Power Bases Within an Organization

In the modern business world, the concept of power plays a critical role. According to Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, and Osborn (2014), power is defined as the ability of an individual to make other people do what is wanted or get things done the way it is desired. Power bases are the sources of power that are used to influence employees within organizations. They can be of different types, including position or formal (reward, process, or information) or personal (expertise, reference, or coalition).

To build power, one should prove the relevance of the work performed by the staff to organizational goals, demonstrate high-level competence, and promote trust and confidence. In addition, it is necessary to remember about the relation between power and politics. Politics is based on the use of power to balance individual and organizational interests (Uhl-Bien et al., 2014). Therefore, power and politics are two significant concepts in organizational behavior.

Reference

Uhl-Bien, M., Schermerhorn, J., & Osborn, R. N. (2014). Organizational behavior (13th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.