Home / Summaries / Organisation theory : concepts and cases / power-change-organisations

Power-Control

6 important questions on Power-Control

What does Child's strategic choice argue?

That although managers' discretion is curtailed to some extent, there is still scope for them to make choices favourable to themselves

What are the 4 basic points of Child's strategic choice?

1. Decision-makers have more autonomy than implied
2. Organisational effectiveness should be construed as a range, not a point
3. Organisations often have the power to manipulate and control their environments
4. Perceptions and evaluations of events are an important intervening link between environments and the actions of organisations

What are the 5 areas in which structure creates political arenas in organisations?

1. Position in hierarchy
2. Resource allocation
3. Interdepartmental coordination
4. Responsibility exceeding authority
5. Structural change

In what ways can political tactics be used?

1. Building coalitions
2. Defining the nature of the problem
3. Enhancing legitimacy and expertise
4. Making preferences explicit, but keeping power implicit
5. Expanding networks of influence

What is organisational slack?

Is a cushion of excess resources that enables an organisation to adjust to environmental change

At what levels do the contingencies have the most impact?

1. Size - multidimensional
2. Strategy - top and middle of the organisation
3. Technology - individual and work-group level
4. Environment - middle level
5. Power - top of the organisation