 6 SOURCES OF POWER 7 Formal Authority 7 Control 8 Networks and control of organizations 9 Gender relations management 9 Structural factors 9 KNOWLEDGE 9 Clear and consistent focus 11 Power sharing 12 Management support 12 Appropriate technological tools 12 INTRODUCTION The meaning of knowledge is power is that the more of what ones knows is the more one will be in position to control activities and events in an organization for …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97% of users find it useful
Power and organizations: Knowledge is power
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Power and organizations: Knowledge is power"

Download file to see previous pages

The effectiveness on how the power of knowledge is operated in an organization has a great impact on the overall performance as well as the success of any organization (Henry 2002). There is a wide range of interpretations in regard to the concept of power in the context of human societies and human organizations; Power is basically considered to have the ability of influencing, affecting, mobilizing and the employment of various sanctions (Alvesson 2006). These meanings attributed to power including control influence, domination and knowledge are considered to be related and should be operated effectively in such a way that it is consistent with the organizational goals and objectives.

Power in the context of organizations comprises the organizational structure and its legitimacy. In some cases illegitimate power may be recognized in the case of organizational changeover. The conceptual framework of power entails various theories which explain how power is operated in the organization by the individuals who are obligated to the management of power which involves the employment of the various aspects of knowledge (Alvesson 2006). The theories of power under this conceptual framework include the exchange theory, the source of power in organizations and finally the knowledge of power mainly the management processes in the organization (Henry 2002).

The examination and discussion of these theories provides a precise and conceptual manner on how power can be operated for the efficiency and the improvement of the overall performance of the organization. EXCHANGE THEORY This is one of the major theories of power which mainly has its assertions and arguments based on the exchange theory in the underlying economic concepts and it is associated with the notion of the market referred to as catallaxy(Franz 2001). The catalaxy is generally a market order in which organizations are characterized with unplanned ends thus they are characterized with to what is called spontaneous orders in an organization.

From this the exchange theory of power asserts that individuals in an organization operating with certain level of power divert from their normal course of duty and pursue their interests. It is notable that the individuals operate within the set frameworks and the set laws of the organization (Franz 2001). Putting this into the context of the organization, the emphasis on the existence of interpersonal relationship between the managers and the subordinates mainly the employer employee relations creates an influence on the nature and the scope of the organizational power (Henry 2002).

This creates an insight on how powers in an organizations can be complete when this relationship is fostered attributed by the exchange of power between the two contexts of the stakeholders in the organization. The exchange theory mainly involves the exchange and interaction between the power of the superior and the influence and control over the subordinates. The impacts on the assertions of the exchange theo

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Power and organizations: Knowledge is power Essay”, n.d.)
Power and organizations: Knowledge is power Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/management/1400808-power-and-organizations-knowledge-is-power
(Power and Organizations: Knowledge Is Power Essay)
Power and Organizations: Knowledge Is Power Essay. https://studentshare.org/management/1400808-power-and-organizations-knowledge-is-power.
“Power and Organizations: Knowledge Is Power Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/management/1400808-power-and-organizations-knowledge-is-power.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Power and organizations: Knowledge is power

Organization Management

This demonstrates her weak personal power and fears.... hellip; The opera trustees were considered to be the financial power of opera.... Personal power is that which is acquired through expertise, effort, personal attraction and legitimacy.... Personal power reflects task relevant knowledge and experience, high commitment; and other desirable characteristics which are consistent with the organization goals and objectives (Whetten, 2008, p....
3 Pages (750 words) Term Paper

Sources of Power in an Organization

Sources of power in an Organization Introduction “Anyone in an organization can exercise power to achieve desired outcomes, though of course the amount of power that individuals hold in an organization varies substantially”, states Daft, Murphy and Willmott (2010, p.... hellip; Still, many managers feel that they have no power in making decisions.... It is important for them to understand what kind of power they possess to enable themselves to influence people....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Power Complexities in Organizations

Paul Merchant identifies five types of power, namely, legitimate power, expert power, referent power, coercive power and reward power.... power Complexities in Organizations Name University power Complexities in Organizations Introduction Change in organizations is affected by many factors with power held by any group really affecting decision making and management in any organization.... When one person or group has power, they have the ability to make things happen, either by himself or he gets someone to do it for him....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Empowering Knowledge in Organizations

As Cleveland (1985) has explained, "knowledge is power, as Francis Bacon wrote.... As we surge towards the Information Age, the importance of knowledge is increasingly magnified.... That is why we cannot deny the fact that the process of spreading knowledge is facilitated by the development and diffusion of new information technologies.... This is why a new aspect on how knowledge is harnessed was formed.... hellip; So the wider the spread of knowledge, the more power gets diffused....
14 Pages (3500 words) Assignment

Power and Organization

This essay “power & Organization” investigates what power refers to the potential or actual ability to influence others in the desired direction.... As an exchange relationship, power occurs in transactions between an agent, when using the power, and a target.... nbsp;… An advantage of holding referent power is that it can lead people to do things that may not result in a tangible reward; the rewards comes instead from the relationship with the charismatic person....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Power And Culture Within Organisations

The definition of power varies quite much as each writer gives their own view of the subject.... In this sense, different organizations have different organizational cultures more like people have different personalities.... In one of their research, the two measured organizations using two parameters – risk or uncertainty and feedback or response.... According to the findings of this study, Kennedy and Deal noted that organizations may be distinctly classified into four with respected to culture....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Power and Politics in Organizations

Technically, understanding the causes of politicking is the first step in appreciating the depth and breadth of positive and negative consequences of power and politics in organizations.... Upon tanding the consequences of power and politics, the next appropriate step would entail appraising the merits and demerits of power-wielding and politicking in workplaces.... Finally, appropriate recommendations become necessary in either optimizing the benefits of power and politics, or mitigating the negative effects of the two concepts of organizational theory....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Power and risk management in organizational context

The paper talks about the various kinds of power which include Reward power, legitimate power, Expert power, and Coercive power and Referent power.... These grouping may include the Reward power, legitimate power, Expert power, and Coercive power and Referent power.... This paper is to make the reader understand what power is in accordance with the organizational context.... hellip; power is a vital element in the organization....
14 Pages (3500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us